lee n. field
New member
You're having trouble making up your mind, aren't you?
How reliable is your S&W revolver? Reliability = works 100% of the time.
- Thread starter Ronn82727
- Start date
You're having trouble making up your mind, aren't you?
I have 20+ N frame S&W's.
Two of these guns get several thousand a year and one I have owned more than 35 years. In all those years the only S&W I had issues with was the 69 that I purchased last year.
It didn't have a reliability issue just the quality control on the gun was poor and it went back twice. I must say that S&W did a wonderful job on cleaning up the issues.
The trigger was one of the worse I have every tried on a wheel gun. When it came back it matches the early 70's 25 that I own.
Two of these guns get several thousand a year and one I have owned more than 35 years. In all those years the only S&W I had issues with was the 69 that I purchased last year.
It didn't have a reliability issue just the quality control on the gun was poor and it went back twice. I must say that S&W did a wonderful job on cleaning up the issues.
The trigger was one of the worse I have every tried on a wheel gun. When it came back it matches the early 70's 25 that I own.
RIDE-RED 350r
New member
I own:
-m36-7 (J-Frame, 38spl, snubby)
-m19-3 (K-Frame, 357mag, 4")
-m28-2 (N-Frame, 357mag, 6")
-m629-6 Classic (N-Frame, 44mag, 6.5")
-m460V (X-Frame, 460S&W Mag, 5")
Past owned:
-m686-6 (L-Frame, 357mag, 6")
The closest thing I have ever had to a problem was that I was near max allowable spec for endshake with the 460. I emailed S&W just asking what the service limit for endshake was so I could ascertain whether I needed to have it addressed or not. To S&W's great credit, even though I bought this revolver used, they insisted I send it to them. They tightened up the endshake free of charge.. And they even covered the shipping both ways! Big pat on the back to S&W for going above and beyond when I did not ask them to, much less expected them to.
Other than that, I have never had any reliability issues with my Smiths. But I don't have near the years of owning and shooting under my belt that some of these gents here do..
-m36-7 (J-Frame, 38spl, snubby)
-m19-3 (K-Frame, 357mag, 4")
-m28-2 (N-Frame, 357mag, 6")
-m629-6 Classic (N-Frame, 44mag, 6.5")
-m460V (X-Frame, 460S&W Mag, 5")
Past owned:
-m686-6 (L-Frame, 357mag, 6")
The closest thing I have ever had to a problem was that I was near max allowable spec for endshake with the 460. I emailed S&W just asking what the service limit for endshake was so I could ascertain whether I needed to have it addressed or not. To S&W's great credit, even though I bought this revolver used, they insisted I send it to them. They tightened up the endshake free of charge.. And they even covered the shipping both ways! Big pat on the back to S&W for going above and beyond when I did not ask them to, much less expected them to.
Other than that, I have never had any reliability issues with my Smiths. But I don't have near the years of owning and shooting under my belt that some of these gents here do..
Other than the standard revolver issues that need addressed, Ive only had two S&W's that had problems that required S&W to deal with them. Both were 940's, which were new at the time. The first broke less than 200 rounds in. Something internally broke, requiring the gun to be disassembled to get the remaining live rounds out. It went back to S&W, and what came back, was a different gun, with the same serial number (lettering was all different). Second gun had the same issue, in about the same round range. I asked that they replace it with a .38, which they did.
I currently have 24 S&W pistoles, 22 revolvers and of the revolvers I shoot 18 of them. Of the shooters 7 get carried regularly. Only 1 of my S&Ws has ever had a problem that was not ammunition related, my 442 cracked it frame and S&W could not repair it. They replaced it with a new one at no charge.
I don't even have a guess how many Smith & Wesson, (or Taurus, Colt, or Ruger) revolvers I've owned over the years but it's a bunch.
I've had a problem with two. A Smith & Wesson 22 Combat Masterpiece from the 1950, was hard to eject the spent cartridges, a somewhat common problem with 22 revolvers of all makes I understand. I just cleaned the snot out of the chambers, and lived with it. After all, it was a target gun and the problem was annoying at worst. And I had a Ruger Speed-Six that would bind up after 50 or so rounds. I sent it back to Ruger, they did something, never had a problem with it after that.
That's all I remember.
I've had a problem with two. A Smith & Wesson 22 Combat Masterpiece from the 1950, was hard to eject the spent cartridges, a somewhat common problem with 22 revolvers of all makes I understand. I just cleaned the snot out of the chambers, and lived with it. After all, it was a target gun and the problem was annoying at worst. And I had a Ruger Speed-Six that would bind up after 50 or so rounds. I sent it back to Ruger, they did something, never had a problem with it after that.
