I just bought a "new" Model 610-3 today.... but now that I have it home and am cleaning it, I am noticing some weird things..... there is an unusual amount of powder build up on the barrel's breach surface and the bottom of the spine that just meets the cylinder surface. I know the factory fires one round through it so I didn't think much about it at the store.... but this is a lot of residue.....

The Thumb tab to release the cylinder covers the locking key hole... to the point that I can't even get the Key in the key hole without moving the thumb tab out of the way.....

The Front sight is loose and so is the rear site blade... Its so loose that if I shake the gun you can hear the both sites rattle.....

I've also noticed that there is a noticable burr all the way around the outside of the mouth/breach of the barrel. Ther is also a very small dent on the corner of the side plate just behind the cylinder wheel making just enough of a seperation to get the cloth fibers hung up.... thats the only way I noticed it!

Is there a way to do a "Car Fax" on guns to see if it was previously owned...



Maybe I'm anal about my guns but this was/is supposed to be A BRAND NEW revolver! Now, I own several other S&W firearms and the quality has always been superior to other gun manufactures. My experience with S&W has been awesome and thats partially why I didn't inspect it in more detail in the store.... until now that I'm cleaning it....

Since all firearm sales are final..... Any suggestions on what I should do?

Thanks!

PS I now need a holster for an N Frame 4" barrel for use in IDPA & USPSA... and I can't seem to find one perferrably kydex/plastic retention and without a thumb strap.... thanks again!

if it's new then it came with the box and all associated paperwork? if it did then express your concerns to S&W and look into returning it. sounds used to me though. how bout some pics?

Can't help you with the gun but for the holster check out:
DOH Dropped & Offset Holster-SR Loop :: Belt Holster :: Holsters :: Blade-Tech Industries
I use it for USPSA with a 5" 625. You can remove the Drop and Offest attachment for IDPA. They make them to order and will make one for your 4".

Here's a bad pic of mine:

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Daniel.

The Thumb tab to release the cylinder covers the locking key hole... to the point that I can't even get the Key in the key hole without moving the thumb tab out of the way.....


Send a few pics our way.

I hope these help....

THE BLOCKED KEY HOLE:



THE DENTS IN THE SIDE PLATE:




POWDER RESIDUE AFTER CLEANING you can also see the burrs on the breach:



THE BURRS AND BAD MACHINE MARKS ON THE EXTRACTOR:
You can see what looks like to be a big shadow on the top left of the extractor, thats a burr!

Yeah, It came with the box, the fired round, the paperwork, etc.... but I keep all that stuff in the safe with the firearms.... I've watched too much of Antique Roadshow to throw all that stuff out... HAHAHAHA

Welcome to the Forum.

I was typing this while you were posting pictures. So I am doing a little editing.

New or Used? Well to be NEW it would have to have been bought from a dealer as the first purchase of the firearm. Any firearm that changes hands for the second time is USED. Any firearm bought from an individual is always USED. You do not state where you got the firearm.

Now if it was a USED gun that was unfired since leaving the factory, it could be called Like New.

The factory does not have a set number of rounds that are fired. Traditionally, S&W fires three rounds. However if something is notice during that firing, the firearm could go back to production to be reworked and then it would be fired at least another three times. Plus it could get fired during the rework. Firearms are not cleaned before leaving the factory. This should be a non-issue.

Rear sight blades will typically move slightly in the sight assemble. However, the sight assemble should not be moving.

As to the front sight, there are some models that have an Interchangeable Front Sight (IFS). This relies on a spring and plunger assembly. If those have been removed or lost when someone took the front sight off, it would indeed rattle. Other than that, a front sight should be pretty solid.

It is not too unusual to have a burr at the top forward point of the side plate. I have seen this many times. I have never seen it snag on clothing, but that is easily fixed with a file or emery cloth.

Burr on the barrel? Not too sure what you are referring to here. If it is on the outside, odds are pretty good it will not affect performance. Now that I have the pictures to look at it would not bother me.

Not sure what you are trying to show with the pictures of the ejector.

I would never have noticed the key lock issue since I ignore the lock and have never tried using one.

Always, I mean ALWAYS inspect a firearm before taking possession of it.

To be able to do a 'CAR FAX' on a gun, there would need to be some kind of mandatory national registration in place. None of us want that.
As you have stated, you failed to properly inspect the firearm. If you had inspected the firearm, you might not have purchased it, or perhaps you could have negotiated a better price. But a 'CAR FAX' would have been unnecessary wouldn't it?

Who says all firearms sales are final? Is that some kind of store policy? I have returned firearms in the past. If you feel the seller misrepresented the firearm as NEW, go back and demand a refund. Selling a used firearm while calling it a new firearm is fraud in any State of the Union. That is a crime. If none of it is bad enough to do this, then you have already made up your mind to live with it.

Looks new to me,
A bit on the poor fit and finish, But I would guess NEW.
Did it come from a deal as new?
Peter

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Need 1/2 moon Chiefs special

Yeah, I got it from a local gun shop as NEW.... The shop has a upstanding and good reputation...

