Guide rod in shield 40

WOODY1956 · October 30, 2019, 06:57 PM

Has anyone changed the guide rod in their S&P Shield 40. If so what were the benefits of changing and what brand

Forte S+W · October 30, 2019, 08:05 PM

In my experience, aftermarket guide rods seem like a waste of money. Any increase in longevity is often nullified by a marked reduction in reliability or increased wear on the frame/recoil spring.

In fact, certain firearms manufacturers outright advise against using aftermarket guide rods, albeit particularly in cases in which said aftermarket guide rods are steel while the stock is polymer since the frames most often get battered because they just weren't designed for steel guide rods. Granted that doesn't apply to the Shield since it already comes stock with a steel guide rod, but still.

Personally, I don't like to second-guess the manufacturer by attempting to "improve" on a proven reliable design like that of the M&P series. If a problem exists or manifests itself, then it's better to just take advantage of the lifetime warranty and have S&W ship you a replacement guide rod. Don't fall into the trap of spending money which could go towards more practical things by purchasing aftermarket parts with no proven, tangible benefits besides the dubious claims made by the manufacturer.

dyl · November 2, 2019, 10:57 AM

In competition guns, people will change a captive recoil spring to an open ended one or user-replaceable captive guide rod spring of a particular poundage. This allows the competitor to load their own ammo with light powder charges to just meet the power requirements but still have their pistol function well. The light recoil spring lets the slide fully retract with a lighter charge, still get ejection of casings. Then when they find their desired load / recoil spring combination they fine tune it for accuracy and stick to it. This is usually done in full size pistols.

A light recoil spring under full power (normal) or defensive +P ammo would batter the frame parts eventually, and increase felt recoil as the slide wasn't slowed before it came to a full stop at the end of travel. There may be failure to feed and trouble returning to battery in adverse conditions where forward motion of the slide is hampered.

A *heavy* recoil spring guide rod like those made of tungsten increases weight near the muzzle. I haven't seen any reviews where they could clearly tell a difference before and after.

If you are considering wanting the Shield 40 to have less muzzle flip, my suggestion would be checking your stance, grip, and a grip modification. The Shields are thin, but the down side is there is less for the hands to clamp down on, and the texture isn't as helpful as it could be. On my EDC (kahr cm9) I put a bike inner tube, then a Hogue Handall Junior on top of it, which gave it a palm swell, finger groove, widened the grip, and has nice texture. The inner tube keeps the grip from slipping down. I have also used rubber Talon Grips on other pistols and they help.

Stance: I used to shoot both feet even to each other. Now I put 1 foot half a step in front of the other and it made a world of difference.

I have a M&P40c I got a conversion barrel for, but in the end wound up purchasing a 9mm slide. I got it in 40 cal out of curiosity, not really because I was a fan of the cartridge. After trying it in IDPA I had a desire to shoot faster. I have shot a bit more since then so if I were to try 40 cal again I would probably be able to shoot faster with more accuracy than before. But it took deliberate practice.

Did I *need* to do grip enhancements? No, I could shoot accurately enough with them, and fast enough (I believe) for defensive use. But when I wanted to work on shooting faster just because, it helped.

Hal · November 4, 2019, 06:08 AM

Quote:

Has anyone changed the guide rod in their S&P Shield 40. If so what were the benefits of changing and what brand

The 9 and 40 stock assy is a two piece.
There's an aftermarket:
https://ssguiderods.com/shop/smith-w...eld-guide-rod/

That's a single piece - all stainless.

As an advocate of the KISS principal, having fewer pieces is - IMHO - a plus.

WOODY1956 · November 5, 2019, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hal

The 9 and 40 stock assy is a two piece.
There's an aftermarket:
https://ssguiderods.com/shop/smith-w...eld-guide-rod/

That's a single piece - all stainless.

As an advocate of the KISS principal, having fewer pieces is - IMHO - a plus.

That’s what I am looking at. Do you have any experience with them?

Hal · November 6, 2019, 06:36 AM

Not yet - but -it's on my list of things to get for my .45 acp Shield - should I ever use it as an every day carry.

**Spats McGee** · November 8, 2019, 05:30 AM

Does this mean you made the trade you talked about here: https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...87#post6752187 ?

WOODY1956 · December 3, 2019, 02:14 PM

Well I tried out the new guide rod yesterday and I don’t know why but twice my weapons failed to fire. I pulled the trigger no click no nothing. I cleared my weapon nothing did it again bang it shot. I changed magazines it happened again. So when I was done fire ing that load I put the original guide rod back in. No problems no misfires it worked the way it’s supposed to.

WOODY1956 · December 3, 2019, 02:15 PM

Yes

Hal · December 4, 2019, 05:36 AM

Thanks for that info!
You saved me some $$.

One of these days, I'll stop being so gullible and get lured into all the stuff that is made to lure people and not cure issues...

It's like fishing lures.
99% of them are made to catch fishermen & not fish..

