Smith & Wesson (in)accuracy question.

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Postman

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Thank you all for your input regarding the cleaning of stainless steel revolvers, I am happy to report that a can of G96 Nitro Solvent and a Hoppes lead removal rag latter, my peice is clean a a whistle.

Sadly my story does not end here. I believe I mentioned before that I had sent my new S&W 686 Plus off to the factory for a custom action job before I took it home. It went straight from the shop to the factory to me. When I took it out of the box I noticed the rear sight was cranked all the way over to the right. I repositioned it over the center of the bore that night and didn't think too much of it. Tuesday, the first day I had a chance to shoot the gun I adjusted the sights as needed to shoot to point of aim. It wasn't until the night before last, after going to town with my new cleaning products that noticed the rear sight had been cranked again all the way to the right, this time by me. I spent Thursday at the range confirming my suspicions. The gun was shooting way to the left. Seven inchs at seven yards. And, judging by the fact that the sights were drifted all the way to the right when I recieved it fromt he factory, they knew it and sent the gun to me anyway.

I called S&W's customer service and they told me to ship the gun to them and they would reimburse me the cost of shipping. I can't ship it till Monday as there will be no one in recieving this weekend.

To draw a long story to an abrupt end, am I crazy to be disturbed by my new 686 Plus revolver shooting seven inchs to the left at seven yards or is this just one of those things about revolvers and why they come with adjustable sights? I have tried three different types of ammo, CCI Blazer's 158 gr .38 LRN, Remington's 125gr .357 SJHP and UMC's 158gr FMJ. The groups are consistant, I have tried leaving one and two random chambers empty, I'm not flinching, this occurs both in double action and single action. You know I love your feedback.

[This message has been edited by Postman (edited October 23, 1999).]
 
Postman,

Your revolver needs a serious fix,
but I doubt it would be easy...
7 inches at 7 yards is too much for
any decent handgun. I suspect this
particular revolver inherited some
severe production problem. S&W MUST
REPLACE it with a product which will
confirm to tolerances/specifications.
 
Postman:

I concur with Oris. You're 686 is definitely bollocksed up. I've had a Performance Center tuned 686 for about 8 years now and the rear sight is dead center w/virtually all 125gr factory loads.

Send it back...they'll make it right (actually, they'll probably replace this one as bad as it sounds).

Mike
 
This off center problem seems to be common in these last ten years or so. I had a new Model 27 that shot left and I could see that the barrel pointed off to the left. To save trouble, I took it to a gun show and traded it.
The only real fix for this condition (Frame threads at an angle) is a new revolver..

[This message has been edited by John Lawson (edited October 23, 1999).]
 
Yes, John Lawson is right, it's a crooked
threaded hole in the revolver frame, most
likely caused by the metal chips in a fixture
holding frame during production. I have
1895 Nagant revolver with the same problem. This problem can not be realistically fixed.
 
If Oris is right, then S&W needs to replace the whole gun, as it is defective from the factory. Whether they do or not would give me a better idea of their commitment to customer service.
 
Hi there, another vote for replacement. I think that S&W will probably do right by you, but in case they hesitate with your request, I would mention something to them. You could've bought a Ruger, and saved alot of money. You could've bought a Taurus, and saved alot of money. Etc, etc, etc. But, you PAID for S&W quality and reputation, and you expect that quality. This little note, especially if you email it to

eshultz@smith-wesson.com

you ought to get fine service. Ed Schulz is the Prez/CEO of S&W. BTW, I love S&W and think they're awesome, but sometimes you gotta lean on 'em a little. -Kframe
 
I have had similar problems with S&W. Fortunately, my dealer simply refunds the money or replaces the gun then he gets the replacement. In any event, Smith will make it right...too bad you have to wait.
 
Not to worry.
S&W service is second to none.
I had a 5906 that couldn`t hit the broadside of a barn from 25 yards. Sent it back to them and what do you know? Less than two weeks later I had it back with a new slide and barrel. Shoots great now.
 
It's easy enough to fix and a little tweaking by your gunsmith or by a more experienced hand at S&W can do the job.

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt
 
This seems to be an occasional demon that pops up now and then. I bought one of the first six inch 586s to hit the Memphis area back in the early eighties. It had the same problem, shooting too far left. I suspected the problem was in the barrel. I sent it back to the factory and when I got it back it was even worse! I sent it back a second time with a really nasty letter. I called the gun an expensive paperweight, as that was all it was good for, and soundly scoulded S&W for letting such a firearm out of the factory. Since I suspected the barrel was the source of the problem, I scratched a small mark inside the ejector shroud so I could identify it if it came back.
When it came back this time, it had a new barrel, the action had been tuned very smooth and the gun wore a very nice set of smooth target grips. It turned out to be the best .357 I've ever owned.
Smith will make it right, but sometimes you gotta smack 'em up side the head to make your point.
 
As of 8:45 Tuesday moring the gun is in the hands of Smith and Wesson. i spoke with a customer service rep this afternoon and she assured me that everything would be right within two weeks.
I think I might call back in a week to see how things are going, if they end up replacing the barrel I want to make sure they polish the forcing cone, as I paid to have it done originaly.
If they do end up replacing the entire gun I have to then deal with the Westchester County Pistol Permit office. Here in New York, every gun you own or carry must be listed on your permit. When adding or deleting a gun you must submit an amendment form. I would have to delete the origanal gun and add the new one before I could accept the replacement. All this takes so much time. When I lived in Maryland there was a five day wait, in retrospect that passed so quickly. The gun shops were so much better stocked too.
 
Postman, here's a thought that I'm having. Maybe you could explain in a letter to S&W your legal situation, and the fact that if they did right by you they'd gain a lifetime customer. Suggest that if the gun needs replacement, that they replace the gun with a new one that's got a serial number to match. I know that people can order specially numbered guns, I think SmithNut has ordered one or two through Lew Horton like that. It's well within S&W's manufacturing capability, it's just a question of someone with authority making the call.
It's a long shot, but it certainly couldn't hurt. -Kframe

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