[buckeyebill]

Hi All. I'm new to the forum and to concealed-carry. Looking forward to being a part of the forum. Sorry in advance for any newbie banter but I couldn't find any info on this topic.

Just purchased the S&W .45 Shield for every day carry. Love the gun but the slide does not return to battery position when racking slide unless slingshotting the slide or firing ammo. Never seen this before in any of my other semi-autos, including my Shield 9mm. Took it to local dealer gunsmith and he diagnosed as faulty guide rod/spring. He swapped the guide rod with one of their display models and it functioned perfectly.

Wondering if any other new Shield .45 owners have had the same problem.

Called S&W support today. They offered to replace but I have to send the gun to them, wait 2-3 weeks for fix and return. No charge but not cool. :aargh4: Why can't they just send me a new guide rod/spring?

Thanks in advance for any response. -Bill

 

[Ianthin]

Saw a thread somewhere in the past few days mentioning a similar issue with a Shield 45. The gun would have feed issues, not return to battery unless being fired. Not sure if they found a resolution.

It may not be a spring issue. Could be mags, or even a feed ramp issue. That's why they won't just throw parts at it. Best to let them sort it out.

 

[MB53]

Yes, send it to S&W. You waited this long another 2-3 weeks will pass pretty fast. And if you don't count the nights, then it's more like a week and a half.

 

[Bad Bob]

You can not ride the slide on any semi auto, pull it all the way back and let it fly forward.

 

[buckeyebill]

Thanks for all the quick replies. Much appreciated! If you heard and felt the action, I think all would agree it isn't right. I'll take the advice and send back to Smith.

 

[PhaedrusIV]

Hi All. I'm new to the forum and to concealed-carry. Looking forward to being a part of the forum. Sorry in advance for any newbie banter but I couldn't find any info on this topic.

Just purchased the S&W .45 Shield for every day carry. Love the gun but the slide does not return to battery position when racking slide unless slingshotting the slide or firing ammo. Never seen this before in any of my other semi-autos, including my Shield 9mm. Took it to local dealer gunsmith and he diagnosed as faulty guide rod/spring. He swapped the guide rod with one of their display models and it functioned perfectly.

Wondering if any other new Shield .45 owners have had the same problem.

Called S&W support today. They offered to replace but I have to send the gun to them, wait 2-3 weeks for fix and return. No charge but not cool. :aargh4:

Why can't they just send me a new guide rod/spring?

Thanks in advance for any response. -Bill

Because they're Smith & Wesson and they know more about it than you do, Bill, even with all our good advice and opinions. :image035:

Let 'em "do their thing." They want to make it right, and they will.

Welcome to the forum. :smile:

 

[CalCarry]

The Shield 9 and 40 have issues with the guide rod as well, but the symptoms are a little different. You have to line up the guide rod with the end of the spring (where it touches the barrel lug area) facing down. If it's facing up the slide locks and it's a pain to get apart again. It could be a similar issue if it's dragging on something affecting the action. Can you take it apart and try inserting in 180 degree positions? I think someone sent theirs back and it happened again before they found out about the alignment issue.

 

[buckeyebill]

I did try rotating the guide rod in small increments and trying again and again to rack the slide. Did find one spot that the issue didn't occur but didn't mark it and wasn't able to find it again. Tried a guide rod out of a different Shield 45 at the gun store and the issue was fixed so I'm very confident that it's a faulty rod. We'll see what Smith does to remedy. Thanks again everyone!!!