All I know is that i have sent in quite a few pre-1989 guns to S&W for repair, and I have never paid a dime, and I have never even bought a new S&W. One time, they added a free magazine to the package when I forgot to send one in with the gun. Technically, the company is in the right, but if the gun is new and unfired (how's that happen, by the way?), and they admitted a defect, they should fix it. Something tells me someone bought it, never used it, then sold it (I did that once with a Glock 26). Gun was still used when I sold it. is the $83 really worth them losing a customer who spends thousands on their products? Not to mention him passing along a bad word about them to his friends, or even on an internet forum!