S&W Shield : What are the facts ?

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tercel89

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I know that the internet is famous for rumors and bull-crap. I am wanting to get a S&W Shield. I have the money but just keep reading about problems here and there. I know that a new product will have "growing pains" and problems but I am hearing FTE , FTF, rust, Failure to return to battery, magazines falling out and on and on . I hear this on S&W forums and other gun forums like Glock forums and such.
What are you guy's experience with the Shield ?
At this point I am almost ready to just not buy one but I love how thin it is and how it is made better than the other "thin guns" .
Any help is appreciated .
 
I have only handled couple of Shields but, found that the truth about specific guns lies someplace in the middle. They're not as perfect as some claim nor nearly as bad as some others make them to be. With many sold I'm sure the Shield is good product at fair price (about $450 locally).
 
I have two. I liked the 9mm so well I bought the 40S&W Shield.
Two lady friends have two more (9mm). The minute they shot mine they wanted one.

Very reliable and very accurate.
I shoot it a good bit (home range).

The only complaint I have with the gun is it doesn't have a rail for a Crimson Trace Rail Master laser. (All my defense guns are equipped with (good) lasers.)

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I've heard mostly good things about them. I went with the XDs 45 myself, and love it. Sometimes, when you are really interested in a gun, and are not sure, or they have a hit or miss reputation, you just have to take a chance and buy one. I think more often than not, you'll have a hit, and be perfectly happy.

Do remember there are other options out there too like Springfield and Kahr.
 
I have both the XDS and the Shield and am back and forth between the two of them. I only have about 2,500 rounds on each of them and both have been flawless.

If I were to nitpick the Shield I would say that the only thing I don't like about it is the yellow lever you need to push down for disassembly where as the XDS disassembly is simpler. I put Ameriglo night sights on the Shield which improved the speed of my target acquisition.

http://www.ameriglo.net/catalog/sights/pistol-sights/smith-wesson/night-sights/complete-sets
 
Do remember there are other options out there too like Springfield and Kahr.
True.

These are a few more I have. All decent guns.

Shield.....CZ RAMI
Bersa BR9cc.....Ruger LC9
Beretta NANO
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I shot a XDS 45 yesterday. Didn't buy it because it's about $130 more than the Shield.
I'd like to add it to the collection if I can get the price down a little.:)
 
I got my mind set on the Shield so far . I don't like the Springfield XDS because of the grip-safety and I don't like the Kahr at all.
I wish that Springfield left off that stupid grip-safety :barf:
 
Just curious. What about the grip saftey puts you off? I don't even realize mine is there, and it works well.
 
I have the xds and shield. Both are great. I haven't heard many bad remarks about the shield and mine has been perfect.
 
Just curious. What about the grip saftey puts you off? I don't even realize mine is there, and it works well.
I do not understand why but many gun folks have strong aversion toward extra safety devices. I will admit I had to put electrical tape around handle of my mower because I hate to restart it every time I walk away from it. Safety on guns don't bother me at all.
 
Kahrs are great little guns, I have had all 3 and the shield got sold off. It wasn't as small or reliable as the pm9, nor as potent as the xds. Guns are individual items, everyone is going to say something else, it's up to you to decide for yourself.
Also you can get a good or not so good version of the same gun. Until you shoot it there is no way of knowing.
There are hundreds of threads here where some guys like something, and as many didn't, so to ask a definitive question is going to result in opinions. Being that we all differ with our opinions, you are never going to find a definite conclusion, until you buy the gun and try it for yourself.
That is one reason we all keep buying guns, otherwise there would be 1 gun that everyone agreed was the end all, best one out there for carry.
 
Wife and I both have one in 9mm. Haven't had any problem with either one and close to 4000 rounds thru them. Wife always carries hers with safty on. I usually don't but find myself to be more and more. The reason I say that is only gun I have with a manual safty is a Kimber. So knowing I am carrying a poly I know I don't have to worry about a manual safty, but at the same time I always find myself insteactively sweeping the "safety area" and the safety comes off of safe on my shield very easy.
 
I purchased a shield in 9mm a couple of months ago. If you want a gun that is scary accurate for a small gun and shoots everytime you pull the trigger than you should get a shield. I have tried several small 9mm pistols and the shield is my favorite by a landslide. I have put just under 600 rounds through mine and it runs perfect. I now trust it as a carry gun. shield_zps64f03fbd.gif "] shield_zps64f03fbd.gif [/URL]
target_zpse3cab002.gif "] target_zpse3cab002.gif [/URL]
 
I have had a full size S&W M&P 40 for a number of years, and I love it. It's one of those guns that just fit my hand, and points perfectly. I can, easily shoot it with either hand. Even though the Shield is much smaller, I find it just as comfortable to shoot. It fills my hand and feels just as comfortable. It has been absolutely reliable. I've had zero problems. Quite accurate for a small gun.
 
I've heard overwhelmingly positive comments, and my experience has mirrored that.

I haven't heard any of the issues the OP mentioned except for Failure to Extract.
 
tercel89 said:
I don't like the Springfield XDS because of the grip-safety ...
I wish that Springfield left off that stupid grip-safety

Funny ... that's exactly how I feel about the Shield. I wish that S&W had left off that stupid safety! If they had I would probably own and carry the 9mm version because the Shield feels better in my hand. I ended up buying an XD-S in .45 Auto and find that the small grip safety is nowhere near as intrusive as a typical 1911 grip safety so it's a non issue for me. I've shot the .40 S&W version of the Shield and would chose the XD-S I have over that model.
 
