Back 81 a friend of mine got a brand new S&W 629 8 3/8" barrel. Very nice gun, very accurate gun. One of the "early" unpinned barrel guns, though neither one of us noted that at the time.
After a few months, and about 600rnds, about 2/3 midrange or .44 Special, he noticed that the barrel was now tilted to the side. It had not been like that when he got it. I had shot the gun and saw it with the barrel "starting to unscrew". You could clearly see the barrel rib was tilted where it met the frame.
Sent the gun back, and got it back from S&W with a note saying essentially, "nothing wrong". The barrel was now straight, again. He sold the gun the next week. A lack of confidence thing.
had S&W said they fixed it, I'm sure he would have kept the gun, but them saying "nothing wrong" when obviously someone HAD screwed the barrel back straight, soured him on the gun, so he sold it. Told the buyer its history, they didn't care.
SO, while I'm sure they've got the bugs worked out by now...when they first stopped pinning the barrels, SOME guns did have issues.
Am fine with Ruger and all the others that never pinned their barrels, and I know that some of their guns have had issues, too. It happens. Nature of the beast with anything manmade. Make enough, some won't be completely perfect. Fix them, find the source of the problem, fix it, move on.
For me, its a visual style thing, as much as anything. I prefer S&W revolvers made looking a certain way. Pinned barrels, recessed chambers for magnums and rimfires, the cylinder latch being the "round corner square" shape, NOT the slope back shape used now, the firing pin on the hammer, etc. This is what I want. These are what I buy.
Don't care that S&W "had" to change things to cut costs in order to stay competitive. Don't care if the changes are actually, somehow, "superior".
They aren't the S&Ws that I WANT, and since there are more than enough of the older guns to satisfy my wants and needs for the remaining years I have left, I don't bother with the new stuff.