Another Smith another return

last new smith i bought was one of those limited run 629's with the 3" bbl and round butt. my one and only "new" s&w in many years and wearer of a hillary hole. i got a keeper, lock work so slick you'd swear it was an old timey custom shop gun. it isn't of course but i got very lucky with both da/sa trigger movement. but...it had a semi polished stainless finish that was so beat, worn and trashed it looked used. i bought it from a shop in texas and had it sent up. i called smith to take care of it under warranty but i was looking at a minimum of a 10 week turn around. very disappointing especially since i was hot and lusting for that particular revolver. i gave it to one of our local smiths to bead blast the stainless to a matte finish and he got it looking like it should have. but never had an issue with mechanics. i've had it 10 years plus now. but i have heard some horrible things are coming out of springfield with revolvers. i have bought a semi auto or two from them. all are perfect. in fact, my fav semi of theirs is a m&p 9c. the only gun that beats it is the g26.

showed this a few times before but why not again...

DSC01744 (1).jpg
 
greencobra said:
last new smith i bought was one of those limited run 629's with the 3" bbl and round butt. my one and only "new" s&w in many years and wearer of a hillary hole. i got a keeper, lock work so slick you'd swear it was an old timey custom shop gun. it isn't of course but i got very lucky with both da/sa trigger movement. but...it had a semi polished stainless finish that was so beat, worn and trashed it looked used. i bought it from a shop in texas and had it sent up. i called smith to take care of it under warranty but i was looking at a minimum of a 10 week turn around. very disappointing especially since i was hot and lusting for that particular revolver. i gave it to one of our local smiths to bead blast the stainless to a matte finish and he got it looking like it should have. but never had an issue with mechanics. i've had it 10 years plus now. but i have heard some horrible things are coming out of springfield with revolvers. i have bought a semi auto or two from them. all are perfect. in fact, my fav semi of theirs is a m&p 9c. the only gun that beats it is the g26.

showed this a few times before but why not again...

View attachment 752129
Click to expand...
That looks fantastic.
 
Let's be honest: If you buy a brand new Smith & Wesson these days and it works perfectly right out of the box, go buy yourself a lottery ticket immediately because that's proof Lady Luck is on your side! [cheers]
 
Customer service isn't all that great either.
Called on a new 380EZ PC for magazine issues. One of the two mags would ftf badly and swapping internals between mags did nothing. Problem was the mad body.
SW Customer support would only send me a new follower - which obviously didn't fix the issue.
Ended up stoning off the feed lips to smooth them out.

I own primarily S&W but that's because I was what I could afford with limited availability in Mass (yes I know you can bypass the list but at the time I didn't buy enough guns to have that level of relationship with an FFL)
 
22lr said:
CZ owns Dan Wesson and Colt.
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True now. But at the time I was having problems with my S&W 586 Colt was not owned by CZ. I believe the acquisition occurred in May of 2021.
And the model I want (4" Python) is not on the "roster" (the 6" model is since it is considered a target revolver). My dealer who is normally very creative when it comes to the roster cannot transfer a 4" Python. I have consoled myself with a Ruger GP100 which I like very much and has not had to be returned for any service.
 
EJFudd said:
Let's be honest: If you buy a brand new Smith & Wesson these days and it works perfectly right out of the box, go buy yourself a lottery ticket immediately because that's proof Lady Luck is on your side! [cheers]
Click to expand...
I have not had ANY issues with the last 7 S&W I have bought. Two of which were in the last 6 months.
 
EJFudd said:
All brand new ones??? Perfect right out of the box??? No returns to S&W CS for anything??? Then you need to buy 7 lottery tickets!!! [cheers]
Click to expand...
YES! All brand New, No Issues... other than one tiny one (one was kinda dirty, for NEW);
And YES It was N.I.B. In fact the (2) that I bought in the last 6 months had very decent triggers... For a S&W
 
Last edited:
Forgot. I bought a new SW 337 around 2000. Had to send it back as the cylinder kept getting stuck shut.

Yup, they made it right. But still.
 
