Avoid the early guns if you want to, but you may be avoiding some custom work as well. A lot of the recall guns came back with a little extra work done on them. Mine got a ramp polish as well as the new parts; apparently many did.
Absolutely correct! I also received a complimentary ramp polish from Smith along with the recall (I requested it and they did it).
For those who have chosen not to send in a recall gun...that is your choice. But IMHO you should reconsider. It is an important function that needs to be addressed...how safe is it to manually set a hammer down on a live round? The small hammer would slip easier than a revolver. Again, up to you...just sayin'.