* Edited on 4/23 to say that S&W resolved this to MORE than my full satisfaction. 4/23/2011 - Post #11 for details of how this ended.


I got this revolver brand new from the store a couple of weeks ago. Last night, I removed the sideplate and saw quite a bit of surface rust in the frame. Probably about 15-20% coverage of the surface area. Nothing on the side plate, just inside the frame.

My theory is that the machining coolant fluid caused the rust, but I would have thought that S&W would be prepared to take care of issues such as that.

I called S&W today and their rep suggested that I use CLP and a brush to clean out the rust. I declined and politely suggested that the Performance Center consider doing this prior to shipping out the guns.

Anyway, they're mailing me a shipping label, but I don't know if they'll replace the gun or clean out the rust.

What do you think are the long-term concequences of rust? Should I be satisfied with a cleaned up gun or should I ask for a replacement? The part that worried me most is that the threads in two of the screw holes were rusty as well...

This is the kind of thing that has some of us disappointed in today's S&W. You would think a new S&W would not have such an issue, esp. a PC gun.
S&W does have a good record for customer service. Let'em have it and check it good when you get it back.

Either way, they'll make it right.

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Sure you did

personally, i would want a new gun....or at the very least NEW internals and a spotless cleaned internal frame.

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Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

Do you know how many people has handled that gun since it left the factory!!!!!!! The gun store could have dumped a cup of joe on it and that caused it. There is more things that could have happen to it after the factory than in the factory. Your guess is as good as mine. The real thing is: They will make it right !!!!

Hello. Not doubting your 'Brass' but is this that big of an issue?
I've had old guns that were neglected for years and rusted up pretty good.
Cleaned then shot and no issues whatsoever.

I DO understand that a brand new gun should not have had this
and maybe a call to Smith, or e-mail with photo.

Just personally curious to see the extent of the rust.

Hope it works out well for you in the long run.

Allen Frame

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NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

Imo the guy at S&W was trying to do you a favor with the suggestion of CLP and clean it yourself. As others have noted, they will make it right but...unless there was major pitting or some corrosion that was binding the internals and interfering with function, I'd follow his advice and save myself the time it will take to "make it right". (other recent posts about 3 weeks to a month for repairs).

Hope it works out to YOUR satisfaction and I do understand paying the price their asking and not having it close to perfect. But my opinion above still stands (since you did ask). Personally I HATE to send my guns away, even for modifications I want.

Wonder if they miss me as much as I them?

That's disappointing. Would love to see a picture if you could.

I agree with the factory. Just do it yourself. Sending a gun away opens the chances for all kinds of bad things, but nothing good you can't do yourself.

I'd first just leave the sideplate off and go back to the gun shop and show them the **** they're selling. I doubt they'll make any kind of accommodation, but maybe they'll give you a $50 box of ammo to make it right. Always go to car dealers and gun shops with your valid complains on Saturday morning. Do it when the place is full of customers, so they can see the problems first hand. It puts a lot of pressure on the staff to make things right.

As a policy, I always strip new to me guns. Not just new ones, or old ones, all of them. You'd be shocked at what grows inside guns, pristine to nasty ones. No correlation between the outside condition and whats hidden inside. Be prepared for anything. One spectacular old 44 from the 1930s had what appeared to be a tar ball inside. Another had what appeared to be the worldly remains of a spider (a big one.) Some appear to have been lubed with bacon grease or worse.

Some may not agree or like my witches brew of chemicals. But I've no qualms about using quick start (ethel ether), brake cleaner (the old carcinogenic stuff), gasoline, kerosene or whatever. Guns are pretty much made of durable metal. Solvents generally don't rust, corrode, or or dissolve gun parts (at least worthy ones.) Take the grips off first.

Guns don't need a lot of lubricant's to work. It just needs to be spread around to prevent rust. I like grease for hammer and trigger pins. My preference. And I have a perversion of using CLP or RemOil and a small paint brush to spread it around. Works really well to spread less oil around better.

Back in 1997 I bought a brand new 337 no dash. I thought it was just the most spectacular gun I'd ever seen for carry purposes. But it had a minor problem. When I dry fired it, it felt a little gritty and green stuff bled out of the trigger opening. When I held it upside down, it kind of ran out the hammer. Not normal that I knew. So when I got it home I pulled the sideplate. It was full of the green oil and metal shavings. Cuttings, like the stuff I used to see on my summer job 40 years ago that came out of lathes and mills. They just hadn't bothered to clean the stupid thing. Poor QC, or whatever.

But its now a great gun. And all it took was me cleaning it up. Yes, I shouldn't have to do that, the factory should have done it. There's no way the idiot clerks at the gun shop would have seen it, nor would I have trusted them to pull the gun down to fix it. But I'm more than competent to do that myself. I just assume most folks here are, too. And I don't trust the same factory that shipped the unfinished gun to do a particularly great job the second time around.

There's an old saying...If you want a job done right, do it yourself.

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Dick Burg

Very well said Dick.

S&W returned the revolver to me yesterday. The letter indicated they replaced the frame and destroyed the old one.

But that's not all - in my letter to S&W, I asked them to swap out the small wooden grips for a pair of larger target-style grips if their company policy allows this. I said "it would be nice, but not expected".

Well, the revolver came back with a nice, fat, comfy, hand-filling, finger-grooved pair of wooden grips! The original stocks were also returned to me - they were bagged and carefully wrapped in paper towels. The towels were then wrapped with masking tape for extra protection.

Throwing in the grips was going well above and beyond the call of duty. S&W's service policy had already earned my respect many years ago. Smith & Wesson continues to prove that my respect and loyalty were not misplaced!

Outstanding. It's good to read that Smith & Wesson sorted things out to your satisfaction.

Now go forth and enjoy that revolver!

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Steve
NJ State Trooper (rtd)

Where's the range report? It's late, and still no pictures.

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S&WHF 366

Yeah, what he said...how do we even know you have this revolver?

Just teasing you Brother, glad it came out to YOUR satisfaction and I agree that the extra grips was a nice thing to do.

Enjoy. (and post some pics)