S&W Performance Center Hits a New Low

B

Brad

New member
I couldn't believe it. I went to my favorite gunshop on Saturday because a S&W rep. was onsite and all S&W products were on sale. (Before you get started, I haven't purchased a new S&W since the agreement. I own lots of S&W pistols/revolvers and must admit that I do like many of their products.)

Anyway, I thought this might be the time to finally buy a S&W handgun again. Boy, was I wrong. Initially I was excited because they had brought in lots of stock. There must have been 30-40 products to chose from. What really caught my eye were the Performance Center revolvers that I've been salivating over for some time. I felt like a kid with with Christmas in October. They had a 627 V-comp 3" (eight shot!), a 629 V-Comp 3", and a 629 V-Comp 5". They really looked great in the case. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of asking to fondle them.

First of all, the new wood grips feel and look like they're machined out of pine. They were nowhere near as nice as expected and looked awfully cheap compared to Performance Center and Lew Horton runs of the past. But the worst part was the overall poor quality. The 629 V-Comp 5" was a total disaster. You could pull the trigger and the hammer would fall but the cylinder wouldn't turn. It would just click forever. Sometimes, the trigger wouldn't work at all and you'd have to rotate the cylinder to allow the trigger to fire. Unbelieveably poor workmanship.

All three of them had triggers that felt like there was sand in the action. They were gritty and overly long. The double action pull was lousy. The Ruger Redhawk feels like a Python compared to these dogs. Overall, they were a disgrace to the Performance Center name and a major disappointment to me. I was really looking forward to taking one of these babies home. The way it stands now, I will be buying older Smiths only. I really can't believe how they could have ever gotten out of S&W in this condition. It tells me that QC is nonexistent. It would be one thing if only one of the 3 demonstrated some problems, but they all were of lower quality than the lowliest Taurus. And that's saying a lot.

So beware. If you've been looking at their website and coveting one of their newest creations, think again. I'll probably be looking a Dan Wesson or Ruger and suggest you do the same.
 
Glad they were bad enough to un-tempt you. The only new manufacture Smith I have handled lately was a warrenty replacement for a pre-agreement gun that failed.

Star unfinished, still had burrs from the roughing cut. Sideplate did not fit. One chamber close to being in time, rest out to varying degrees. Cone rough. Misfit grips. Cylinder chambers rough. etc etc. Got rid of it before firing it. Barrel ring from probable overtorque.

I see no reason to let them live. I will treasure my old ones and pass on the products of the traitors.

Sam
 
It just come to prove that guns are just like a fine wine, cigar or sports car. If you can't tell the difference, they just look expensive and seem bad in one way or another.

Robert
 
"Anyway, I thought this might be the time to finally buy a S&W handgun again."


AFTER Smith & Wesson repudiates the agreement.

To paraphrase Orson Wells...

"We will buy no Smith & Wesson before they get out of the slime."
 
It just come to prove that guns are just like a fine wine, cigar or sports car. If you can't tell the difference, they just look expensive and seem bad in one way or another.
Click to expand...

I can tell the difference, and a vast majority of what I've seen come outta Springfield in the last year or two has convinced me that this fine wine has gone to vinegar, this good cigar has been dipped in cheap peach brandy, and this sports car has a Lucas electrical system. *&* could lift a leg on the agreement tomorrow and I might buy one cheap gun as a show of support, but unless they hire some QC folks, that's all I'll buy.

It's a damn shame that the last $329 Taurus UltraLight I bought out of our showcase locked up & timed perfectly and had a wonderful DA trigger, while the $500+ *&* Airweight Ti next to it was lazy on one chamber, stacked badly, and had a trigger that felt grittier than my cat's litterbox.

I can only be loyal to a brand name while they're still making the same product. The only thing the current wheelguns from MA have in common with their ancestors in my safe is the label.
 
Tamara,

For someone who's dislike of "*&*" is so great, that they won't even mention "*&*" by name. That opinion of yours wouldn't be bias now would it? :)


Robert
 
Junk is still junk reguardless of who makes it. They are manufacturing for those who buy brand name without any thought of quality. Some will pay the difference because they heard that S&W were the premier manufacture.
 
Never assume, Robert.

