I've seen my share of canted barrels. I've inspected a dozen new J-frames and could find only one that had a straight barrel and decent lock up and forcing cone.

My thoughts are this: back when the revolver was the only show in town, and all LEO's carried them, the wheel gun market was very competitive. Colt and S&W and Ruger all had to have their stuff together, lest the other company get a little ahead the others. Market competition bred excellence.

Today, *everyone* (except a few older gun collectors) get a polymer striker gun. All LEO'S are issued the polymer striker guns. That means, zero market pressures on any large scale. Prices can rise while quality falls.

That said, I've found that Ruger GP100's tend to be pretty well clocked at 12, and their cylinder lockup is consistently tighter than the new S&W L-frames.

I did manage to find a new 649 J-frame magnum with a perfectly 12 o clock barrel and decent lockup. I will never sell it.