I would have refused the transfer and had it sent back with a NOTE as to the condition of the firearm. That is just plain awful QC for a firearm of that cost. Must have been made on a Friday.

At the right price, though? If Smith takes it back and replaces or repairs it for free, wouldn't it be worth a potential $200 savings?

Update:
Received an email from S&W w/ PDF letter stating they have received my gun and it is being processed - and provided me an RMA #.

...that S&W now uses the customer for QC. If it doesn't come back to the factory, it's a good gun. Otherwise, they'll fix it.


I'm really sorry that your first experience with S&W is that poor.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I cannot believe that was a new gun. Maybe S&W can check to see if someone registered it for warranty reasons before or even if it was sold to you by the same shop that originally purchased it from them. Probably went to a distributor first, but there should be some type of paper trail. Honestly, and this is only my opinion, probably won't win me any friends, your gripe should be with the seller. I can't believe Smith & Wesson put out a revolver in that condition. I've seen them new in shops with a little residue in a cylinder from testing, but nothing as poor condition as yours. It would go a long way for them to refinish yours, but I don't feel like they owe you anything. Sorry. Now their inconsistent trigger pulls, that's another story.

Where did you order the gun from? Because I thought it was used gun when I first looked at it. It looked like someone, with no real knowledge how to do it, tried to polish the finish and really wrecked it. As for the other problems it wouldn't be hard for a dealer to collect all the bad parts from different revolvers and stick them all on your gun. I would very seriously like to know what the deal is.

You say you haven't fired the gun? Because that gun HAS been fired. Not much but a few rounds. It's more than the turn line. There's powder burn around the bore chamber. It looks like it to me. I circled the areas in red I think have been discolored by powder in this photo.



BUT I look at the finish inside the chamber and it looks messed up too. That would indicate a Smith and Wesson issue. There are obvious lines in the finish inside on the frame. I also circled the areas in yellow where the finish inside on the frame is messed up. That wouldn't have been done by someone polishing the gun. Not like that.

Whatever the problem is something is certainly off with this gun. I really hate buying anything without looking at it closely first. I've saved myself a lot of money that way not only by avoiding problem guns but also by seeing a problem that has knocked the price down on a used gun and knowing what it will take to fix it. I've sent some back to get warranty work when I wasn't the original owner. Springfield did that for me. If S&W doesn't make this right that will really make me think about buying from them in the future. I bought a M&P Sport AR from them not too long ago and it has been everything I've come to expect from that company. It has been excellent. I would think they would fix this. I would get the dealer involved on this because they buy lots of guns. You only buy a few. Companies listen to dealers. That's a big reason I like to know who I'm buying from. I've only ordered a very few guns over the net and it has worked out but I've seen things not work out in transactions over the net too.

I know you've probably heard it enough but you should have refused that gun. My 629 doesn't look anything like that. Mine had been fired but only about 15 times when I bought it. Yours has less burned area than mine did but it has some. There's no burnt powder hiding in the cracks you can't get at to clean on your gun. It hasn't been fired much but a few rounds have gone down the pipe IMO.

This gun was bought brand new from Guns for Sale | Online Gun Store | Grab A Gun and had it transferred to a local dealer. I've spent more than $4K at Grabagun over the last few years and had good experiences.

I usually buy guns online and have them transferred to a local dealer. I have never refused a transfer before and honestly, it seemed as much a hassle as sending it to the factory - or so I thought.

S&W was not all that friendly on the phone - tried to explain the issues and the guy kept talking over me and interrupting - also gave no apology. He did offer a prepaid shipping label and emailed it promptly.

I sent it that day and it was received at S&W the next day (2/1). A week later (2/7) I received an email with a letter in a PDF file. The letter stated they received the gun and I now have an RMA #. I haven't heard anything since and bet they will just ship back after work is completed - nothing atypical about that.

We'll see if they make it right - right now, I'm wishing I bought another Ruger.

That's a used gun. It was cleaned up because of body sweat tarnish in the summer heat. It can dull stainless. I been there my snubbie with a in the pants holster dulls the finish. The holster gets damp.

If S&W or Grabagun sold me a used gun they owe me a refund.

I called S&W with the RMA # and was told the gun had been to parts and was going to another department - the representative said it looks like the service was "winding down" and it should be shipped in about a week to a week and a half.

He said he couldn't tell me what had been done to it because those notes are handwritten by the gunsmiths and it will be included with my gun when it is shipped back.

I've been shooting a long time, and the bore looks new to me, with what could be factory test firing wear. The cyclinder looked new to me from the front - it looks like only three rounds have ever been shot.

I'm betting (and hoping for your sake) you're gonna get a great gun back in the mail shortly. It's unfortunate you will have had to jump through the hoops to get it that way, and I don't know how, or what happened, or whose fault it is that you received what you received when you bought it "NIB", but there is a sketchy story somewhere behind that piece. Matters not, provided you get it back in tip top shape. Please continue to update and provide pics as I and probably many others watch this thread. For myself, it doesn't make me question S&W's ability to perform QC as much as it reaffirms my unwillingness to purchase guns sight-unseen from online dealers; whoever they may be and however good their track record. I understand many will differ with me there, and probably quite justifiably, but I just won't buy a gun I can't see on a shelf first, pick up, and closely inspect.

I hope they come through and make this right, too. You have good advice - I'd prefer to see and examine any firearms before buying. Here's to hoping it'll be in stock.