My first handgun was a Model 36. My second was a Model 13. My first carry auto was a 659 and my longest-serving nightstand gun was a 4006. Right now I own a PC-13, a 625-4, a 586, and a 629-1. I'd own more, but I have access to my roomie's fine selection of *&* revolvers. Don't assume you know who I like and dislike.

The day I learned about the agreement, (and I learned about it in detail, as we were a licensed *&* dealer and had been for many years) I yanked the *&* baseball cap off my head and loudly swore I would never wear it, buy another of their guns, or even "type their *&^%$ name on those #$%^ internet forums", until they 86'ed the stupid agreement. I went home and edited my sigline on GlockTalk that night to say ".40 *&*". I keep my promises to myself.

Have you ever been so mad at someone you love that you won't speak to them? Are you a parent? Have you ever needed to punish a child? It hurt, didn't it?

I don't "hate" *&*. Quite the opposite; I like that company a lot; my shooting history with them goes back a long way. But I'm doing what I feel I need to do, I'm keeping my word to myself, and don't think for a minute that I'm enjoying it.
 
Recently the local gunshop received three new .45 Colt Mountain Guns. Now, I'm a big MG fan, so I just had to look. On one, the extractor stuck in the open position. On another, the timing was way off. On the third, the barrel/cylinder gap was .011 on one side and .007 on the other (yep, I measured it with a feeler gauge). You'd think S&W would have enough time on its hands nowadays to do the job right. But maybe they layed off their good people.

Any way you cut it, a great American company has meddled in politics, intending to save itself by undermining the freedom of its customers, but has ruined itself in the process. If that political ruin is now reflected in the quality of its products, then nothing will save it. A sad end and ultimately a loss to everyone.
 
I have a couple of elderly J-frames that are finely finished and had great trigger pulls from the factory. My pre agreement 625 had a few rough edges and needed replacement springs to get close to being usable. The recent "hi tech" offerings from Springfield don't tempt me at all.

There sure is a steady decline in QC. I recently looked long and hard at a $1300 Performance Center Schofield trying to justify the price against a $500 Navy Arms Uberti that looked and felt better.
 
I must give some credit where due

When comparing both companies' Ti model snubs, Taurus certainly seems to have the edge.:o A smoother trigger action outta the box is only part of it.:cool:
 
Hello all,
With the exception of my 629-5 Mountain Gun all of my Smiths are older models. I have a Registered Mag as well as a k22 from 1948. I have to say that the fit and finish on my Mountain Gun compares favorably to my older Smiths. The timing is perfect, the B/C gap is .004 on all 6 cylinders, and there is no slop evident anywhere. My only complaint is that double action trigger pull is overly heavy. Maybe I got lucky with this one.

Randy
 
My experience is the same, Randy. Every S&W that I've examined, at my local range, has been PERFECT! Tight lock-up, smooth as silk action, excellent finishing, everything! My experience goes back to the "old" Smith & Wesson's also.
 
Weird thing about the PC, you send a gun for a trigger job and you have to buy a PC hammer and trigger. This did not happen to me, but I was the lucky chap who ended up with the original parts.

Also didn't one of the safety lock companies just buy S&W? I could have sworn I read somewhere that it was sold for something like $68 million total.
 
I, like Tamara, have a longing and admiration for quality S&W products. The majority of my collection (revolvers and autos) is S&W based. I have 3 (pre-agreement) Performance Center handguns that are a joy to own and shoot. I can't tell you how badly I want to get this agreement nonsense behind us and to see S&W back in the saddle producing America's finest firearms.

Unfortunately, this seems to be unlikely given the current state of their product offerings and the seeming lack of quality control. Wouldn't you think that their Performance Center products would be the pinnacle of their manufacturing art? I do, or at least I did.

I can't tell you how disappointing (and embarassing for them) the experience was for me this weekend. I wanted to like them so much, but there was little there to like. For those who feel like I was bashing S&W that just wasn't the case. Unlike others, I have no desire for S&W to die. My desire is for a rejuvenated company that understands the importance of producing works of art, not commercially digestable, barely adequate ghosts of the past.

I'll always be a S&W fan. The sad truth is that my admiration will need to be directed to their legacy and not their present. None of us know how this situation will resolve itself in the coming months and years, but I for one still hope for the best. There was a lot to like about S&W and I fervantly hope that this downward slide can be reversed and that saner heads will prevail.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top