I plan to purchase a new snub from smith as soon as I can get an answer to what i'm wondering. Is there any advantage to having a new revolver shipped from smith as apposed to buying one that could have been on the shelf for 18 months? The reason I ask is because I have read that with many models people seem to have the same problems sent back for repair. Does smith modify the newest production models as they are produced to address common issues and avoid returns? I enjoy reading this forum and would appreciate any accurate answers.

I don't think so, Go to the thread on this sub-forum:

There are instances where a brand new model needs a few months to have the bugs worked out, i.e. Bodyguard 380 and 15-22. In that case, buying an old stock gun may not work out so well. However, since you are looking at a J-frame 38, I'm not aware of any significant issues in the past year or so. Buy a new gun from your LGS, enjoy shooting and carrying it, and if you run into any problems S&W has one of the best lifetime warranties in the industry.

I blew those pictures up 400%. I belive the barrel was turned in too far so to compensate the front sight was drifted over a tad from center.

Thanks for the quick replies! That's exactly what i'm talking about. Clearly this happens if the BG380 is having the bugs worked out. I will be buying a bodyguard 38 and I believe they have been in production for about two years. If there is a chance that I will get a gun that has been improved upon compared to the original production batch than its worth $60 more to me to go to a shop that does not have one in stock and have them order it from smith. Otherwise I will order one new in box from Gunbroker for $60 less. Is there any way to confirm if the newest BG38's produced are and different than the originals?

In todays World, with quality control being what it is, I much prefer to only buy guns that I can see and touch.
I want to be able to inspect them myself.

Not only S&W's but any gun.

What Dragon88 said....

S&W has the best warranty/customer service in the business,IMO....

I've had two occasions to ask for warranty service on unrelated issues this year. The CS people have always been cordial, cooperative, and above all, quick and professional with their repair service...

If I were you I'd talk the seller down with a reduction in price, pointing out the flaws. Then contact S&W for a repair. From my experience the S&W all shipping paid "turn around" would be about 2 1/2 weeks. I truly believe you'd be happy with the service and the results....

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Terry

My instinct was to buy new from Smith and I will most likely do so. Can anyone confirm if the newest guns produced ever differ from the originals of the same model? You would think that Smith would document the changes and make this info available if that were the case.

Major engineering changes are noted in the model number by a dash number. To my knowledge, there have been no engineering changes to the BG38.

Smith & Wesson produces guns in batches and you're more likely to see a wider variance in quality within a batch than between batches.

Also, 98% of the dealers out there do not buy direct from the factory, they buy from distributors.

Do some research on the Forum and make sure the BG38 is what you're looking for before buying. If you have a problem with your individual gun, the factory will make it right. Also, with your stated concern about quality, I would highly recommend that you buy from a dealer that has the gun on hand so you can give it a thorough inspection before buying.

And my final advice, buy a 642 or 442 and install a Crimson Trace laser grip if you want that option.

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Centennial Every Day

NE450No2 had a good point -- why in the world would you buy something unseen unless there was no other way? Here's the picture -- you order from the factory -- the guy at S&W just grabs the first one off the shelf -- and who knows whether it came off the line at 4:30 on Friday afternoon or first thing Monday morning for that matter??? He just would not care whether you are getting one finished out by the best workmen or one that the new guy struggled with.

You are new to the forum so you have not seen all the threads about canted barrels -- but if the buyers had bought their guns at their local gun stores and had inspected them before they plopped down their bucks -- do you think they would have bought guns with crooked barrels?

Check your instincts -- look at what you buy and you can avoid at bunch of problems.

Well, I'm waiting on a Model 29 I've ordered. If it is grossly bad, I'll refuse it. If not, I'll take it and shoot it. If it shoots bad, I'll let S&W make it right. If it breaks 10 years from now, I'll let S&W make it right.

From what I've read, my worst case scenario is that I'll get a gun I need to return to S&W, and about 2-3 weeks later I'll get back an awesome gun. Golly. How horrible.

bsms is correct about ordering a gun from the factory -- the worst thing that happens is not much. But he was ordering a Model 29 -- the local gun stores in town usually don't have a bunch of them (in the configuration you want) to inspect and compare. The 38 Bodyguard?? Every town has a slew of them that can be looked at. Why not support the local gun store when you can?

I appreciate the input but still am not getting the info I desire. Perhaps there is no answer at all? Does smith continue to produce a specific model to spec or do they improve upon them over time based on common issues without changing the model name? If they do make improvements, are they documented and what are the chances that this is the case with the BG38? Don't get me wrong, all of your opinions have reassured my choice of smith but I am very interested in this info for my future of buying new smiths. I also agree with those who recommend the proven 442 or 642 within the same weight. However, I did not make this decision lightly. I love the bodygaurd grips and their ability to accommodate that third finger. I will not be bothered by the ambidextrous release, and also am impressed with the longer extractor to fully release the brass. I think the stock trigger is smoother and love the value of the integrated laser. As I am new to j-frames I do have a lot to learn and would appreciate further comments of any kind.

Photoman44 answered your question above:

When you see a BG38-1 come out, you'll know they made some changes.

Also, something else to consider, sometimes when S&W does a dash change, it is NOT for the better...

I did not mean to disregard that answer. I should have been more detailed in my reply. The key word is "Major" regarding documented engineering changes. What constitutes a major change? The 642 I believe comes to mind with the dash signifying the presence or lack of of an internal lock which is a "major" engineering change. In the case of the BG38 the two most commonly mentioned issues are the accuracy being high left witch was explained by a flaw in the production process and the cylinder not correctly indexing which also may or may not be considered a "major" correction. I am sure many of us would love to know if these types of issues regardless of their magnitude are corrected in the most recent products. It would make sense and I would like to assume that all models are slightly improved upon over time within their respective design but it would be nice to hear confirmation from someone involved in the process or someone having experienced undocumented changes.

GG63,

Consider the number of each model number produced by S&W. Out of these huge numbers there are bound to be some flaws and inconsistencies none of us want or like. It is that way with any mechanical item whether they be guns or cars or lawn mowers.

The most meticulously assembled Indy race cars blow up..... the most meticulously maintained airplanes crash....one of the space shuttles blew up on launch.

My point is any mechanical item assembled from created parts can experience faulty assembly or issues like metal fatigue. If you think this is unique to S&W try all the other handgun owners websites and hear their complaints on other products. The S&W complaints can absolutely pale by comparison.

So what is the solution? The solution is to offer a lifetime warranty on all the handgun products, shipping included for all legitimate complaints, to protect the investment of their customers and to re-assure their customers the integrity of the company can be depended on.

IMO, and many others who have actually experienced their service, the warranty response has been fantastic, though in each case it has been at great expense to S&W.

Reading comments on a website like this provides tremendous valuable information to people. One problem I see is many people only post when they have a problem and sometimes that can make it seem like everyone is having a problem with a particular model.

Many here sympathize with your complaint. Errors and problems shouldn't happen but occasionally they do. S&W takes care of legitimate complaints and prove it by paying the FedEx Second Day Air both ways as well as correct the error. If you don't think that can costs them a pile of money for each return just call FedEx and ask them what it would cost you to pay for it personally.

I would suggest to anyone if this kind of service isn't enough to suit you you may want to look to other Mfg's to try to find that elusive "perfect handgun."

Good luck if you do!!

JMHO

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Terry

Perhaps you should call the factory and ask them.

1-800-331-0852

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Centennial Every Day

I called Smith today. They would not confirm or deny that design and manufacturing changes are made outside of the ones that are documented in the serial with a dash. However, they did tell me that there has been no changes at all pertaining to the BG38. Thanks to all who contributed.