Modern day S&W quality?

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FullEffect1911

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Putting the internal locks aside as i feel it is a non issue. What is the modern production quality of new S&W revolvers, specifically a model 686? I want to get one but i am concerned about the MIM parts and other possible pitfalls. If anyone could clue me in to how smith and wesson products are now a days i would appreciate it. After all i don't want to get one if parts just keep breaking on me. Any info on modern production quality would be great.

Thanks in advance.
 
Well, my 686+ with MIM parts is about as good as I have. I do have a PC 627 V-comp with non-MIM parts. So? I've put in excess of 10,000 rounds through the 686+, a goodly portion of which were .357 magnums. Nil problems.
 
S&W Quality

I have seveal new S&W revolvers in J,K, L and N frames. With and without the lock. I have sent them all to the factory for the revolver action job. After that they are great shooters and no problems with them at all. The fit and finish it top notch. I feel the lock does affect the trigger pull but once they clean them up they are very nice. I do shoot the guns. Each has many thousands of rounds down the barrel. I have an L frame 686 in the 2 1/2 inch and the 6 inch barrel. However I just picked up a 586 no dash that is one of the best shooters I have, with no work at all. Great guns, get one, two or three and have fun. Best
 
While some will say that "older is better"; not all times that is true.
Todays S&W's are still some of the finest revolvers made, in
my humble opinion. I own two, and they have been solid performers.
The use of MIM parts done correctly, should not be an issue!

Best Wishes,
 
I'm a fanboy who still buys em blindly. :o

Nah, I have 3 MIM, lockable S&Ws. None of them give me problems.

I had the chance to buy older Smiths that were NIB for all intents and purposes. They felt just like any new S&W that hasn't had the benefit of thousands of trigger strokes.

The lock does not affect the action until it is engaged.
 
I have 0 experience with L framed 586/686s. I have S&W M65s, M19s and a M28. I also have Colt Lawman and Trooper MKIIIs. I don't own any Rugers either. I am a S&W fan also but, I have seen some lousy S&Ws. The worst problems I have seen were cracked frames due to bad crush fitting of the barrels. They should have been caught by final QC checks. That tells me NOBODY is doing final QC checks at the factory. I see canted barrels, improper and excessive tolerances, heavy triggers due to geometry changes, less than ideal firing pins mounted in the frames, ugly gaps and mismatched grips of wood, cylinders with loose tolerances in chambers that allow cases to bulge, tight spots in barrels, too tight tolerances that interfere with function and other items that should have been caught in final QC. Some S&W and other manufacturers products should have never seen the light of day. We have a choice. S&W can make any of their products fit, function and reliability better. It should be so NIB. The customer is NOT the final QC inspector. I do see decent and appealing S&W products at reasonable cost. I like the 325. I won't be getting one though. I prefer the Model of 1955 or M25. P&Rd, with hammer mounted firing pins and no MIM for me. Odd from a owner of MKIII Colts. I like the 4 Ts too.
 
I think the quality is pretty decent.

I've bought three new ones fairly recently. Workmanship is topnotch on each. None has given me a problem. The latest one, a four-inch 625, has a trigger that rivals the older guns, light and smooth. My 325 trigger is heavy but glass smooth. My five-inch 625 is in between weight-wise but has become quite smooth after a few thousand rounds. I haven't shot any of them enough to comment on durability.

Overall, thus far I'd count myself as pleasant surprised by how well they compare with their forebears.
 
Thanks for the posts so far

Thanks for the posts so far, they have sufficiently made me not worry about new S&W revolvers breaking down on me. But i have one more question. What is the typical barrel/cylinder gap i could expect from a new 686 and should i worry about getting one with to big a gap? Also i would like to know if you get get a gun smith to close up a large gap on a revolver (general question that pretains to all revolvers)?

Thanks again in advance.
 
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Three Thumbs Up!