OK, so I got to the range today to try out the new S&W model 19 Carry Comp. I take it all back, it's the most accurate 3" revolver that I've ever fired. It was awesome. Low recoil and hit just what I was aiming at. I almost forgive them for screwing up the rear sight. The tight cylinder gap was fine, no problems with FMJ. Points very well and balance is excellent. The black bead blasted finish cleans up well and overall, I'm pleasantly surprised. Before you get the wrong idea, I did find that the screw securing the cylinder release was not properly tightened at the factory and was very loose after just one box. So, after final assembly of the rear sight and cylinder release, by myself, I am very pleased with my new S&W revolver.
 
Just last month I fired 2 rounds out of my brand new model 19 comp and the front site flew off. Turns out the sight pin sheared into 3 pieces. Luckily we found the sight in the gravel.

The local gun shop I bought it from said s&w could have it done in 6 weeks if I sent it back, but they agreed to order the proper pin and re pin the sight in a few days. Very happy with the shop, no issues from them at all.

So far the gun is working fine otherwise, but I’m not happy with the sights anyway so I plan on replacing them eventually.

IMG_1228.jpeg
 
If anyone out there is still questioning S&W's qc these days just look at this thing my son got for his 8th birthday yesterday. Cylinder gap looks like it's going to be an issue, some moron put the cylinder release on backwards (the strange thing is that it actually works somehow), safe/fire markings, they inexplicably engraved a pony on it, and the grips are ug-ly. The whole thing just feels cheap, but we'll see how it does at the range after work.

1685458004143.png
 
not new guy said:
If anyone out there is still questioning S&W's qc these days just look at this thing my son got for his 8th birthday yesterday. Cylinder gap looks like it's going to be an issue, some moron put the cylinder release on backwards (the strange thing is that it actually works somehow), safe/fire markings, they inexplicably engraved a pony on it, and the grips are ug-ly. The whole thing just feels cheap, but we'll see how it does at the range after work.

View attachment 757861
Click to expand...

Cripes! Tat thing looks like it is made of plastic!
 
After reading thru all the posts, I would add my feedback. I have always owned S&W revolvers going back to the late 70s. I now own a new 686 six inch and a 500 magnum. Maybe I am the lucky one but the only issue I have had was the fault of bad ammo for the 500 mag. Bad prime my assumption. Heard a click which was probably the primer dudding and sound that the bullet was halfway into the barrel and the rest in the cylinder still. Few taps with a brass rod solved that but I wish I could fins a major brand that doesn't cost over $60 for 20 rounds.
 
EJFudd said:
Let's be honest: If you buy a brand new Smith & Wesson these days and it works perfectly right out of the box, go buy yourself a lottery ticket immediately because that's proof Lady Luck is on your side! [cheers]
Click to expand...
Bought my 500 mag new in January and no issues and a 686 in Feb and no issues...maybe I'm lucky?
 
gem8820 said:
Bought my 500 mag new in January and no issues and a 686 in Feb and no issues...maybe I'm lucky?
Click to expand...
I'm glad someone is buying them... brand new ones. [thumbsup]Got to keep the Mothership in business after all. You never know... I may need parts for my vintage revolvers someday. [cheers]

p.s., Yes, you should go out and buy a lottery ticket! :)
 
One data point:

I own a bunch of S&W revolvers, all pre-MIMS and pre-hole. All are mechanical works of art. I also own a small collection of Third Generation autos: ditto.

Not too long ago I bought a new M&P 2.0 sub-compact, intended as tertiary backup EDC. Pistol would refuse to go fully into battery every second or third round. I had a bunch of mags; not the issue. Couple of different brands of ammo; not the issue. Had some colleagues fire it; same results.

Sent it back to factory with full report and video. Got it back a couple of weeks later with no statement of nature of fault or repair. Off to the range and no improvement.

Sent it back to S&W a second time. Got it back a few weeks later with report: “Functions normally. No defect found.”

Back to the 01 from whom I had purchased it and he swapped for another new one. That one works fine.

It sounds like S&W has gone from long term safe harbor to roll of the dice.
 
RKG said:
It sounds like S&W has gone from long term safe harbor to roll of the dice.
Click to expand...
I'm sure the (high) percentage of S&W products going back to S&W CS at least once or twice in their first year is a closely-guarded company secret. But somehow the economics of producing relatively poor quality products and repairing or replacing them after the initial sale must outweigh the economics of building them right the first time. You wouldn't think so, but can there be any other explanation for how far downhill S&W quality control has fallen? 🤔
 

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