Shield Safety Alert

Kevin_d77 · August 22, 2013, 05:34 PM

I guess it's official now and no longer a rumor.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/w...8_757978_image

TunnelRat · August 22, 2013, 05:38 PM

Wow. I actually had this happen to my Shield. I sold it some time ago, but I definitely noticed this happening.

Wreck-n-Crew · August 22, 2013, 06:39 PM

I like manual safeties. Wish they went back to them.

mrray13 · August 22, 2013, 06:45 PM

I just checked the wife's, which was bought in May of last year. Checked out fine, glad I read this forum!

Kevin_d77 · August 22, 2013, 06:52 PM

Both of ours are fine too

meanmachine1961 · August 22, 2013, 06:55 PM

Mine checks out fine too.

TXAZ · August 22, 2013, 07:02 PM

Thanks. No problem here. But makes me wonder about earlier Quality processes and testing.
On the positive side, they appear to have rapidly fixed it once discovered.

Kevin_d77 · August 22, 2013, 07:04 PM

I think it was a recent batch but they needed to be cautious. Bought our first one in November last year and the second one this March.

danez71 · August 22, 2013, 08:30 PM

Quote:

I like manual safeties. Wish they went back to them.

The Shield has a manual safety.

This is a different issue.

khegglie · August 23, 2013, 06:51 AM

Mine is an early .40 model; checks out OK.

southjk · August 23, 2013, 08:11 AM

Mine was made in Jan of 13 and works like it's supposed to. I have to wonder though if this is now something I'll have to keep an eye on or do you either have the problem or don't. Could it break later or if it's not doing it now then I'm good?

arktravler · August 23, 2013, 10:13 AM

Thanks for the heads up. Checked mama's... her's is good....

**Spats McGee** · August 23, 2013, 01:53 PM

Thanks for the heads-up. In spite of my fear that no one will ever see this thread again, I'm going to sticky this.

Kevin_d77 · August 23, 2013, 03:46 PM

Stopped my LGS chain, they went thru every Shield in their inventory, said they had 40/200 that had the issue but its all within new batches

kcub · August 24, 2013, 06:02 AM

Why don't they fix them all?
It seems like the ones that are "fine" would still have the same propensity to someday not be "fine". I guess the S&W lawyers and actuaries figured out this was the cheapest way to go, customers be damned.

khegglie · August 24, 2013, 02:31 PM

Fix what? Mine checks out ok. They gave us the test procedure and said send it in IF IT FAILED.

wstein · August 24, 2013, 06:53 PM

I glad I checked the forum tonight. I got my shield last Aug, and it checks out fine.

ntg · August 26, 2013, 05:54 PM

Humm...I'm saving up for one and hoping to find one once I have the $$$. I'll have to make sure before pulling the trigger.

bt380 · August 27, 2013, 07:25 PM

While my M&P is not the "Shield," it has the same trigger mechanism in appearance and not under the warning label. The only time I check this mechanism is when cleaning, but I don't exercise it multiple times. I tickle all moving parts an observe for signs of wear, etc in the cleaning phase. While this seems ok, it may not have found a failure as the instructions says "test multiple times." I'll have to check out my other pistols and come up w/ a highlight list to examine prior to use. I have been thinking linearly and need to re-examine some of those concepts. I like safety tips and spending time on the gun bench. Then again, I like the mechanical mechanisms and slowness of reloading. I like to be thorough and it also helps me to be more observant with a deadly weapon where second best may not be good enough. Thanks for posting this on the forum as a reminder to keep vigilant.

Potsy · August 27, 2013, 10:44 PM

Checked mine ~~Good ! Thanks for the heads up.

1DrnkMxR · August 28, 2013, 07:54 AM

Thanks for the post, mine is good to go

spacecoast · August 29, 2013, 07:17 AM

Quote:

It seems like the ones that are "fine" would still have the same propensity to someday not be "fine".

I would have the same question. Does a pistol which is "fine" now have the potential to go to an unsafe condition in the future either from round count, wear or dirt accumulation?

Quote:

This Safety Alert applies to all M&P Shield pistols manufactured before August 19, 2013. We believe this condition is largely limited to recently manufactured M&P Shield pistols. However, out of an abundance of caution, we are asking all consumers of all M&P Shields manufactured before August 19, 2013 to immediately inspect their pistols for this condition.

While the symptom seems to be clear (plastic tab not reappearing), I don't see any description of the cause. If it was a manufacturing defect on some of the tabs, that should be noted.

Webleymkv · August 29, 2013, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by spacecoast
While the symptom seems to be clear (plastic tab not reappearing), I don't see any description of the cause. If it was a manufacturing defect on some of the tabs, that should be noted.

If the issue was a design/wear and tear problem, I'd think that it would be more common in older guns which would be more likely to have seen more use and thus more wear and tear (the exact opposite of what seems to be the case). Also, S&W seems to be a very liability-conscious company and if they'd identified a potential safety issue in the design of the Shield, I'd think that they'd either pull the model completely off the market or upgrade all of their pistols with a redesigned trigger unit such as Ruger did with the SR9. Because of these factors, I'm inclined to think that the issue was probably caused by a batch of bad parts rather than a design problem.

kybandit · September 7, 2013, 08:22 PM

mine fine. Thanks for the shout-out

BamaMac54 · September 26, 2013, 09:44 PM

Very helpful post. Mine checked out, but I'm glad for these forums for reasons like this.

