Ruger Forum banner

S&W "quality control"??

4K views 30 replies 19 participants last post by  needsmostuff 
#1 ·
I just bought a S&W M&P Shield 9mm... Took it to the range and after about 30 rounds, it started jamming horribly, capturing rounds, FTF,FTE.. about 4 times in each mag... Unusable.. Now, to be fair, I did not lube the gun , I took it to the range figuring there was at least some assembly lube in it, so I could try it out, run a few rounds through.. WRONG!.. I was shocked at the HORRID performance after only a few mags in a brand new gun, so I took it apart... This gun was shipped from the factory, stored, sold ,whatever, with NO lubricant at all.. Nothing. Bone dry, no grease, cosmoline, NOTHING.. Powder dry ...Good thing it wasn't stored in a damp environment or it would have friggin rusted.. Yes I know, MY fault because I didn't disassemble a brand new gun to make sure it was lubed before shipping, but really should I have to??.. the striker/firing pin assembly was sticking horribly, and the metal to metal contact zones were all galled with wear starting already with just over half a small box of UMC 9mm through the weapon.. It took me an hour to get the gun down to where I could get the striker/pin,spring assembly out and moving without sticking.. I am hoping it will be ok now that there is a little bit of synthetic oil on the contact surfaces, and the firing pin and spring actually move freely without GRINDING.. S&W really should be ashamed, thats all I can say... bob
 
#4 ·
Pretty sure the owner's manual says you're supposed to clean it before initial use. I seem to recall the manual for the M&P pistols also call out for only one drop of lubricant in 7 specific places. So if you had followed the manual and took it apart for cleaning and applied the 7 drops of lube specified maybe it would have worked fine the first time. Or maybe you have a clunker that needs to go back to CT. Hard to say what the manufacturer is supposed to do - they may have a different opinion than you on the matter. But S&W has a "Lifetime Warranty" so call them up and ask them what you're supposed to do now, if anything.
 
#5 ·
Correct.. that is what the manual says... I just "assumed", there would be a little something in there to protect the metal surfaces.. Nothing... Even just dry firing it in the store, or racking the slide, starts the metal to metal wear.. Not a good policy, shipping a sensitive machine that needs lubrication, totally dry and unprotected,,, my fault, but still, NO lube at all? nothing?? .. does not make sense.. bob
 
#6 ·
Frustrating, but it needs to be checked. I've owned 3 Shields (I have 2 now). They are solid shooters and will take a beating. I load mags with various ammo and the Shield does fine. It really is a good CCW. Now, you may have the statistical lemon, but S&W has a nice warranty on these pistols.
 
#7 ·
beebee, When the factory puts oil in a gun ... it is for corrosion control .... definitely NOT for lubrication. Point being .... preservative oil is NOT a lubricant and in fact it will draw powder residue and cause jams much worse than regular gun oil. While on the subject .... pay close attention to what Waveform said .... just a very token droplet in those specified places .... nothing more.
 
#9 ·
I have an early production M&P Shield. My recollection is the gun arrived looking embalmed, as if test fired then dunked. Definitely took some scrubbing before the first range trip.

Some of the rust preventatives do dry to a film over time. The "barrier" remains even when the surface looks dry.
 
#10 ·
Ok so your new S&W Shield has some problems!!!...........but to be honest your problems was because you didn't take the time to clean & lube the gun before you shot it! I also have read several threads here wrote up about Ruger LC9 problems as well. To me it's so very obvious your problem with your S&W Shield was you the user because of not cleaning & checking your gun!!! The same things can happen with any brand of semi-auto pistol.
 
