Worries with the shield....

Update

I've been in contact with SW customer service. They just emailed me a label to ship my gun to them. Said the turn around time would be 4-6 weeks. I'm not overly thrilled about that, but at least it will get worked on under warranty, and they can see what is going on. I'll be sending it off sometime next week, once this hurricane business is over with. Would like to avoid something happening to my gun while it is being shipped.
 
A fellow lefty here...hopefully it gets fixed. I don't have that issue with my bodyguard. I don't get why they just dont cut out the slot so that people can switch them.
 
Don't automatically blame the manufacturer for those kinds of glitches in a "new" gun. We all know that changes can be made to "new" guns outside the factory. Shouldn't happen, of course, but a lot of things shouldn't happen but do.

Jim
 
I've come to the conclusion that a gun is no different than any other mass-produced product. You can buy a product with a good reputation, and end up with the one in a million that has an issue. Nothing I can do about that now other than what I am planning to. If it weren't me, it would have been the next guy buying a shield who may needed to use it before I did. I learned a lesson about handling the specific gun I will be taking home, and am moving forward. I am trusting that S&W will take care of me.
 
Jacket67
Hang in there , S & W will take care of it . As long as you still like the handgun , this should be an easy fix so you can get back to shooting , its a bummer to have an issue with a new gun , problem should have been picked up before it went out for sale.
Let us know how it worked out.
 
It's happened more then a few times where I picked up a pistol that I thought I liked only to find out the mag release was either uncomfortable in some way or out of reach of my finger.

Personally, if I were a lefty I would never even consider anything that didn't have ambidextrous controls, wasn't a lefty only model or didn't have the European style mag release catch at the bottom plate.
 
+1 on the PPS.

If you could get the M1 style mag release, that would be perfect. I have an M1 style PPS and it is very similar to the Shield in terms of overall size, feel, and "shootability".
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Make that a +2. Button-style mag releases work fine most of the time but there are cases where accidental depression becomes a real concern. The paddle-style release of the PPS M1 sidesteps the problem. It works in plane with the gun instead of perpendicularly. I also like where it is located relative to the trigger, which tends to be more protected in a lot of holsters.

Having spent some time with both the PPS and Shield, the PPS just feels nicer in my hand. The different size grip extensions worked very well to make it more versatile. It shot better and more comfortably than a lot of small guns I've tried, and a little better than the Shield IMHO. I also liked that the PPS didn't have a manual safety.
 
Just posting an update!

I just sent off my shield yesterday to the factory. This got pushed back due to Hurricane Irma and school being a priority. the SW reps assured me the issue can be resolved by their smiths, but only time will tell. I'll post another update once I have further news, or once I have my gun back.

Stay tuned!
 
Jacket67
Your firearm will get a good once over, I sent a 44mag with endshake to S&W when I got it back it was like a fine tuned instrument. Keep us posted.
 
I sanded down the mag release a bit
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The issue with me and my shield isn't that I'm left handed and the mag release sticks out so far that I'm setting it off. That's what I originally was concerned it was, but it is in fact a faulty mag release spring. It puts no tension on the catch allowing it to slide freely and drop the mag. When I looked inside the gun, it was bent all the way to the right side of the gun, opposite the mag catch. So sanding it down is not the solution here, but changing the spring is.
 
I happen to like my Shield a lot... so much so that it's my EDC.

However, this was great advice:
My usual advice to anyone is - if you like a gun, don't trade or sell it.
If you don't like a gun, get rid of it - even if it's a loss.
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If it doesn't work for you, drop it like a bad habit and move on. A few hundred bucks is NOTHING compared to being confident with your firearms.
 
I'm a lefty and have been carrying a Shield for 2+ years with no problems. Hope the factory fix is the answer for a very comfortable to carry pistol.
 
Well it is officially at the factory! Got the conformation this morning. Praying they can fix the issue so I can keep this gun and trust it. I had no issues shooting my friend's sd9 the other weekend with the same exact mag release. If they can fix the spring, I'm confident that will correct the issue. I'll be in touch.
 
Just to clarify - you can buy a Shield without a manual thumb safety. Mine doesn't have one.
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I did my side-by-side comparison between the Shield and PPS before that was an option. I'm glad to see that S&W has since made it an option. However, this wasn't the only thing I liked better about the PPS M1.

The feature relevant to the topic here is the paddle release. I feel like Walther got it just right on the PPS M1, classic PPQ, and current versions of the P99. I also feel like those guns have nice stock triggers for their respective styles right out of the box. They are all excellent and unfortunately, sometimes overlooked pistols.

.
 
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IT'S BACK!!!!

Just picked up my shield today after getting warranty work on it! S&W fixed the magazine catch spring, and they also replaced a lot of other parts if I am reading the enclosed sheet correctly. They even replaced the original metal magazine catch with polymer one which I'm guessing is due to the rust issues many have had.

I am very thrilled this issue has been resolved. Smith & Wesson regained my trust as a company and took care of the manner quickly. Just ordered my holster for it a little while ago. Can't wait to take it out this weekend!

Thank you to those who have been following along!
 
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