I shot my first Smith this week,,,

P

Peter M. Eick

New member
and boy was I disappointed!

Ok, I am ready to be flamed, but I was really surprised, it really was a bad experience!

I have only shot my Colt Diamondback since I sold my Python back in '82 so I do not have much to compare to. Anyway, the trigger was gritty, cylinder rotation was rough, one cylinder was hard to turn in DA mode. This was a new blued steel S&W 4" 357mag. The fit and finish looked perfect, but the internals felt like they were really rough. The trigger pull was long and spongy with many gritty spots.

Is this normal for new revolvers or just S&W's?
 
3 Late production guns for me

and all were very smooth. One broke at 3 3/4 lb.SA and is
extremely accurate to boot.

There's usually a bad apple in ever basket...dewey
 
Peter,
I bought a S&W .357 686 before the sellout. Mine is the opposite of what you describe.
Were you shooting Win Clean ammo? The primers on that bulge out and cause problems with cylinder rotation.
 
I've seen three different NIB S&W guns lately that all had so much packing grease inside the action that it felt like they were glued together. A thorough cleaning and lube felt like a major action job. Other new ones that were fine. Just depends on the day I guess.
 
I have shot a number of other peoples guns that felt that way.Reason,no lube at all.That might be the problem with this one.Never understood how people expect them to function well dry.
 
Hmmmm, this is a new one? Was this at a gunstore? The reason I ask is that they have not produced the blued models for several years. It is possible that someone may have done a kitchen table trigger job on the gun. Are you sure it wasn't a Ruger. The type of trigger you describe fits a Ruger to a T.
 
It's possible that S&W QC has been disrupted by all the cost cutting they've had to do because of the boycott. It has been amazingly effective, and has hurt them plenty. L
 
New blued steel S&W?

Which one in blue steel? Custom shop maybe? Unless it is a custom shop in blued steel, it has been sitting for a good while. It probably needs a good cleaning and oiling.

M16, all my trigger jobs are kitchen table, LOL--but I am serious.

My 686 is absolutely perfect. I could not ask for nothing more...except for the set of Herret walnut grips that I am waiting on to arrive at my door any day now. Sling Shot
 
Ah Ludwig, how could the boycott have effected quality control when they stopped making blued revolvers before the boycott ever started?
 
M16 -- Oops! I didn't realize new blue ones were not available, and I missed your post just above. Since I heard the new S&W owner/president on Tom Gresham's GunTalk radio program describing how much the boycott has disrupted the company, I'm preoccupied with trying to picture the shape of their engineering and QC, and what effect it might be having on quality. Could be that he's making quality better than ever, since it will play a critical role in reviving the company. Sorry for wandering off topic. L
 
Peter,

Based on both reputation and personal experience, I suspect your experience is atypical. I own two 627 Special Edition "N" frames and -- politics aside -- they are essential flawless revolvers.
 
It is a good idea to fire, or dry-fire, any new revolver 500-1000 times prior to making a judgement on its action.

Every gun improves with this, some more than others.

If you know how to take apart a S&W, you may want to give it a thorough cleaning as well.

If, after a thousand or so cyclings, it is still rough, than maybe you do want a trigger job.

Also, keep in mind that if you have been a semi-auto shooter for a long time, all revolvers are going to feel like they have heavy pulls.
Relative to an auto, it is a heavy pull.

You'll get used to it as your finger strengthens.

Weight is one thing, and can be dealt with, but grittiness is a major pain.

Just my $.02, -Kframe
 
I will try and start by time, and work my way back.

Madscientist, No,winclean ammo, my reloads in 38 special brass and they work like hot butter in my diamondback.

sw627, actually it looked kind of dry, but the action did not "feel" like it was dry. Only rough, not gritty, just rough.

beemerb, since it was not my gun, I was not going to oil it. It may have been dry, but it only had 6 shots down it prior to our range session of 450 rnds.

m16, it was brand new from a dealer, but unlike my H&K's, I could not tell you when it was manufactured from the frame.

Sling shot, no this was stock, nothing special.

K-frame, I think we could take it apart, but since we are in Houston, I am going to suggest it goes down to Teddy at Action by T for a workover. And yes, since I am used to the autoloaders, it is a heavy pull, but it was probably 3 times the weight of my diamondback.

Any other suggestions?
 
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