40 cal S&W Shield

[fatcpa]

One of the seldom shot pistols in my safe is an original S&W Shield in 40 cal. I really like the gun and the caliber but nowadays I enjoy shooting revolvers. I never had a lick of trouble with the Shield but I understand that the 40 cal has a less than stellar reputation. I want to give the gun to my brother, but not if he might have trouble with it. Have any of you guys had or know first hand of any trouble with these pistols? Thanks for your time.

 

[Aries]

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with the .40 S&W caliber. It has kind of fallen out of favor since some law enforcement agencies switched back to 9mm. The reasons probably have more to do with improvements in performance of 9mm, more economical ammunition, less recoil, and capacity... As far as I know, reliability is not a factor.

I can't speak to the S&W Shields, but I read your question as regarding the .40 caliber.

I have three .40 S&W pistols, I can't say any of them have NEVER malfunctioned, but other than the P229 simply does not like truncated cone bullets, all of them are as reliable as any pistols I own.

 

[xseler]

I think the only problem is that 40 is not an "in" caliber now.

(Aries was just a touch faster in his reply.)


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[beardking]

I had a Shield in 40 S&W and ended up selling it to fund buying one on 9mm. I never had any malfunction issues with the gun, it's just (to me) a bad platform for 40 S&W. The round is just way too snappy for such a light gun, and that's coming from someone who's favorite gun is a 40, but that gun is also a little under 3lbs fully loaded vs barely 1lb.

 

[fatcpa]

Thanks for your answers but I suppose I didn’t asked the question right. I’ve been shooting and reloading the 40 cal for many years. I understand why the .40 is out of favor. My question was whether any of you have first hand experience of malfunctions in S&W Shields chambered in 40 cal. I have heard rumors of major malfunctions, especially frames cracking, in the early pistols.

 

[BlindOne]

I’ve had my 40 cal shield for over a year and never had a problem with any brand of ammo. I like it. It’s my daily carry pistol.

 

[Parks 788]

I have a 40 Shield and never had any malfunctions. Works like a charm but like some others i bought a 9mm and haven;t shot the 40 in 3-4 years.

 

[DillerKiller]

My main carry is the shield in .40
I've never had a malfunction. I think felt recoil is the main complaint you'll hear. "It's snappy"