October 30, 2019, 06:57 PM	#1
WOODY1956 Junior Member Join Date: October 25, 2019 Location: Augusta Posts: 9	Guide rod in shield 40 Has anyone changed the guide rod in their S&P Shield 40. If so what were the benefits of changing and what brand

October 30, 2019, 08:05 PM	#2
Forte S+W Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 2019 Posts: 819	In my experience, aftermarket guide rods seem like a waste of money. Any increase in longevity is often nullified by a marked reduction in reliability or increased wear on the frame/recoil spring. In fact, certain firearms manufacturers outright advise against using aftermarket guide rods, albeit particularly in cases in which said aftermarket guide rods are steel while the stock is polymer since the frames most often get battered because they just weren't designed for steel guide rods. Granted that doesn't apply to the Shield since it already comes stock with a steel guide rod, but still. Personally, I don't like to second-guess the manufacturer by attempting to "improve" on a proven reliable design like that of the M&P series. If a problem exists or manifests itself, then it's better to just take advantage of the lifetime warranty and have S&W ship you a replacement guide rod. Don't fall into the trap of spending money which could go towards more practical things by purchasing aftermarket parts with no proven, tangible benefits besides the dubious claims made by the manufacturer. __________________ Conspiracy theorists are the greatest political spin-doctors of all time. Only they can make the absolute worst political blunders sound like spectacular feats of ingenuity.

November 2, 2019, 10:57 AM	#3
dyl Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,310	In competition guns, people will change a captive recoil spring to an open ended one or user-replaceable captive guide rod spring of a particular poundage. This allows the competitor to load their own ammo with light powder charges to just meet the power requirements but still have their pistol function well. The light recoil spring lets the slide fully retract with a lighter charge, still get ejection of casings. Then when they find their desired load / recoil spring combination they fine tune it for accuracy and stick to it. This is usually done in full size pistols. A light recoil spring under full power (normal) or defensive +P ammo would batter the frame parts eventually, and increase felt recoil as the slide wasn't slowed before it came to a full stop at the end of travel. There may be failure to feed and trouble returning to battery in adverse conditions where forward motion of the slide is hampered. A heavy recoil spring guide rod like those made of tungsten increases weight near the muzzle. I haven't seen any reviews where they could clearly tell a difference before and after. If you are considering wanting the Shield 40 to have less muzzle flip, my suggestion would be checking your stance, grip, and a grip modification. The Shields are thin, but the down side is there is less for the hands to clamp down on, and the texture isn't as helpful as it could be. On my EDC (kahr cm9) I put a bike inner tube, then a Hogue Handall Junior on top of it, which gave it a palm swell, finger groove, widened the grip, and has nice texture. The inner tube keeps the grip from slipping down. I have also used rubber Talon Grips on other pistols and they help. Stance: I used to shoot both feet even to each other. Now I put 1 foot half a step in front of the other and it made a world of difference. I have a M&P40c I got a conversion barrel for, but in the end wound up purchasing a 9mm slide. I got it in 40 cal out of curiosity, not really because I was a fan of the cartridge. After trying it in IDPA I had a desire to shoot faster. I have shot a bit more since then so if I were to try 40 cal again I would probably be able to shoot faster with more accuracy than before. But it took deliberate practice. Did I need to do grip enhancements? No, I could shoot accurately enough with them, and fast enough (I believe) for defensive use. But when I wanted to work on shooting faster just because, it helped. Last edited by dyl; November 2, 2019 at 11:07 AM.

November 8, 2019, 05:30 AM	#7
Spats McGee Staff Join Date: July 28, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 8,821	Does this mean you made the trade you talked about here: https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...87#post6752187 ? __________________ I'm a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer. If you need some honest-to-goodness legal advice, go buy some.

November 6, 2019, 06:36 AM	#6
Hal Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 1998 Location: Ohio USA Posts: 8,563	Not yet - but -it's on my list of things to get for my .45 acp Shield - should I ever use it as an every day carry.

December 3, 2019, 02:14 PM	#8
WOODY1956 Junior Member Join Date: October 25, 2019 Location: Augusta Posts: 9	Well I tried out the new guide rod yesterday and I don’t know why but twice my weapons failed to fire. I pulled the trigger no click no nothing. I cleared my weapon nothing did it again bang it shot. I changed magazines it happened again. So when I was done fire ing that load I put the original guide rod back in. No problems no misfires it worked the way it’s supposed to.

December 3, 2019, 02:15 PM	#9
WOODY1956 Junior Member Join Date: October 25, 2019 Location: Augusta Posts: 9	Yes

December 4, 2019, 05:36 AM	#10
Hal Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 1998 Location: Ohio USA Posts: 8,563	Thanks for that info! You saved me some $$. One of these days, I'll stop being so gullible and get lured into all the stuff that is made to lure people and not cure issues... It's like fishing lures. 99% of them are made to catch fishermen & not fish..