I agree with those who believe this is not a new gun, for whatever reasons. I recently went with a friend to pick up his new S & W 1911 and it was literally perfect - not a scratch or ANY discrepancy - heck I don't think I saw a speck of dust on it!

I have a theory - some of the guns that you would never buy if you saw them first are sold on the internet. Just a theory.

It's not just the internet. My LGS has a 686 SSR that looks like someone took a file to the frame just behind the crane AFTER bead blasting.

About 3 months ago I ordered a rifle from Buds when the FFL got it he called me and said the stock was completely broken off. Of course I didn't transfer it to my name. Called Buds , they said send it back, and replaced it with no Hassel

Sent gun 1/31 and received back 2/24 (door to door). Paper work said they inspected firearm, replaced rear sight, the entire gun was refinished, and there was a sheet stating the function was approved. It isn't much better - the turnline is less pronounced, and the barrel dual finish was polished exceptionally well.

If you look at the pic of the left side of the revolver frame, you'll see the finish is much better - except for the portion directly above the trigger guard - where it looks like they just stopped polishing - like the quittin' bell rang and that was it.

The finish on the right side of the receiver is better - but not good - still filled with swirls.

The white outline is better, and appears acceptable It wiggles more loosely than the previous, and was installed far right. No biggie to adjust at the range.

What do I think about it - I'm very pleased with the barrel refinishing - better than I expected. The turnline/receiver plate fit issue was also completed very well. The rear sight was fixed and appears acceptable, lil' loose but we'll see what she does at the range. The refinishing of the receiver sides was not completed 100% and IMO shouldn't have passed inspection.

Did S&W come through? Mostly. So, am I gonna send it back again on the finish? No, she's not a trophy - but I have to admit I don't care for the incomplete job and I will bear it in mind when considering future purchases (which will be made in store where I can view the revolver first).







I still maintain this is a new gun, the refinishing put an exceptional clean on the cylinder and inside of the frame. The bore looks like it was cleaned also, and looks like new grooves to me.

Good to know Bud's stands behind their inventory.

New gun? Ruger > S&W
Pre lock and P&R? S&W > Ruger

That is a factory brand new gun. Walk into any gun shop and you'll see that every new stainless gun is in the same shape. Dont look from 6 feet away through glass, ask to hold one. I'm to the point where I can spot clocked barrels while walking by display cases. The fit and finish on these new revolvers is inexcusable. The best thing that could happen is for S&W to go out of business, have someone buy the assets and start it up again by making quality revolvers again. I know I sound harsh, but it's because I've watched a steady decline in their quality over a lifetime and it's sickening to see. Either close down shop or drop your prices to half what is asked because right now the price they ask isn't warranted. So many guns get shipped back for problems that I bet the manufacturing crew at Smith is dwarfed by customer service and repair team. How many return labels do they issue per day?

I can believe that this is a new gun and that it slipped through factory QC before being shipped out. The reason is that it looks similar although a bit worse than the one I got back after asking for a refinish. The same heavy handed guy must have done this one. Hope that they get yours right.

I agree. A decade ago I bought around a dozen new Smith & Wessons, both revolvers and pistols. When I tabulated the results it turned out every third of them required gunsmith's attention to make them work properly. As I live out of reach of warranty repairs, most of the repairs I paid for myself. Now I am very weary of ordering new Smith & Wessons as the prices have gone through the roof.

I have had warranty problems with other manufacturers, too, so Smith & Wesson is not alone in this. I guess the demand is so high and most buyers so ignorant that it makes sense to rush the production and then take care of the small percentage of guns that come back - pure mathematics.

All my new guns that have required repairs have functioned and gone bang. That is probably enough for most buyers.

One of the silliest posts I've seen here in a while.

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- Post No Bills -

After handling the Ruger vs the Smiths, I think the Smiths are still the better finished gun. The question is whether the difference in finish is worth the price increase to go to a Smith.

For me, it is, but mostly because I don't like the lines of a GP.

Yep, the right side of the frame looks like someone used rough sandpaper to finish it. Doesn't match the rest of the revolver.
I wouldn't be too happy with that, especially having sent it back to the factory for finish issues.

The cylinder looks a lot better, as does the barrel.

I would be tempted to send it back again due to the finish issues on the RH side of the frame. It's not unreasonable to expect proper finishing on a new gun.

I'm going to ask a question others are asking.

Is that a new unfired in-the-box gun? My first impression is that you've been had, and I hate that happened to you. Especially since it's your first S&W purchase.

I'd have paid return postage and a restocking fee before I'd have walked out of an FFL dealer carrying that gun.

This is why I WON'T buy a gun on line.I have to touch and inspect a gun before I buy it and hopefully shoot it....

This is not surprising at all to me. I had a brand new 29-10 with a nonconcentric bore that shot way left and low and had a hideous crown. Sent it back to Smith, they cranked the barrel over to correct the windage problem but exacerbated the elevation problem and did nothing about the crown. Sent it back again and they fixed the crown but left the barrel canked to the side. Sold it with full disclosure and bought myself a 25-5. Didn't realize it till today but that barrel is tilting left as well and I had to move the rear all the way to the right to get it on paper.

At this point I have 4 S&W revolvers and every single one of them, new and old, have serious non-finish related issues. If anyone else would just build a half assed decent revolver, I'd buy a suitcase full of them and ditch all my S&W's.