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Advice Request: Ship my Shield?


hiro
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Question: Should I bother to give up my gun for however long and mail it to S&W, or should I just try to fix the problems myself? 

I contacted S&W about the 7-round mag for my Shield not clicking in when fully loaded without the slide being locked back first. I also mentioned that the rear sight is not centered and that the manual states that the rear sight is not adjustable. It's also hitting left, which matches the rear sight alignment. They responded by offering a pre-paid label for me to ship the gun and the mag for inspection, but didn't say anything in regard to the issues. They also pointed out that if the problems don't qualify as warranty issues, they would bill me. Not sure if it's worth the trouble.

I'm pretty sure the spring in the magazine is too long for the 7-round mag. It's the same length and physical weight as the ones in the 8-round mags. The 8-round mags click in without a struggle. I mean, I could just cut a coil off the spring.

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That kinda sucks that the sights aren't adjustable, but I would guess that would be covered under warranty. Maybe contact them about only the sight issue? It sounds like they focused only on the first issue you mentioned, which is the magazine.

When I read this, I went and checked my shield (I bought it on sale right before the 2.0 came out). Mine has some kind of tiny hex screw in the center of the rear sight so I think mine is adjustable. Does yours not have that?

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9 hours ago, JapanRider92 said:

That kinda sucks that the sights aren't adjustable, but I would guess that would be covered under warranty. Maybe contact them about only the sight issue? It sounds like they focused only on the first issue you mentioned, which is the magazine.

When I read this, I went and checked my shield (I bought it on sale right before the 2.0 came out). Mine has some kind of tiny hex screw in the center of the rear sight so I think mine is adjustable. Does yours not have that?

My sight does have the hex screw. Technically, the sight can be moved a little. There is a spring on the right side for the striker blocker which is probably why S&W doesn't want the sight moved much. The manual recommends moving the front sight if needed. The thing is, if the rear sight were centered properly, the front sight probably wouldn't need to be moved at all.

My sight pusher won't work well with this type of sight. I did pick up a brass bolt to try to use as a punch to kick the sight a little, but I thought I should check with S&W first. (Not my sight in the photo.) Some people report that that sight is extremely hard to move so I haven't been in a hurry to try. Plus, I don't have a vise right now. I'd have to clamp the slide to the steps in my garage. heh

image.png.db016e24503338b4bacdaa1867ee346a.png

Edited by hiro
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On 12/7/2018 at 6:04 PM, hiro said:

My sight does have the hex screw. Technically, the sight can be moved a little. There is a spring on the right side for the striker blocker which is probably why S&W doesn't want the sight moved much. The manual recommends moving the front sight if needed.

I just watched a video on YouTube because I was curious about the front sight adjustment. It seems you can pretty much just bang it a little to one side or the other. I'd give that a go if you got time and want to DIY.

Here's the vid I watched https://youtu.be/hGqpZZO2NqI . It's from 1:30 to 2:00 where he does it.

If you're going to contact S&W, I'd be curious to know if this type of defect would be covered under warranty.

 

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8 hours ago, JapanRider92 said:

I just watched a video on YouTube because I was curious about the front sight adjustment. It seems you can pretty much just bang it a little to one side or the other. I'd give that a go if you got time and want to DIY.

Here's the vid I watched https://youtu.be/hGqpZZO2NqI . It's from 1:30 to 2:00 where he does it.

If you're going to contact S&W, I'd be curious to know if this type of defect would be covered under warranty.

 

Yeah, I'll probably use a brass bolt or punch to kick the rear sight into alignment. It's only a tiny fraction of an inch off. S&W sent me a shipping label, but stated to only include the firearm. Also, that they will be shut down for 2 weeks during December. Normally turn-around might be 7-10 days. Not worth it considering one of the problems is just the 7-round magazine. They won't confirm if either is a warranty issue or not until they look at it. 

I'm able to move the rear sight on my Ruger using a sight pusher, but after using a sight pusher I think a hammer and punch is probably the more versatile and cost-effective solution. I just hesitated to do that the first time working on sights. Plus, or more accurately, minus, I don't have a bunch vise anymore, so that was an obstacle. I am planning to replace the front sight on the Ruger with a fiber optic one, so I'll need tools anyway. I'm thinking about getting a cheap drill press vise like this:

 image.jpeg.23368019f36485ba2b7d90bbae9ae414.jpeg

Edited by hiro
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Moved the rear sight using a 5/16" x 3" brass bolt and tweaked it with a sight pusher. Photos don't show it as well, but I can see it. Went maybe a hair too far, but now I know the sight pusher can move it a little.

The spring I was about to cut, but I tried a temporary test by wrapping the last coil around itself. Now the 7-round mag seats just about the same as the 8-round mag as it should. 

 

shield_moved_sight.jpg

shield_mag_spring_hack.jpg

Edited by hiro
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/25/2018 at 12:35 PM, max power said:

I would send it in just to see how they handle it.  Sent an old jammin ass hi point back to the factory and had a basically brand new gun back in 2 weeks.  They replaced the entire slide.  It never jammed again while I owned it.  

I think I messed with it too much to send it in for the original reasons, and I'm getting better at using a hammer and punch (brass bolt) to move the sights. The front sight on the Ruger moved very easy. Not sure about the Shield yet. The rear sights on both put up a fight! 

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