I have a ca. 1967 Model 19 with very low mileage in excellent condition. The cylinder was binding and failing to line up with the forcing cone at my last trip to the range before Labor Day. It was received by S&W on Sept. 5th and returned today. The cylinder was free, but it was termed an obsolete "ghost gun" for which no replacement parts were available. It was said to have an "obsolete cylinder" and "loose gas ring." Customer service said that this could be fixed by an expert gunsmith with lots of S&W experience. Any recommendations? Thank you.

S&W doesn’t have any expert gunsmiths with lots of S&W experience? Interesting.

Ross at HNR in Inverness, FL is good, but I can’t recommend a gunsmith in your area.

Exactly what I was wondering.........

Wow! That's pretty sad to think about.

Try Frank Smith at LSG Manufacturing, 325-885-2700. He was a S&W warranty repair station for almost 40 years, and an excellent gunsmith. Hope this helps.
Mike

Not sure what you mean by "The cylinder was free" ....is the gun working now ?
My guess is S&W termed your 19-2 as an "obsolete ghost gun for which no replacement parts were available" because the replacement parts supply have long been depleted.
That includes the cylinder which incorporates the gas ring.

While S&W has a limited lifetime warranty on current production firearms there is no lifetime warranty for their older guns.

While it is a bit surprising they would refer you to and outside gunsmith since the factory can adjust and repair most issues that do not require major parts replacement if your 19-2 is now working fine I would take that as a heads up future issues would not be repaired.