#11 ·
It was due to me assuming that S&W would put at least some small amount of "token" lube on wear surfaces.. I was wrong.. the gun was absolutely bone dry.. NO lubricant of any kind anywhere.. That doesn't instill confidence in me, but it is what it is.. The manual DOES say to clean the gun before use, and I didn't clean it right out of the box figuring that 30 -40 rounds would be ok for a brand new gun, until I cleaned and lubed it after its first range session... Lesson learned, NEVER assume anything.. However next time I will ask the store owner if the gun is lubed before its shipped,, I simply had no idea that guns were now being sent out totally dry and need to be cleaned and lubed before ever firing a round,,, My bad... bob
 
#12 ·
beebee, Save your breath .... I can't think of any new guns that are shipped with anything but preservative oil. Was it rusty inside? If not, chances are your S&W Shield had been treated with a preservative but it probably evaporated and gave the appearance of being bone dry. This is exactly why virtually all companies tell you to clean and lubricate before firing. I would highly recommend using a good solvent such as Hoppie's #9 and a clean white cloth to wipe down all internal parts. I'll bet you will see some brown or yellow funky stuff come off the parts.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Allenbepro
#14 ·
You can tell me to save my breath, or any other snarky comment you'd care to make but the fact remains. NO way should a gun be shipped dry, and I mean DRY as a bone... Also, I personally have NEVER seen a semi auto, or bolt,pump or lever activated gun come to the owner totally dry.. My last THREE Ruger semi auto pistols were shipped with lubricant, as was my Walter, Ruger Mini 14 and 10/22 and Savage 500..
We ran 100 rounds through our LCP Custom last year before cleaning, and when I took it apart, there was still plenty of lube on the wear surfaces.
Matter of fact, I just went through the Ruger factory owners manual that came with my new LCPII, and nowhere did it say the gun should be cleaned and lubricated before its first firing. . It did say it needed periodic cleaning and lube, and of course showed field strip procedures, but never mentioned needing cleaning and lube before first use..
look, is it a good idea?.. Of course , no argument.. Yes I rushed off to the range to pop off a few rounds with the Shield before cleaning it, assuming there would be at least something wet in it to keep the gun from getting burned up... My mistake, I will never assume anything like this again, but is it REALLY a good idea to ship a firearm out totally bone dry??.. Not in my book, but whatever,, live and learn... bob
 
#13 ·
I tear down, clean and lube every new gun, even those that are only "new to me". Gives me a chance to examine the inner workings and make sure they're ready to go.

That said, I ain't seen a dry new gun.
As far as S&W QC, shipping dry isn't quite in the realm of QC, but I was NOT too impressed with the 642 Airweight I got my hands on last year. Yoke and frame didn't mate up that well, finish on the aluminum frame began chipping while handling it bare handed, HEAVY machining marks everywhere except the outside of frame, cylinder and barrel, MIM internals out the wazoo, cylinder release screw was cross threaded from the factory, rubber grips came unglued from the hard plastic grip panels within six months, trigger was absolute horrible; felt like sand in it, mushy break.

I don't send guns back that I can improve or fix on my own for cheap or free, so I spent an afternoon with it on my desk.

An afternoon I should have spent working on something else. Was very disappointed, decided I'll never again get a new S&W. Not that I won't trust their guns, just because it pissed me off.
 
#17 ·
An afternoon I should have spent working on something else. Was very disappointed, decided I'll never again get a new S&W. Not that I won't trust their guns, just because it pissed me off.
I have that same attitude toward them. (of course all the S&W fan boys will whine) but I dont give a hoot, its my hard earned money. I counted on quality I got crap. (Bodyguard site fell off after about 20 rounds)
Sure that S&W stamp is a historic icon, but their mass production and shipping to get them to store shelves has their QC dept lacking or non-existent on some firearms. They have record numbers of product going out, this is what happens.

I traded the gun as soon as it came back (a month later) sure they fix it, but I expect quality out of the box, not a refurb product. Not a Ship it out, they'll send it back for repair attitude.
 
#16 ·
No, mainly because i must admit it WAS my fault, for not seeing it in the manual.. After reading through the manual I became aware that S&W DOES say the gun should be cleaned and lubricated before first use, so it IS on me... it still pisses me off though that there was not a tiny bit of any oil or grease anywhere, and that they sent a bone dry gun out for sale.. I ran about 40 rounds through it today after a good cleaning and a few drops of synthetic oil , and it seems fine... I dunno, would a few Q tips worth of gun grease really cost S&W that much?... Its a nice gun, but to me personally, i am not real happy with S&W.. Next time, I will not assume anything.. bob
 
#18 · (Edited)
S&W "quality control"??

The moral of the story is to read the owners/operating manual of anything you buy. That's what it's there for.

Blaming S&W for a mistake you made because you "assumed" is....