That's all I remember.
Smathersfish
Inactive
I shoot S&W revolvers often. They date from 1900 to 1995. Safety hammerless to 640-1. 22lr through 44mag. Never had a problem that was not fixed by cleaning!
Kreyzhorse
New member
I have 3 assorted S&Windows revolvers and have had zero problems with any.
I've had one Taurus that cropped out at less than 250 rounds.
Spend the extra money for a Smith. It is more expensive up front but will save you money long term.
I've had one Taurus that cropped out at less than 250 rounds.
Spend the extra money for a Smith. It is more expensive up front but will save you money long term.
Deaf Smith
New member
Part of reliability is durability. I've owned Taurus as well as S&W revolvers and Smiths win hands down in long term reliability. And that is why I don't own any Taurus guns anymore.
Deaf
I own two Smith and Wesson revolvers. One is a 32 and one is a 38. They are both from around 1915. I bought them both used (either that, or my health is extremely good for someone well over 100 years old). The 32 doesn't seem to have been shot a whole lot. The 38 has been shot a LOT, until the rifling in its barrel looks somewhat shallow, though it still locks up pretty tight.
They both shoot just fine. Their triggers and sights are not up to modern standards, but neither of them have malfunctioned in the couple of years that I have owned them.
They both shoot just fine. Their triggers and sights are not up to modern standards, but neither of them have malfunctioned in the couple of years that I have owned them.
jetinteriorguy
New member
S&W reliability for me has been three simple things. Remove the ejector Rod, clean the threads and put back together with blue thread lock. Second clean under the ejector star, and third just normal cleaning on a regular basis. Do this and you'll be as close to 100% reliability as you can get.
I don't understand why anybody would buy a Taurus over a smith. 300 bucks less? Sounds like a lot at the time, but you'll own that revolver for 30 years. I figure 80 cents a month (less than 3 cents a day) is worth the better product and customer service should you ever (unlikely) need it.
4 S&W revolvers in my lifetime, countless rounds,
629 Classic DX, 686 no dash, 17-4 and a 642-4 (i think), with the 629 and 642 firing quite a few real go getters, never an issue. The only issues were ammo related in the 17-4, think cheap 22lr.
The 17-4 and 642 are still in the safe, with the 642 getting duty as wife's nightstand and my sometimes pocket pistol.
629 Classic DX, 686 no dash, 17-4 and a 642-4 (i think), with the 629 and 642 firing quite a few real go getters, never an issue. The only issues were ammo related in the 17-4, think cheap 22lr.
The 17-4 and 642 are still in the safe, with the 642 getting duty as wife's nightstand and my sometimes pocket pistol.
I owned a 3" Model 36 for a lot of years, and it never misfunctioned. Neither did the Dan Wessons, Colts, Tauruses (Tauri? Tauros?), & Rugers I've owned or shot.
Is this a survey of S&W's QC and Customer Service integrity, or is this a re-opening of the "Wheelies vs. Self-shuckers" can of worms?
I have SEEN revolvers fail. When they did, they failed spectacularly. I've seen them skip time, lock up when bullets pull forward and 1 or 2 times when the bullets did not pull forward. In nearly every case, making the piece functional again took time and tools not usually found outside a Gunsmith's shop. Automatic pistols can & will misfunction at times, but usually not to the extent the revolver guys would have us believe. Unless it's a catastrophic failure, the misfunction can usually be cleared by a hard, fast pull on the slide + a magazine change.
A squib round in an automatic pistol usually does not cycle the spent round from the action, nor a fresh round into the chamber. Firing a fresh, full- powered round after a squib round in a revolver often requires only the squeeze of a trigger, potentially converting an otherwise perfectly sound revolver into a grenade.
Is this a survey of S&W's QC and Customer Service integrity, or is this a re-opening of the "Wheelies vs. Self-shuckers" can of worms?
I have SEEN revolvers fail. When they did, they failed spectacularly. I've seen them skip time, lock up when bullets pull forward and 1 or 2 times when the bullets did not pull forward. In nearly every case, making the piece functional again took time and tools not usually found outside a Gunsmith's shop. Automatic pistols can & will misfunction at times, but usually not to the extent the revolver guys would have us believe. Unless it's a catastrophic failure, the misfunction can usually be cleared by a hard, fast pull on the slide + a magazine change.
A squib round in an automatic pistol usually does not cycle the spent round from the action, nor a fresh round into the chamber. Firing a fresh, full- powered round after a squib round in a revolver often requires only the squeeze of a trigger, potentially converting an otherwise perfectly sound revolver into a grenade.