I think I am done with S&W

ntomsw said:
I don't see the hype with S&W, and never will. Meh at best.
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The "Meh" of S&W is no different than Ruger's "meh", on the whole, with exceptions on each side.... Although I will say this- without a doubt, with the exception of the X-frames (which Ruger has no real analog for, yet) Ruger does make a MUCH STRONGER revolver. If you go full retard on a Ruger, say a GP100, with .357 mag handloads, it will easily outlast a 686 running the same ammunition. There are things like 180 gr loads which no smith owner should ever run, that a Ruger will run all day long. Back when SA John was at the pin shoots (old banned member here) he used to pour bucketfuls of 180 gr handloads through his GP100 with no issues whatsoever.

-Mike
 
drgrant said:
The "Meh" of S&W is no different than Ruger's "meh", on the whole, with exceptions on each side.... Although I will say this- without a doubt, with the exception of the X-frames (which Ruger has no real analog for, yet) Ruger does make a MUCH STRONGER revolver. If you go full retard on a Ruger, say a GP100, with .357 mag handloads, it will easily outlast a 686 running the same ammunition. There are things like 180 gr loads which no smith owner should ever run, that a Ruger will run all day long. Back when SA John was at the pin shoots (old banned member here) he used to pour bucketfuls of 180 gr handloads through his GP100 with no issues whatsoever.

-Mike
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Couldn't agree more.
 
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I think the S&W line is solid. I haven't had a problem with any of mine so far. I'm thinking about buying one of their M&P 15 Sport rifles, what do you guys think about it? Are there better options out there in that price range?

Mike
 
9mm shield guide rod spring is tweaked causing slide not to lock back. Cust service sending me a new one. That was 3 weeks ago.

I got an omega muzzleloader that came with the wrong breach plug wrench. Customer service told me to use a socket. After arguing the point they sent me the right one. It was rusty.

I am done with S&W as well
 
drgrant said:
Ask anyone who has ever owned a .380 Sigma about that... [laugh] Gun was basically disposable as designed, because it was a pot metal hunk of garbage. Finding one of those in the wild is difficult because most of them have self-destructed.

-Mike
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Yeah, but that's a Stigma. Everyone knows it'll disintegrate on use.
 
drgrant said:
340PD? That's pretty hilarious. Every person I know who has owned one of those has had it blow up at least once. My running tally at this point is like 4 people, and at least 2 of them made posts in the past on NES about it. The 340PD and the BG380 are not on S&Ws list of finer achievements, that's for shit sure.

-Mike
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Wow, the 340 PD has a history of blowing up? Never heard of that happening before?
 
wizdoc2006 said:
Wow, the 340 PD has a history of blowing up? Never heard of that happening before?
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Yup. That one and the other one that is the same gun with the exposed hammer. (I forget the model number, but it is basically the same gun, but you get an exposed hammer instead of DAO. See youradolt's pic for examples. A lot aren't that dramatic though, some just fail and the frame cracks and everything bends just enough for it to stop working.

-Mike
 
People forget about the 3rd generation Smiths. They were discontinued because nobody was buying them. "Plastic" guns were being introduced at the time. They couldn't sell enough. They are one of the most beautiful and surprisingly inexpensive semi-autos available today! Check the used gun prices. Reviews from the 80s were very favorable, as far as accuracy and reliability are concerned. Many are on the market for $4-500 today.

Handsome gun:

SW5906LateModel1.jpg
 
My 20yr old 22A went in for repair because it wouldn't fire a single round. I was waiting to hear back about how much it was going to cost me to fix. Instead I got it back 2 weeks later all fixed up on their dime with a few upgraded parts. Now it works better then ever before.
 
