S&W Shield 40 safety

[Flash!]

I took my new S&W Shield 40 cal to the range today.... it will definitely be my new carry gun...... it ran flawlessly for the 100 rounds I put through it...... I was amazed at the short smooth and crisp trigger pull......

my question is about the safety on the Shield..... is there a firing pin block? or is this gun cocked and locked similar to a 1911 (just with out an exposed hammer) If it gets dropped will it go off?

As I will be carrying it, I need to know how safe the gun actually is with the safety on and a round in the chamber...... tell me what you know about these...

 

[rcmodel]

I know nothing.
I tell nothing.

Other then S&W was not designing new pistols in 2011-12 without all the modern safety features that prevents any type of accidental discharge from being dropped, or run over by a truck..

Unless you negligently pull the trigger while pointed at something you did not intend to shoot?

Your S&W Shield is not going to shoot by itself.

The last S&W that might have, was made well before you were born, in the mid-1940's.

Fuhgeddaboudit!!



rc

 

[9mmepiphany]

The S&W Shield shares the same action as the M&P9/40/45 series.

1. The striker isn't fully cocked until the trigger is pressed through it's travel.
2. The striker's forward motion is restrained from moving forward, it dropped, by the Striker Block, which is lifted out of the way by the trigger bar.

Both of these conditions are in effect, even when the thumb safety is disengaged

 

[Dean1818]

I have the same pistol..... Nothing to worry about


Great pistol for CCW

 

[jfrey]

The safety actually blocks the trigger bar and stops it from going to the rear to fire the pistol. It is a very positive system.

 

[whatnickname]

Safety on M&P Shield and similar pistols

Given the types of actions incorporated on striker fired pistols, it takes a pretty deliberate move to fire one. In my opinion putting a safety on something like the S&W M&P line of pistols is tantamount to wearing a belt and suspenders! Looks like a case study in redundancy as far as I can see. My old granddad was fond of saying that you could never trust a man that wore a belt and suspenders because he couldn't even trust his own pants! Truth be known I think this design has more to do with marketing and possible insulation from liability suits from folks that have a permanent case of "dumb ass". Try as you might you just can't engineer your way around "stupid"! The other possibility as I see it is that both the military, and I suspect some police agencies, require a manual safety regardless of design. I think that Smith & Wesson offers essentially the same pistol with and without a manual safety in order to cash in on as many markets as they can. I heard a rumor that the US Department of Defense approached Glock and requested this modification so they could consider the Glock for the Joint Service Pistol contract that seems to be an "on again / off again thing". As I recall the JSP specs called for a manual safety which tends to lend some credibility to what Smith and some others are doing these days. I heard that Glock told them to pound sand! Just say'n...

 

[9mmepiphany]

The thumb safety has a function that I didn't notice at first. It provides a comfort spot for long time 1911 shooters to place their thumb.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

This is a derivation of the M&P, which had no manual safety, and even now only offers it as an option. My personal preference would be to ignore it. If you do want to carry it safety-on, carry it that way all the time so its operation is instinctive. A gunfight isn't the time to wonder which way you left it.

 

[Ankeny]

The striker isn't fully cocked until the trigger is pressed through it's travel.

Are you sure about that?

 

[9mmepiphany]

That is what S&W claimed to get the M&P classed in IDPA's SSP with the Glock as opposed to ESP with the XD.

I asked Apex Tactical about it once and the explanation was that the sear doesn't drop straight down (unlike a H&K P7) but the rear service describes an arc. That arcing movement pushes the striker back slightly to "fully" cock it.

 

[whatnickname]

What Lone Haranguer said +1

My preference for ccw is the Glock or a 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation S&W (safety in the off position). When the fecal material hits the ventilation equipment the last thing I want is to have to remember is a retention system on my holster or a manual safety. Events requiring the use of deadly force tend to happen in an instant, in the worst possible place, at the worst possible time. The less complicated it is to bring my weapon to bear the better

 

[Dr_B]

The striker isn't fully cocked until the trigger is pressed through it's travel.
Are you sure about that?

Most striker-fired pistols, if not all of them, are basically in a state of "half-cock." Pressing the trigger completes the process of bringing the striker into position to do its job of hitting the firing pin.

I own the Shield in .40 S&W and have been carrying it for over a year. It has been 100% reliable. I have carried it hiking, around town, and even shot a steel challenge match with it a couple of months ago. I load 180gr plated bullets for it with a charge of Titegroup. It functions well with Speer Gold Dot hollowpoints. I have also put some cast lead .40's through it as well.