August 22, 2013, 05:34 PM	#1
Kevin_d77 Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2012 Location: SW FL Posts: 953	Shield Safety Alert I guess it's official now and no longer a rumor. http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/w...8_757978_image

August 22, 2013, 05:38 PM	#2
TunnelRat Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 12,212	Wow. I actually had this happen to my Shield. I sold it some time ago, but I definitely noticed this happening. __________________ Know the status of your weapon Keep your muzzle oriented so that no one will be hurt if the firearm discharges Keep your finger off the trigger until you have an adequate sight picture Maintain situational awareness

August 22, 2013, 06:39 PM	#3
Wreck-n-Crew Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,820	I like manual safeties. Wish they went back to them. __________________ If you ever have to use a firearm, *you don't get to pick the scenario!*

August 22, 2013, 06:55 PM	#6
meanmachine1961 Senior Member Join Date: May 26, 2009 Location: Muscle Shoals, Alabama Posts: 276	Mine checks out fine too. __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." Plato

August 22, 2013, 07:02 PM	#7
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	Thanks. No problem here. But makes me wonder about earlier Quality processes and testing. On the positive side, they appear to have rapidly fixed it once discovered. __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

August 22, 2013, 06:45 PM	#4
mrray13 Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2008 Location: Missouri Posts: 911	I just checked the wife's, which was bought in May of last year. Checked out fine, glad I read this forum!

August 22, 2013, 06:52 PM	#5
Kevin_d77 Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2012 Location: SW FL Posts: 953	Both of ours are fine too

August 22, 2013, 07:04 PM	#8
Kevin_d77 Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2012 Location: SW FL Posts: 953	I think it was a recent batch but they needed to be cautious. Bought our first one in November last year and the second one this March.

August 23, 2013, 06:51 AM	#10
khegglie Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2009 Posts: 387	Mine is an early .40 model; checks out OK.

August 23, 2013, 08:11 AM	#11
southjk Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2012 Location: Memphis Posts: 468	Mine was made in Jan of 13 and works like it's supposed to. I have to wonder though if this is now something I'll have to keep an eye on or do you either have the problem or don't. Could it break later or if it's not doing it now then I'm good?

August 23, 2013, 10:13 AM	#12
arktravler Senior Member Join Date: September 18, 2001 Location: Arkansas Posts: 117	Thanks for the heads up. Checked mama's... her's is good....

August 23, 2013, 01:53 PM	#13
Spats McGee Staff Join Date: July 28, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 8,821	Thanks for the heads-up. In spite of my fear that no one will ever see this thread again, I'm going to sticky this. __________________ I'm a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer. If you need some honest-to-goodness legal advice, go buy some.

August 23, 2013, 03:46 PM	#14
Kevin_d77 Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2012 Location: SW FL Posts: 953	Stopped my LGS chain, they went thru every Shield in their inventory, said they had 40/200 that had the issue but its all within new batches

August 24, 2013, 06:02 AM	#15
kcub Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2010 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 3,318	Why don't they fix them all? It seems like the ones that are "fine" would still have the same propensity to someday not be "fine". I guess the S&W lawyers and actuaries figured out this was the cheapest way to go, customers be damned.

August 24, 2013, 02:31 PM	#16
khegglie Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2009 Posts: 387	Fix what? Mine checks out ok. They gave us the test procedure and said send it in IF IT FAILED.

August 24, 2013, 06:53 PM	#17
wstein Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2009 Location: Tampa Bay, FL Posts: 155	Re: Shield Safety Alert I glad I checked the forum tonight. I got my shield last Aug, and it checks out fine.

August 26, 2013, 05:54 PM	#18
ntg Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2013 Location: 4B - Idaho Posts: 119	Humm...I'm saving up for one and hoping to find one once I have the $$$. I'll have to make sure before pulling the trigger.

August 27, 2013, 07:25 PM	#19
bt380 Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Posts: 331	While my M&P is not the "Shield," it has the same trigger mechanism in appearance and not under the warning label. The only time I check this mechanism is when cleaning, but I don't exercise it multiple times. I tickle all moving parts an observe for signs of wear, etc in the cleaning phase. While this seems ok, it may not have found a failure as the instructions says "test multiple times." I'll have to check out my other pistols and come up w/ a highlight list to examine prior to use. I have been thinking linearly and need to re-examine some of those concepts. I like safety tips and spending time on the gun bench. Then again, I like the mechanical mechanisms and slowness of reloading. I like to be thorough and it also helps me to be more observant with a deadly weapon where second best may not be good enough. Thanks for posting this on the forum as a reminder to keep vigilant.

August 27, 2013, 10:44 PM	#20
Potsy Junior Member Join Date: September 12, 2011 Posts: 10	Checked mine ~~Good ! Thanks for the heads up.

August 28, 2013, 07:54 AM	#21
1DrnkMxR Member Join Date: July 11, 2012 Location: CinSity,NV Posts: 86	Thanks for the post, mine is good to go

September 7, 2013, 08:22 PM	#24
kybandit Member Join Date: June 7, 2010 Location: hills of southern Ky. Posts: 19	mine fine. Thanks for the shout-out

September 26, 2013, 09:44 PM	#25
BamaMac54 Senior Member Join Date: September 22, 2005 Location: Middle Tennessee Posts: 273	Very helpful post. Mine checked out, but I'm glad for these forums for reasons like this.