I guess I can relate to buying this revolver to internet dating... You have this concept of the kind of girl (GUN) you want to meet.... Then you finally see her (GUN) pic on line and you talk to her through emails, texts, and phone calls (doing your research & shopping for the best prices).... things are finally looking good when she says that she'll meet for a date (found the gun locally & for a good price), but when you finally meet her face to face she's beautiful! But once you get to really know her through dinner, she's not all that!..... but in this case [the revolver], I'm still gonna put my rounds in her and see if I can tickle its trigger! LOL

I bought a model 22-4 about a year ago, maybe less. I love the revolver, but the quality of the finish in certain areas is less than pleasing. The sharp edge on the outside of the forcing cone is present on the 22-4. It looks like the bur or edge was never beveled or debured at the factory. It doesn't affect accuracy, but does catch on a cleaning cloth. In addition to this defect, each of the cylinder muzzles has a slight but noticable rim around it, as though the bores were punched rather than drilled. Apparently the face of the cylinder was not cleaned up at the factory. And to top it off, the ejector rod was to long, and the center rod had a bulge at the end. These two issues caused the cylinder latch to catch briefly while being pressed (from the bulged end of the rod catching) and the crane would hang up on the ejector rod retention pin at the front just enough to require pressure to push the cylinder out of the frame opening.

I stoned down the rod bulge, and filed the end of the ejector rod shaft, so it works smoothly now. The other defects I now consider personality quirks, and do not prevent this revolver from being my favorite. It is unfortunate that S&W allows these things thru quality control. I bought the gun from a forum member, and the issues were not disclosed prior to my receiving it. It was sold "used", not lnib, and S&W obviously would not address any of the issues. I am much more careful of online purchases, now.

I have seen the bur/bulge at the top of the sideplate quite a few times, and it never bothered me. It looks like an byproduct of producing the tab at the top, although you would think this shouldn't happen.

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Hastings

The dirt/fouling that I see on your photos looks about hte same as I had on my new M&P I bought last week.

Was that before or after you cleaned it? these pics are after I cleaned the revolver.....

I purchased a 6 1/2 610 last September on order from a local dealer via Sports South (a distributor). Since it came from a distributor on order, I have no doubts about mine being brand spanking new.

1) Powder residue. Mine had been fired from 3 alternating chambers in the cylinder which was quite obvious on examination. It had also not been cleaned since being test fired and there was evidence of firing on the face of the cylinder and the frame around the barrel. Not as much as putting 50 rounds downrange but there was enough buildup to be a bit surprizing. Apparently S&W uses a rather "dirty" ammo for their test fires. However, I will note that it cleaned up very quickly and easily using a Kleenbore Lead Away cleaning cloth, all told perhaps 5 to 10 minutes.

2) That positioning of the cylinder release is exactly the same as mine. However, I don't have to shift the release, just use care in "fishing" the key into the lock. BTW, my 620 is also exaclty the same, the key nearly has to scrap the release to go into the hole. Also, the same key fits both the 610 and 620.

3) Loose sights. The rear sight blade on my 610, 620, 67, and 617 are all a bit loose. I believe that this is a design feature and I would suspect that any S&W revolver with a tight rear sight blade on the target sights to be gummed up.

4) The front sight used on the 610-3 is an interchangeable sight, not fixed in place with a pin. If you push the sight blade straight towards the rear it can be removed by tipping the front up and then lifting it out. Note, the spring is a bit stiff and you'll have to push it firmly all the way back before it will clear the retaining pin. As a result of this design, the front sight will rattle slightly. While this could in theory degrade accuracy to some extend, I personally don't shoot well enough for this to be a factor, even from a bend rest in single action. Total movement is only about 0.008 inch and on a 6 1/2 inch gun that probably only shifts the POA by perhaps 1/4 inch at 25 yards. However, it is very convenient if you want to change sights at the range and S&W offers 2 different heights and multiple styles of interchangable front sights, even a fibre optic in 2 different heights.

5) Burr on sideplate. Most likely this is a factory defect and something you can clean up quickly with a bit of wet sanding with some 1200 grit sandpaper. Most likely the sideplate was a hair "tight" in that spot and it was pushed up when the gun was assembled at final fitting. Match the current finish strokes and it will blend in beyond detection. I didn't notice any burr on mine when I first got it but since I fully polished my 610, it wouldn't have mattered to me.

Bottomline, IMO you got a new gun. About the only "real" defect is that tiny burr and I am not who would consider that a defect. No offense implied, I'm just not very picky about insigficant defects like this, it's what happens when something is assembled and fitted by hand and the fitter needs a break. Quite simply you can't expect 100% total perfection from a human being every single time.

I'll also note that the difference between New and Lightly used is so insigficant that's it's probably meaningless. All guns are now test fired by Law so in some respect they are all "used", every single one of them. About the only way to be sure if yours is truely a new purchase would be by having the gun "lettered" and even doing that may not yield an answer because if your dealer isn't a S&W stocking dealer it was probably first shipped to a distributor. Quite simply, you may have to take it on faith that it was new when you purchased it. Fortunately, S&W is so good about supporting their warranty that it really doesn't matter, if it ever fails in any way they'll just fix it.