Howdy
First of all, let me state, that I am a 'S&W guy'. I guess that qualifies me as a snob, since I am a stickler for quality.
I have been shooting S&W revolvers since 1975. I am also a S&W collector and my collection of S&W revolvers goes back to 1863. So I feel I am somewhat qualified to speak to this issue.
In 2015 I bought the first brand new S&W revolver I had bought in 40 years. I was in the local gunshop and there was a new 686-6 in the display case. I was attracted to it because
1. I had no L fame Smiths in my collection, and
2. The price was reasonable.
So I bought it. I am well aware of all the talk about locks and MIM parts, but I thought it would be a good thing to see for myself.
When I took it to the range I was surprised how far I had to adjust the rear sight over to the right to get the bullets to hit at point of aim. I am not new to revolvers, I know how to hold one and shoot one. But this was the first time I had experienced a rear sight that had to be adjusted that far to the right to get the windage right.
Here is a photo of the rear sight and how far it is adjusted to the right to get the windage correct.
So then I took a closer look at the gun and noticed for the first time that the yoke did not close all the way. It turns out the barrel is canted slightly, that is why the yoke does not close all the way, and that is why the sight needed to be adjusted so far to the right. This photo shows the gap at the yoke. The cylinder is completely latched shut for this photo.
For a comparison, this is the way the yoke on a S&W revolver should look when it is closed. This particular revolver shipped in 1916, but I could take photos of dozens of old Smiths made right up to the 1970s and 1980s that show the yoke locking up just as nicely.
I do have one other modern S&W revolver with MIM parts, a Model 617-6 that shipped in 2003. I bought it used a few years ago because I was shooting a steel plate match and needed to fire eight aimed shots in 15 seconds. I couldn't do that with a six shooter. This photo shows a small gap when the yoke is closed.
Conclusion: Yes, the sample is very small, I have not examined any other new Smiths, but this is my experience. No, I have no idea how bad the 'shipment' of guns was the OP is talking about, this is my experience. Yes, I should have examined the gun more closely before walking out the door with it, but in my defense, I never dreamed that a Smith and Wesson revolver would leave the factory so poorly fitted. By the way, I was employed in manufacturing for many years, so I am very aware of manufacturing tolerances, and inspection criteria, and I also understand how they affect the bottom line of a company.
In the 'old days' a revolver that closed like my 686 does would never have made it out of the factory door. The defect would have been caught and corrected before it shipped. Does it function and shoot fine? Well, yes it functions fine, but in my opinion the sight should not have to be adjusted that far to correct the windage. In the 'old days', whenever that was, the sights of a S&W revolver would leave the factory centered, and it would shoot where it was aimed. I have dozens of old fixed sight S&W revolvers. There is no adjustment possible with them. Yet the windage on all of them is fine.
In the 'old days' again, whenever that was, there were many inspection steps that a revolver went through as it was being built. Now I am getting into the realm of speculation, and I freely admit I have no facts to back this up. I suspect that S&W has made the calculated decision to cut down on the number of inspections a new revolver goes through, opting to correct flaws when they receive a complaint about them, rather than performing costly inspection steps throughout the manufacturing process.
Just my opinion, only based on speculation.