I have the 340SC, and my mother carries the 642. Niether of us have had a single issue with them. As a matter of fact, they are each of our favorite carry guns. After a lot of time in a pocket holster and who knows how many rounds, I've never had a misfire, hangup, or mechanical issue.

My uncle has a couple of S&W's in .357 and 41 Mag, and also has nothing but good things to say. Fit and finish is very good.

Brian
 
My 686P, 500SW 4", my 44mag in 4" are all nice quality shooters. The 500 has a sweet trigger, the others are very nice. Nice enough I dont mind shooting them more than my old m19.
 
Yes, a out of spec gap can be a problem. Lead shaving, spitting or jacketing peeling and buildup at the forcing cone could be negatives. Yes, a gunsmith could tighten it up but, S&W warrants that they will repair their products without charge. The tolerance is measured with feeler gauges. You need to know the tolerances and then use the feeler gauge to find out what your revolver has. There can be a difference between loaded and unloaded tolerances. I suggest the Kuhnhausen books for reference.
 
i have a set of feeler gages and know how to use them, but i was mostly just inquiring what S&W spec limits were for barrel gaps and are they typically a problem in modern new S&W revolvers?

Sorry if i wasn't clear before
 
One consequence of the new two-piece S&W barrels that hasn't been addressed much yet it just what to do to correct an excessive barrel/cylinder gap.
If it was excessive on the old style barrel, a gunsmith could set the barrel back a turn & adjust specs to match up correctly.
The new two-piece barrels can't be removed the old way by unscrewing them, and it's still up in the air about whether or not S&W (or an aftermarket maker) will make the tools needed to remove the pieces available to gunsmiths or if they'll try to keep it proprietary & thereby force owners to ship guns with excessive gaps to Massachusetts for barrel adjustments.
The same problem has the potential to occur with fixed sight revolvers. If the factory doesn't line the front blade up exactly right with the rear sight channel, your local gunsmith won't be able to rotate the barrel (in this case, the barrel shroud) slightly to adjust for windage corrections like he could with the older guns.
Another traditional barrel adjustment, the use of the babbit, most likely won't work with the new design, either. It would probably have little effect other than to damage the barrel shroud or the frame.
Shortening a barrel sometime down the road (relatively rare, but does happen), swapping a bulged or pitted barrel, or correcting a bad forcing cone will run into the same problem. Without a specialised tool, you don't move the barrel.
How much of a nuisance this will be remains to be seen.
Denis
 
New or old ?????

Hello:
I am a fan of S&W.. it is the only handgun I own.. They have a bunch of new offering's but I tend to buy used.Most places will allow a lay-Away and that is a good way for me to get one without paying new price and I have a good revolver for the money. The new prices are way out of line to me. I do not like the new lock but have some with the M.I.M. part's and have not had a problem. I have delt with the factory on used revolver's and they will stand behind them if they fail in most cases since they have come out with there lifetime warrenty...... That being said I can not see a reason to pay the high price that they sell for new. I am not a fan of there new sprayed on finishes that seem to flake off nor there shrouded barrel system that they have switched to recently. I like the old school way's and will continue to buy them as long as they are out there. One can pick up a 686 for between 300.00-425.00 in my neck of the wood's so new would not be and option for me. Regards, Hammer It...
 
Within the last year, I have bought two Smith N Frame revolvers: a 625-9 (.45 Colt Mountain Gun) and a 610-3 (10mm/.40 S&W). Both are truly superb, with outstanding quality, accuracy, fit and finish, reliability and durability.

With this said, it is clear that current S&W revolvers do not have the manpower intensive manufacturing of decades ago. Further, I cherish my older P&R’ed Smiths. However -- and for all practical purposes -- my experience with modern S&Ws suggests that they are every bit as effective, durable and reliable as their counterparts from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s.
 
Thank you

Thanks again guys for all of the posts. I appreciate it. Btw the price quoted on a brand new 686 for me was $470. 200 off the msrp... not bad in my book.

Thanks again
 
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