Need S&W M&P Shield 45ACP Help

[DougGuy]

Went to the gun show in Roanoke last weekend, picked up a lightly used S&W M&P Shield in 45ACP for the girlfriend. She lives by herself and when I am not there she had nothing until we got her this one.

She can work the slide, although the gun has a low round count and the recoil springs are pretty stiff for a female shooter to manage. What is troublesome is depressing the slide stop to release the slide. I find it hard even for me, I have to use two thumbs to operate it, she can barely manage this part.

Have any of you ran into this with this model pistol? Is there a fix or a mod for it?

[tazman]

Went to the gun show in Roanoke last weekend, picked up a lightly used S&W M&P Shield in 45ACP for the girlfriend. She lives by herself and when I am not there she had nothing until we got her this one.

She can work the slide, although the gun has a low round count and the recoil springs are pretty stiff for a female shooter to manage. What is troublesome is depressing the slide stop to release the slide. I find it hard even for me, I have to use two thumbs to operate it, she can barely manage this part.

Have any of you ran into this with this model pistol? Is there a fix or a mod for it?

I have trouble releasing the slide with an empty magazine in the gun on several of my semi auto pistols. If you drop the magazine it becomes easy to release. If the magazine has any ammo in it, the slide release also works easily. The only time it is difficult is when the empty mag is in the gun.
Try it and see what happens.

[Texas by God]

Just tug back on the slide and let it fly forward on a loaded mag. If empty eject the mag first then try the release. They are difficult but will wear in with use. My wife's 9mm Shield slide release is easier than it was 2 years ago.

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[mjwcaster]

Shoot it, cycle it.
Shields are one of the hardest spring guns that I have found, from magazine springs to slide lock.
Most of them do seem to get better with use, but I have handled one with hundreds of rounds through it that the slide lock was still too stiff to release with my thumb.

Learn to sling shot/rip the slide and don’t use the slide lock is the best option in my opinion.

Barring that, pulling back on the slide to release tension makes the slide lock easier to operate.

Also what method is she using to operate the slide?

The natural way that most people use is holding the gun stationary with their strong hand and then pulling back with their weak hand.
This makes operating the slide difficult as you are using your weak hand in a weak motion.

The better way is to bring the gun close to the body, hold the slide still with the weak hand and punch the gun out with the strong hand, ripping the slide out of the weak hand.

This method uses the strong hand with a strong motion, a much better combination.

With practice and perhaps some manipulation of grip you can put pressure on the slide lock while ripping the slide, getting the slide to lock back easily.

This is much easier to demonstrate than describe.

Sometimes changes in technique make the difference between being able to operate the gun or not, it has been a game changer for some of my students with weaker hand strength.



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[AnthonyB]

+ 1 on not using the slide stop to release the slide. A Shield 45 goes with me everywhere I wear a belt, and I treat it like a Glock in manipulating the slide. The Apex Duty/Carry trigger is an expensive but worthwhile modification. Your throating work is also an essential requirement. Mine has not stumbled since the barrel came back from you. I live in rural AL and carry cast 200 gr. SAECO 58s or the BD45 depending on the season. The pistol runs perfectly with both.
Tony

[marlin39a]

I have the 40 Shield, and the 9mm. I much prefer the 9mm. Your girl must live in a tough neighborhood !

[DougGuy]

I have the 40 Shield, and the 9mm. I much prefer the 9mm. Your girl must live in a tough neighborhood !

Well, 230gr to go, why shoot 'em twice?

[mjwcaster]

I have the 40 Shield, and the 9mm. I much prefer the 9mm. Your girl must live in a tough neighborhood !

The 45 shield is a nice shooting gun, practically the same size as the 9 without much more recoil.
Unlike the Springfield XDS 45, that sucker is a handful, not my favorite gun.

I find 40 to have a snappier recoil experience than 45 and outside of flatter trajectory does nothing for me the 45 won’t do.

One of our range assistants carries a 45 shield 2.0 and she loves it better than her 380 Glock.
Smidget stands 5 foot nothing and probably weighed less than 100lbs.

We have his and hers 9mm shields, we got them before the 45 was introduced.
Otherwise mine would be a 45, same size only 1 less round.

A 45 shield is on my wish list, if I carried my shield more often I would have already upgraded.
But I more often carry larger or tiny, 380 LCP or full size 45.



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[knifemaker]

DougGuy, go to this site and check out the 45ACP Federal HST loads and the newer Winchester loads at the bottom of the page. On the photos of the five fired bullets, if you click on them, they will enlarge for a better view. These test loads were fired in short barrel pistols like your Shield and give the results for a average of 5 shots, not just one shot like most tests you see.

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/

[rintinglen]

Well, 230gr to go, why shoot 'em twice?

Practice?

[35remington]

Good pistol.’I like mine and find it to be “right sized.”

I too find it more pleasant to shoot than the 40 Shield. Overhand slide release is the only way it will run. Carry Gold Dot short barrel HP in mine, or RCBS 230 RNFP. Most non Plus P 230 HP defensive ammo runs in the 800 fps range. Plus P runs 840-880 depending upon brand but I do not shoot much of it nor do I think it necessary.

Have done extensive handloading for it. It is a favorite carry pistol. Smith did well on this one.

[edp2k]

When operating the gun in actual field use, you will never depress the slide stop to drop the slide on a empty mag.
Thus extra effort in this case is not a concern.
In field use the common use case is to depress the slide stop after inserting a new mag, and at that point the slide stop will not be pushed up
by the mag follower and mag spring, since the new mag will have 1 or more rounds in it with the mag follower down below them,
out of contact with the slide stop.

The condition you are experiencing is evidence that the mag spring is likely sufficiently strong enough to consistently push up the
side stop strong and fast enough to lock the slide open once the last round is fired.
this is much better that the opposite case.

[DougGuy]

When operating the gun in actual field use, you will never depress the slide stop to drop the slide on a empty mag.
Thus extra effort in this case is not a concern.
In field use the common use case is to depress the slide stop after inserting a new mag, and at that point the slide stop will not be pushed up
by the mag follower and mag spring, since the new mag will have 1 or more rounds in it with the mag follower down below them,
out of contact with the slide stop.

The condition you are experiencing is evidence that the mag spring is likely sufficiently strong enough to consistently push up the
side stop strong and fast enough to lock the slide open once the last round is fired.
this is much better that the opposite case.

This is with a loaded mag. Why would one want to drop the slide with an empty mag in place?

[Lloyd Smale]

I got in the habbit of running all my semi autos like that.
Just tug back on the slide and let it fly forward on a loaded mag. If empty eject the mag first then try the release. They are difficult but will wear in with use. My wife's 9mm Shield slide release is easier than it was 2 years ago.

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[tazman]

This is with a loaded mag. Why would one want to drop the slide with an empty mag in place?

For practice in handling the weapon controls. For closing the weapon for storage. These among others.
Striker fired pistols have a different mechanism than 1911 pistols. You aren't going to hurt them by dropping the slide on an empty mag.
I normally use the slide stop to drop the slide after a mag change since my hand is already right there. All of my pistols work the same way.
I only pull the slide back and release it when there is a problem I need to clear.
Others have different habits that work for them and this is fine. Maybe it would be better if I released the slide by hand but for me it is faster to use the slide stop.

[jonp]

Our Shields are very stiff like that, too. Pull the slide is how we solved the problem. Very, very stiff slide release and I don't know if they will lighten up with use or not. The Shields are excellent carry guns, Doug.