Why do they need to worry about lube if it says the owner/operator needs to clean and lube before use? And if you don't think it costs much to prelude all the S&W guns that come off their assembly lines, offer to pay for 1 month/year worth of lube for them....

Owners need to take responsibility for what we have control over. Cleaning and lubing before use is definitely something we have control over.

OP, hope you enjoy your new pistol from here on out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#19 ·
The moral of the story is to read the owners/operating manual of anything you buy. That's what it's there for.

Blaming S&W for a mistake you made because you "assumed" is....

Why do they need to worry about lube if it says the owner/operator needs to clean and lube before use? And if you don't think it costs much to prelude all the S&W guns that come off their assembly lines, offer to pay for 1 month/year worth of lube for them....

Owners need to take responsibility for what we have control over. Cleaning and lubing before use is definitely something we have control over.

OP, hope you enjoy your new pistol from here on out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
With all due respect.. I have bought a bunch of guns.. ONLY the S&W came from the factory dry and not ready to fire.. What to save 1 pennys worth of oil or grease?.. sorry, I don't buy your argument.. I was reading some reviews on Sig and Kimber .380 pistols, and the reviews said they were lubed and ready to shoot out of the box.. Yes I did assume my Shield would be ready to shoot and it wasn't, and yes it IS my fault.. it still cost S&W a customer however.. I have bought 2 of them over the years and won't buy another.. Not when they can't spare a Q tips worth of grease or a full 7 drops of oil... bob
 
#20 ·
Sorry but I learned from my granddad in 1960 that no matter if new or used need to strip it down (gets you familiar with the gun intimately) and Clean it as there is a Grease that is not best lubricating and need to clean as could still be some machining "sludge" (lack of better term) and has not improved over the years. Just learn from this and move forward. All of them are this way and some better and some worse but clean all guns when you take possession of them.
 
#21 ·
No arguments at all.. However, the fact remains that they shipped a bone dry gun.. In my eyes, NOT acceptable.. First time I have ever seen any new out of the box gun totally dry... Don't they understand these guns are handled, racked and dry fired probably quite a bit when in the stores?.. there should have been something slippery in that gun before it left the factory... bob
 
#22 · (Edited)
Dont post a complaint or question anything in the S&W thread, they will eat you alive!! LOL....I tried that after poking around reading other people posting problems with slides getting stuck, not racking, among other issues.
(if its broke )All you can do is send it back to S&W and wait on the repair to return. They will fix it and send back. Its about a month wait.
 
#25 · (Edited)
S&W "quality control"??

Well, then you may not want to buy a Ruger revolver because in your words they must be a "blockhead company" too. My SRH Alaskan showed up dry as a bone. Sure saved me from having to clean a bunch of gunk off before using my choice of lube[emoji6] ( Still did a quick clean first, just went quicker)
Your upset that they didn't lube. If they lubed, the next guy would be upset that he had to clean his.
If your worried about how much it's been handled in the store then don't buy the floor model. I don't. Ask to see a new in box one. They'll let you handle it to make sure it's to your liking.
Surprised your not mad at the store owner for not lubing it first. Heck, maybe he's the one that cleaned it up without lubing[emoji849]
Chalk it up as a learning experience and move on. Hope the new pistol gets lots of trouble free use.
 
#26 ·
Some of the most relaxing time I ever have is spent cleaning and lubing. Some people do yoga, I clean my firearms. Getting a new weapon gets me jazzed up because the first thing I want to do is tear it apart and clean it up. The feeling of a fresh weapon after it's first bath and lube can not be compared to nearly anything in my book.

With that said, the OP knows his mistake. No reason to beat that horse to death. I do think he will never make that mistake again. He owns it and many people wouldn't. There are many people that complain about how some manufactures load the firearm up with crap before they are shipped out. This is just the other side of the spectrum. I do like being able to get all that gunk out of a fresh weapon but if it is clean and dry it is just less work for me so I don't mind either way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joenaper
#29 ·
The last pistol I bought (quite a long time ago) was an HK P30S 9mm---I took apart---the insides were slathered in some red grease---I took it to the range for a test drive---it functioned perfectly and continued to function 100% for several range trips before I took it apart and cleaned and lubed it...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top