You get what you pay for. Ive owned many s&w guns and had only one issue which they resolved and had back to me in 9 business days. Of coarse I don't buy $300 guns and complain it's made cheap, I just figure that's the case and stay away from them. I sure as help don't depend my life on a cheap gun.
 
btnh6668 said:
You get what you pay for. Ive owned many s&w guns and had only one issue which they resolved and had back to me in 9 business days. Of coarse I don't buy $300 guns and complain it's made cheap, I just figure that's the case and stay away from them. I sure as help don't depend my life on a cheap gun.
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$300? My M&P .45 was $519. The shield is around $400.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 
800 rounds easy through my .40C over the last year, maybe 200 rounds of 9mm and another 200 of .357 Sig. Not one issue at all with this firearm, like it a lot.

Of course, I didn't like the crappy trigger, so loaded it up with Atex trigger stuff.

I've had fellow shooters at the club with Glocks, which I like as well, like mine a lot.

YMMV

Looking to add a .45C as well.
 
Eddie said:
800 rounds easy through my .40C over the last year, maybe 200 rounds of 9mm and another 200 of .357 Sig. Not one issue at all with this firearm, like it a lot.

Of course, I didn't like the crappy trigger, so loaded it up with Atex trigger stuff.

I've had fellow shooters at the club with Glocks, which I like as well, like mine a lot.

YMMV

Looking to add a .45C as well.
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Eddie, I have all of the different M&P's... I think the 45fs or C is the best of the best, just beautiful shooting guns.
 
Yeah, I originally wanted the .45C, but you couldn't find one at the time, so I got the .40C and a 9mm barrel, and .357Sig barrel.

Funny thing happened, I fell in love with it after I did all the trigger work. Having the different barrels gave me a choice in range ammo.

Looking at getting it in .45C soon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
FWIW, I'm sorry to hear you're having the issues that you are. I own S&W's from a from a M1917 (reliable shooter) across the model and age range to a new M&P 45c. Fundamentally, they're good firearms.I also own, Sigs, Kahr, Berettas, yup, even a Glock and they ALL malfunction.Do they produce a turkey occasionally ? Sure. A lot of S&W dealers smirked at BG380's when they came out. They don't have market share in states where you can purchase, say a Ruger LCP. Here, they do. Think about the Shields. Sub compact 9's-40's from S&W that are MA compliant. Everybody bought them. S&W upticked production to meet demand. You'd think there wouldn't be problems, but like anything else. There are.

Now, you probably know your way around firearms. But it wouldn't hurt to have an experienced gunsmith in your area look at them before sending them back to the mothership. With all due respect it's money well spent. Whether it's a guy in No. Attleboro, or a guy in Worcester, or any other place. it's worth time and money to have someone accurately diagnose the problem.

Not all one manufacturer's products are junk because two of their later models have service issues. Best of luck in getting your firearms running right. The bad guys are hoping you don't

Just my $.02
 
S&W is a quite average gun manufacturer. Mass market quality at the right price. I have mad away from there guns in favor of H&K or Glock. Unfortunately they are dominate in MA.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
ablediver said:
FWIW, I'm sorry to hear you're having the issues that you are. I own S&W's from a from a M1917 (reliable shooter) across the model and age range to a new M&P 45c. Fundamentally, they're good firearms.I also own, Sigs, Kahr, Berettas, yup, even a Glock and they ALL malfunction.Do they produce a turkey occasionally ? Sure. A lot of S&W dealers smirked at BG380's when they came out. They don't have market share in states where you can purchase, say a Ruger LCP. Here, they do. Think about the Shields. Sub compact 9's-40's from S&W that are MA compliant. Everybody bought them. S&W upticked production to meet demand. You'd think there wouldn't be problems, but like anything else. There are.

Now, you probably know your way around firearms. But it wouldn't hurt to have an experienced gunsmith in your area look at them before sending them back to the mothership. With all due respect it's money well spent. Whether it's a guy in No. Attleboro, or a guy in Worcester, or any other place. it's worth time and money to have someone accurately diagnose the problem.

Not all one manufacturer's products are junk because two of their later models have service issues. Best of luck in getting your firearms running right. The bad guys are hoping you don't

Just my $.02
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The problem is customer support. In my case the front sight fell off of my M&P Pro and they told me to fix it myself! Every manufacturer deserves the right to correct their mistakes but S&W is not doing this. I have pretty much given up on them and have resorted to repairing my own S&Ws. This really ticks me off because I bought these guns because of my faith in S&W CS.
 