I have 2 Shields and with around 1500 rounds between them I haven't had one problem. I have also shot two others with the same results Factory or reload ammo- it doesn't matter. If you found bad results on the Glock forum - well, go figure.
 
I just got a Shield 40 and it is good, so far. Recoil is mild with the 40's and it shoots to point of aim. Sights are easy to see. It is thin enough to be easy to carry and heavy enough to manage recoil. First 50 rounds fired without a problem. I ordered a Lasermax and a holster for CCW. I like the 40 S&W cartridge from using it as an LEO.
 
I know that the internet is famous for rumors and bull-crap. I am wanting to get a S&W Shield. I have the money but just keep reading about problems here and there. I know that a new product will have "growing pains" and problems but I am hearing FTE , FTF, rust, Failure to return to battery, magazines falling out and on and on . I hear this on S&W forums and other gun forums like Glock forums and such.
What are you guy's experience with the Shield ?
At this point I am almost ready to just not buy one but I love how thin it is and how it is made better than the other "thin guns" .
Any help is appreciated .

Mine hasn't done any of those things.
 
I've got a 9mm Shield with 420 rounds through it.

Reliability: It had one FTE in the first 100 rounds with 115 gr S&B range ammo, and another in the second hundred rounds with Magtech 115 gr range ammo. I chalk it up to fairly mild loads in a new gun. The last hundred rounds I put through it were also the Magtech, and ran flawlessly.

These could have been due to limpwristing, but a) I don't do that, and b) every range session I alternate between two-handed, and both strong and weak hand unsupported, and it's never shown any hiccups with the weak hand. I don't think it's particularly prone to limp wristing failures.

The trigger was very rough when new. The trigger bar engages a plunger, and the channel the plunger rides in must have a bur on it. Initially, it was so rough that it would catch there right before breaking and take at least twenty pounds to break. I discussed the issue with a local gunsmith with a very good reputation, and he said just to keep shooting and cleaning it and it'd work itself out. It's pretty much worked out at this point. I suspect it'll be very smooth in a few hundred rounds. It's more than adequate as it sits now.

The gun has very thin grips, but isn't especially light. It's top heavy, but that doesn't seem to affect the handling much in actual use. I've put a Hogue Hand-All Jr grip sleeve on it, and it feels much better.

Weight-wise, with the Hand-Alls installed, it's 1.51 lbs with the 7 round mag and 1.56 lbs with the 8 round mag, loaded. (Federal 124 gr Hydrashocks -- I know, not the best, but all I could find at the time.) Holstered in a Sticky holster, it comes to 1.626 lbs with the 8 round, loaded.

So, it's not the lightest gun. IMO, it's great for IWB carry, not so much for pocket carry, though I do carry it in a jacket pocket. It's definitely in the "so small you'll forget you're carrying it" category.

Accuracy is outstanding, once the trigger is broken in. (If you really hate the trigger, Apex makes a trigger kit that improves it considerably. The smith I mentioned above doesn't believe the Shield needs one, though, and I agree. The design seems very sound, mine just had an issue with the finish, which isn't surprising at this price point.)

As for the yellow lever to push when taking it down. You don't have to use it, and can pull the trigger same as a Glock, instead. This just gives you an option that doesn't involve pulling the trigger. Which is not a bad thing, IMO. Youtube has a takedown video or two that shows both methods. Both are easy enough. This is a very easy gun to maintain.

I really don't like the sights. Lots of reviewers seem to love them. I find the front sight a PITA to acquire in lower light due to the dot being very dull and smaller in comparison to the rear dots. They'd have been better off to leave the dots off altogether IMO. Fortunately, there are several aftermarket sights available. I'll probably put the XS big dots on it when I get the extra funds. Of course, my eyes are starting to hit middle age, so this may not be an issue for a lot of folks.

I haven't experienced any of the problems listed in the OP, aside from the two FTEs that haven't recurred.
 
I bought a Shield about 3 months ago and I really like it. I had to move the sights with on and found out they were locktited in but after I heated them up with an electric soldering iron and moved them, it is shooting right on now. I am getting use to it and honestly I'm really getting to where it is one of my favorite pistols.
I looked at both the Shield and the XDs and compaired them side by side. The Smith is lighter and slimmer, the XDs has better sights and a better trigger with faster reset but is 150.00 more than the Shield.
I chose the Shield and it has been flawless with my loads so far and as stated several times above, It is very accurate
 
I've only got ~350 rounds through mine and had 1 FTE at around the 200 mark. This was with 115 gr. WW. There is absolutely nothing for me to conclude from that other than I need to shoot it more.
While I've only ran a couple of mags with HP ammo they were flawles.
The trigger seemed heavy at 1st and stil is I guess but this is not a target gun. It's easy to get off shots accurately with no real attention to the trigger on my behalf.
Can't speak much abouth the finish. If there were an issue with it I probably wouldn't care.
I feel exactly the same as BLB68 about the sights. Mine came with the front sight a little off center which is no big deal but the shield is begging me for a set of XS sights.
 
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