I recently purchased a used model 629-4 with the power port, and after I shot it, I noticed that the front sight was canted to the left.

The gun had the ramp front sight installed instead of the patridge sight that was originally on the gun. I think if it had the patridge sight I would have noticed it at the time of purchase. It's possible that the original owner replaced the front sight to minimize the appearance of the canted front sight.

I called S&W and was told there is an acceptable tolerance in degrees of how much they will allow the barrel to be canted. The gun performs flawlessly, however, the front sight leaning to the left is very annoying.

My intention is to take it to a local gunsmith who specializes in S&W revolvers and see if he can fix it, and if not, I intend to send it to the factory and ask them to correct the problem. Whether they will do it under warranty is another issue.

I've always had great performance from S&W products and good customer service, however, occasionally these little glitches occur.