Gammon said:
The problem is customer support. In my case the front sight fell off of my M&P Pro and they told me to fix it myself! Every manufacturer deserves the right to correct their mistakes but S&W is not doing this. I have pretty much given up on them and have resorted to repairing my own S&Ws. This really ticks me off because I bought these guns because of my faith in S&W CS.
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Ok, I have a question.... did the front sight fall off or did the white dot fall out of the frt sight?
 
Gammon said:
The problem is customer support. In my case the front sight fell off of my M&P Pro and they told me to fix it myself! Every manufacturer deserves the right to correct their mistakes but S&W is not doing this. I have pretty much given up on them and have resorted to repairing my own S&Ws. This really ticks me off because I bought these guns because of my faith in S&W CS.
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Good to know. I don't think my M&P Sport will break but still. Only other Smith I have are 2 model 36s.

A company without good CS is useless IMHO. Ruger takes care of you, same as Springfield, Glock etc.

And I bet they would never touch a gun that had the trigger job (Apex).
 
Gammon said:
The problem is customer support. In my case the front sight fell off of my M&P Pro and they told me to fix it myself! Every manufacturer deserves the right to correct their mistakes but S&W is not doing this. I have pretty much given up on them and have resorted to repairing my own S&Ws. This really ticks me off because I bought these guns because of my faith in S&W CS.
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turbo38gn said:
Ok, I have a question.... did the front sight fall off or did the white dot fall out of the frt sight?
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What is it Gammon... can you be a little more specific....
 
turbo38gn said:
What is it Gammon... can you be a little more specific....
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OK, you get the long version. I bought an M&P Pro 9mm (5 in barrel and slide). After several hundred rounds, the front sight fell out of its dovetail. I contacted S&W CS and explained my problem to a tech who suggested that I take the original front sight, place it upside down in a vise, and use a punch to upset the metal on the bottom of the sight to create an interference fit in the dovetail.

I objected to this solution because such "interference" fits often don't last long and the sight just drops off again. I also suggested strongly that this was their problem and that they should repair the front sight. The tech then admitted that several hundred slides had "gotten out of the factory" with oversized front sight dovetails and that the stock M&P Pro front sight is too small for these dovetails. I then suggested that they purchase new front sights from a supplier such as Brownells, who would give them a great deal on a 200 sight order, which are oversized in the dovetail are for gunsmith fitting. The tech refused, saying that S&W couldn't possibly use after market parts. I called Brownells and a new front sight arrived two days later which was oversized and required a bit of fitting, problem solved. I was $30 poorer, but a lot wiser. Screw S&W!
 
Gammon said:
OK, you get the long version. I bought an M&P Pro 9mm (5 in barrel and slide). After several hundred rounds, the front sight fell out of its dovetail. I contacted S&W CS and explained my problem to a tech who suggested that I take the original front sight, place it upside down in a vise, and use a punch to upset the metal on the bottom of the sight to create an interference fit in the dovetail.

I objected to this solution because such "interference" fits often don't last long and the sight just drops off again. I also suggested strongly that this was their problem and that they should repair the front sight. The tech then admitted that several hundred slides had "gotten out of the factory" with oversized front sight dovetails and that the stock M&P Pro front sight is too small for these dovetails. I then suggested that they purchase new front sights from a supplier such as Brownells, who would give them a great deal on a 200 sight order, which are oversized in the dovetail are for gunsmith fitting. The tech refused, saying that S&W couldn't possibly use after market parts. I called Brownells and a new front sight arrived two days later which was oversized and required a bit of fitting, problem solved. I was $30 poorer, but a lot wiser. Screw S&W!
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so are you saying they refused to repair it? It's obviously under warrantee, there has to be more to the detailed description you gave us.. I've heard stories of CS having guns shipped in just for the white dot falling out.. In fact I called once on my 1st M&P and they wanted me to send it in, I told them I would do it if they sent me the frt sights, they sent me 3 or 4 new sights..
 

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