Heartache

A

abber

New member
Well, my model 29 went out last Friday to her birthplace for the third time. First time was a barrel rotation and frame replacement. Second time, the firing pin broke apart. I could have sent it again for the firing pin, but opted to install an aftermarket pin from Apex tactical instead.

This time, half of the forcing cone is gone, along with a chunk of the frame from the same area on the left side of the gun. KB I think you guys call it. It was strange, though, because it was not obvious right away. I saw some sparks fly, but the round did not feel different, and no injuries of any kind resulted (this of course being paramount). I opened the cylinder, and was wondering why it would not spin very freely before I even saw the extent of the damage.

Upon closer examination of the break, It is obvious that the lower portion of the break happened before the final shot. There is burning and powder residue there, whereas the top portion of the break is nice and shiny. Anyhow, I'm just venting a little here. This gun has been a pain.
 
It always hurts when one of your weapons fails. I know. I've had several instances (not as extreme as yours) where something was obviously wrong. some were simple fixes and due to the owners ignorance. others were just bad manufacturing. such as a new gen4 17 the new dual recoil spring in that made it horribly unreliable. So we went back to a RTF2.

at least your gun is backed by a quality company that stands by their products. Smith will make it right.
 
Sorry to hear,

And thanks for being honest.

I think it's hard to report a problem with a pistol for fear of getting either the brand haters or the fanboys going...
 
It shouldn't be a problem if everyone is honest. A gun is a mechanical device and all mechanical devices can fail. Some makers' products, for whatever reasons, seem to have a higher rate of failures/problems than others, but none are immune. Still, sometimes excessive like or dislike of a product can lead folks to be less than honest; some reports about one make of gun described "problems" that simply could not happen; they were nothing but lies told to discredit the company, and in some cases indicated clearly that the story teller had never even seen or handled the product.

And folks who do have problems sometimes need to look at their own actions. I have seen a single action by a well known maker that blew up. The owner was irate and demanded he be given a new gun because of the "defect". He had used a "triplex" load of three different powders, yet bragged about his "custom load development" and saw no connection at all between his "unorthodox" loads and his gun blowing up.

Jim
 
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My Smith 657 came from the factory with a rough-cut barrel and forcing cone, they fixed it up lickety-split... I'm sure they will take care of you. Be glad you caught it in time...
 
My 637 had a crackled hammer and a misaligned barrel. S&W took care of the problem quickly but I can't say it didn't leave a slightly bad taste in my mouth.
 
Not brand bashing at all. I have 4 other S&W guns that are fantastic. This one has been a lemon. It can happen to anybody, as previously noted. I never intended to start any kind of hate thread. Not my style. Like I said in the OP, just venting a little. It is a 29-10 (classics line).

S&W has been exemplary in its support. I can say absolutely nothing negative about their customer support. I will buy more guns from them, I am sure.
 
UPDATE

I had gotten a letter from S&W saying the failure was due to an overpressure round, and therefore not their responsibility. They offered to sell me a replacement for around 800 bucks. I did not respond.

Today, out of the blue, I got a call from S&W customer service. They want me to arrange delivery of my brand new revolver with my local FFL. Needless to say, I am one happy camper.

I was angry, but I guess it pays to keep my mouth shut. My old man said I should call and rip em a new one. I am not like that. I was, however, going to call to ask for a letter of disposition for the destroyed gun. This was a very nice surprise.
 
That doesn't sound like an "over pressure" round. It sounds more like a problem with cylinder to barrel allignment. Usually the cylinder will let go before the barrel in a KB.
Probably why S&W ponied up the replacement.
 
They said, "oxidation at the point of failure is consistyent with a pre-existing fracture".

That's kind of what I told them in the letter I sent with the gun. No matter, I am getting a replacement. Smith and Wesson CS rocks!
 
A Smith ain't what she use to be. I have one each of the N frame 21 and 22 and these are my only "lock" models, only because I could not afford the old timey "nonlock" models in these fixed site caliber options. Just because you stick the work "Classic" on a gun don't make it one.
 
Chesster,

This does not appear to be a problem that would be contributed to by the presence of a lock.JMO




OP...Hope they get you back shooting soon. Sorry about the bad luck with the boomer.
 
The 29 classic in 6.5" was going to be my next gun. I'm not a revolver guy usually but I have always wanted a 44. Anyway is this a common problem with these? I've heard people bashing the newer S&W revolvers and don't know why. I have a S&W 3rd generation auto that runs great.
 
Chesster,

This does not appear to be a problem that would be contributed to by the presence of a lock.JMO
Click to expand...

True, just a coincidence regarding the quality of the later guns which have the locks vs. prelock models.
 
I have 2 newer S&W's. The model 29, well, read the thread. It is dead and being replaced, and for no apparent reason other than it could not take being used. My 460XVR, on the other hand, is solid as a rock. I shoot all of my guns, and some more than others. The XVR has had at least 1000 rounds through it. The 29 probably was closer to 2500 or so. I clean them religiously, but I don't baby them.
 
I'm curious as to the timeline here. Your initial posts were in September. Is that when they told you they weren't going to replace it? And when did you get the call that your new revolver was on its way?

Seems strange to me that they waited 4 months and then changed their mind. Something else at work here?
 
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