Purchased Thunder Ranch 44 "anyway"

T

T WARD

New member
After reading mixed reviews about the model 21 from S&W, I took a chance and bought one anyway. The first ones may have had some problems, but I assure you that this one is a fine piece of work. Fit and finish are excellent and the trigger is ok (a little heavy of course) but smooth with no hard spots. At 25 yds. the windage is dead on and elevation about 1 to 1.5" high.

Someone even said that they were not safe to shoot, out of the box new.
Still not sure what what that was about.

If you think you might like one, BUY IT. I'm proud of mine
 
Uh, What problems?

What problems have been reported with this model? I'm sure Clint Smith at Thunder Ranch ain't too happy about a revolver with his name connected to it malfunctioning. Fleiger
 
Can't wait for mine :D

Alot of complaints. But all internet tales.

Maybe my LGS has an insider @ S&W, we never get bad Smiths here :) (knock on wood anyway)
 
fleiger ref:tr 44

Search: S&W Mod. 21

You will see where someone refered me to another thread for info.
Thats where I got all the good and bad reviews
 
The principal SAFETY ISSUE is the barrel. (bore) There are TR21s that are "pinched" and dangerous. I have personally seen three that a range rod would not clear. UNSAFE! I have given S&W a poor QC rating. The BAD and DANGEROUS TR21s should have never left the factory. I think most people who say theirs are great are lucky. The SW1911s were recalled and most bugs are worked out of them now. S&W then produced the TR21s with poor QC. I see a trend. What about the 2-piece barrels/shrouds? I give anybody three chances. The first SW1911s were strike one. The recent recall of an entire series of revolvers for a bad or non-existent cylinder heat treatment, the TR21s, the peeling 637 finishes and the M10 that I ordered and it was non-functional NIB is strike two. Strike three? Still waiting.
 
Sir William,

Strike three? Still waiting.
Click to expand...

Why don't you make the L-frame recall back in '87 "strike three" and start collecting Colts? :confused:

Seriously, I can totally understand folks who draw a line at some point and say "This far and no further." Given my 'druthers, I 'druther have the firing pin on the hammer, the barrel pinned, and the chambers recessed. I'd also 'druther they have five screws and no hammer block. There is, however, a sad shortage of pre-war 5-shot Al/Ti .44 Special Centennials on the market, and one of these would make an Ideal Purse Howitzer, so I went with what I could get and bought the 296 (apparently one of about five people who did, as Smith dropped it like a live grenade after only a year or two... :o )

However, once I've dropped something, I drop it. I walk away. I'm not buying Glocks anymore, for example, so if Glock changed their frame material to Gouda cheese tomorrow and upped the trigger weight to fifty-seven pounds, it wouldn't raise my blood pressure by one tenth of a point...
 
All,

Both of the ones I've seen were fine from a QC standpoint. TRS04xx went to a customer, and TRS08xx came home with me. Mine just passed the "range rod test" with flying colors.
 
Glad the gun is working out. However, after Smith lost touch with reality and called everyone 'turd suckers' who didn't bend down and kiss the ground under his precious guns, I can't see me purchasing one. I also stopped attending Thunder Ranch after he insulted folks who regularly attend gun schools. What did he call them, "gun school junkies" who think they are tactical ninjas because they go to gun schools, or something like that. Somehow, supporting a person who keeps insulting me. It sort of curbs the appetite for purchasing his goods and services.
 
Tamara, you know what I like. I put my money into quality products. I have gone back in time for S&W. The newer ones I have bought in the last three years have ALL been in need of work, returns and recalled. The older S&Ws are excellent for my money and tastes. The lock and lawyer zits don't bother me. I have Rugers. I do buy Colts. I have had several Tauri. The only "bad" firearms I have had in the last four years were S&Ws and a Colt Police Positive. I still buy. I am selective though. Firearms must be reliable and trusted. My last 637, M10-11 and the TR-21 revolvers weren't. The SW1911 wasn't. My solution is to simply buy the older, better quality and classic S&Ws. I have had worse firearms from other manufacturers. It is not a S&W only issue. Shortcuts for production, cost cutting materials, reduction of the labour expense and too much reliance on computers and robotic assembly across the board.
 
You're not going to like this Will, S&W has been cutting corners since after WW2 at least as far as my guns are concerned.

Take a pre war target gun. Check out the rear sight. Nicely blended into the frame huh? That's quality! Now take a post war target gun. Look at that tacked on, butt ugly rear sight! The front end sticks out a bit over the barrel rib even. What a cheap manufacturing shortcut :barf: At least the new Smiths have blended rear sights again. And what is up with those crappy saw handle grips? New Smiths come with Ahrends :)

My LGS has five TR21s and they are all about perfect :)
 
Looks can be deceiving, I would take those 5 M21's to the range first before I stated they were anywhere near perfect. :) Don't get me wrong, I have held and shot a M21 (with 100 rounds of the BH .44 Special), let's just say that it won't be replacing my 696 or my 624. Good luck and have fun. If you bought a M21, enjoy it.

.44mag
 
44, your 624, a Bangor (or is it Lear Ziegler?) gun, was made in the worst years of S&W QC. Your 696 was probably made by the same machines that have been spitting out these TR21s. The guns you cited simply aren't uh.. "classic" enough to be demonstrably superior to a recent Smith offering.
 
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