S&W Quality

D

Doug Bowser

New member
I was at the NRA Annual Meetings in St. Louis. I looked at all the revolver offerings by S&W and I was not impressed with exterior finish or the way the actions worked. I will buy older versions of S&W revolvers and enjoy the pride of ownership that the new offerings would not provide to me.

My pard just bought a S&W 627 .357 mag and they crowned the barrel before the rifling was cut in the barrel. At the muzzle, there were spines of metal coming off the lands of the rifling. No excuse for such as this happening on a $900 revolver.

Doug
 
Doug Boser:

Sounds like Smith let on through. I'll bet that you can go through thousands more Smiths and not find another one like it. Smith makes quality guns. Now then, for the few guns that slip past quility control Smith will repair them free.


Semper Fi.

Gunnery Sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
 
I will buy older versions of S&W revolvers and enjoy the pride of ownership that the new offerings would not provide to me.
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Terrific. While you and your chamois cloth are busy, I'll continue to shoot the snot out of my newer guns and, enjoy the pride that shooting well and winning matches brings me. ;)
 
Sorry to hear you were unlucky enough to experience a poor-quality Smith and Wesson revolver. I would go buy a lotto ticket cause I dont see that very often.
 
In the last two years I've purchased both a 686 in .357 Mag and a new Model 17 .22LR and am very please with them. They're great guns and I'd buy S&W again in a heartbeat.
 
Despite the naysayers here there are a lot of S&W fans who won't buy the current production revolvers with their ILs, MIM hammers and triggers, frame mounted firing pins...and sadly a high number of guns with crooked barrels, cracked frames, tool marks in the barrels and/or chambers. Literally every day there's another post on the S&W Forum in which someone is having a problem with a new Smith. The company is only a shadow of it's former self.

My $.02,
Dave
 
As a general trend S&W quality seems to be on the decline, Ruger quality seems to be on the rise. The guys who run my LGS, who I've known for 15 years, agree.

I finally decided to buy a medium frame DA/SA .357 and comparing a GP100 to the S&W 686 SSR, I put a deposit down on the GP. The action felt more solid, the barrel/cylinder gap was tighter, the rifling looked better and the muzzle crown was cleaner.
 
There is a lot of posts these days about S&W and Ruger revolvers having issues. Today we live in a world were production of anything is more important than quality. Simple fact. The only thing a person can do is send the revolver back and hope the manufacturer will make things right.
The old days are a thing in the past.
Regards,
Howard
 
Sounds like Smith let on through. I'll bet that you can go through thousands more Smiths and not find another one like it. Smith makes quality guns. Now then, for the few guns that slip past quility control Smith will repair them free.
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There have been ups and downs in S&W's history.

I remember very well the amazement in the I had in the early 70s when a friend showed me two NIB Model 36s, one with no bolt cuts in the cylinder, and the other with a hammer that had never been drilled for the hammer nose. Both guns had been shipped to the same sporting goods store in St. Petersburg, FL.

Now, explain to me HOW those got through quality control.
 
You must all be youngsters and don't remember the poor quality of handguns especially S&W around 1980 !!
I set up a check list like a pilot's to look at every part of a NEW S&W ,before I even worked on them !! :(
S&W at one point was owned by the Brits whose anti-gun mentality was notorious ! While American police still carried wheel guns the Europeans used autos. Excellent designs like the Glock easily took the market.
A few other factors were also involved.
 
There have been ups and downs in S&W's history.

I remember very well the amazement in the I had in the early 70s when a friend showed me two NIB Model 36s, one with no bolt cuts in the cylinder, and the other with a hammer that had never been drilled for the hammer nose. Both guns had been shipped to the same sporting goods store in St. Petersburg, FL.
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You must all be youngsters and don't remember the poor quality of handguns especially S&W around 1980 !!
I set up a check list like a pilot's to look at every part of a NEW S&W ,before I even worked on them !!
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The difference is that those guns were made and sold before the advent of the information age. In decades past, when someone got a bum gun from S&W or any other manufacturer, he'd know about it as would the gunsmith he took it to for repair, the factory if he sent it back, and a few acquaintances he might tell about it. Today, when someone gets a bum gun, they need only fire up the computer for a few minutes and make a forum post or six (often under different handles) and suddenly hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people can read all about it.

Meanwhile, the traditionalists continue to crow about how much better the older guns are and how many more "goofs" the newer ones have, all the while forgetting that the older "goofs" were either repaired or taken out of circulation decades ago.

The traditionalists can lament that "they don't make them like they used to" and trumpet about anonymous posts on internet fora all they want, but I've yet to see anything but anecdotal (and usually anonymous) evidence that S&W's quality is any less today than it has ever been.
 
Quality control at S&W has been an"on again off again" proposition for a while. I've seen examples that should have NEVER been allowed out. But I've seen excellent guns too. Buyers of new smiths should inspect the guns carefully before putting down your hard earned cash. Let the Buyer beware.
 
My experience with recent S&W revolvers and pistols has been good overall. I'm becoming a fan of their MIM. I bought a 686 plus recently and, as I always do with a new S&W revolver, I replaced the rebound spring with a weaker one. I did nothing else. No parts polishing, etc. The trigger pull is as good as any non-mim that I've done the whole 9 yards on. Crisp, smooth, light and a joy to shoot. I've come to the conclusion Smith's MIM parts are darn good, as is overall quality.
 
Buyers of new smiths should inspect the guns carefully before putting down your hard earned cash. Let the Buyer beware.
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That's good advice. You can buy a Glock or HK online and know what to expect, but I would not do the same with an American made revolver. I would not have bought my GP100 if I couldn't inspect the actual gun I was buying.
 
That's good advice. You can buy a Glock or HK online and know what to expect, but I would not do the same with an American made revolver. I would not have bought my GP100 if I couldn't inspect the actual gun I was buying.
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I'd like to see some data to support your stance that Glock and H&K have great quality control compared to S&W. How many Glocks and H&Ks have you bought? But you "know what to expect"? How many Glocks and H&Ks are produced compared to S&W?

With S&W, you do know what to expect. Ruger as well. Think about the amount of guns they put out...Every think that maybe they make more guns than the other "higher quality" guys, so then you see more problem guns BUT the actual rate is still the same? Simple logic, anyone?
 
Old Days?

In the old days there was no Internet...no instant post to the world of someones opinion. Nor was there all this available information. Such as to look at the crown or the action locking up tight.

30 - 40 years ago 90% of gun owners(if not more) bought a gun and took it to the range(maybe) and started shooting. So who really knew what or how thinks are compared to todays guns.

As far as Glocks if you buy a new one you know that they may function or not. They have a standard polymer finish, nothing great there but they are cheap. So ultimately, you know that that they are cheap.....
 
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I have very little experience with "new" Smith & Wessons. I buy and shoot mostly the ones from the 50's to the 80's because they're the ones I grew up wanting.

However when I found this Model 21-4, 44 Special, "Thunder Ranch" I tried not to like it. It's got MIM parts. It doesn't have a pin in the barrel. It's got a lock...:eek: .

100_0372.jpg


But it's also one of the best looking, best shooting revolvers I've ever owned. I've been told they were made in the period 2004-2006, but I've never bothered to verify that.

I won't be too proud to look at others again. I'll check them out the same way I'd check out any gun I was thinking about buying. If it's good, I'll take it. If not I'll pass.
 
Yeah, it happens. I bought a 686SSR that had the correct 6 chambers, but also had 7 flutes on the cylinder.

CylinderandQC.jpg


The gun went through final QC on a Friday and I suspect it was the last one this inspector did that week.

S&W made it right (after some contradictory promises and a bit of hassle) and when I got it back, the gun looked like this:

Newcylinderlside.jpg


I’m still waiting for the promised follow-up call from Paul Pluff, Director of Marketing Services. After three months, though, I have to assume he’s moved on to the next crisis.
 
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