My new Model 69 came today. I did notice 2 issues I was aware of from research.

1 - the barrel is slightly clocked to the left, however, the front blade shows no uneven gap in the rear notch.

2 - on the crown the lands do have a ridge that extends out enough to catch a fingernail.

I'm inclined to shoot the gun and see how accurate it is before making a decision on what to do. Were it accurate, I could clean up the crown myself, or leave alone.

What ya'll think?


Thanks in advance,

PsTaN

Send it back.

Shoot it and see what it does. If it shoots good, leave it alone - unless you just can’t stand it. S&W barrels sure aren’t what they used to be. It surprises me, but I’ve seen some really awful looking barrels from them that shoot pretty well. Not much to hang your hat on in the looks department though...

Send it back... if they keep letting subpar guns past CS, and they don’t eat shipping and repair costs, then there will be a new standard...

If it shoots good leave it alone is good advice.

Mine had a similar crown issue. I was sending it back to the factory because it was accurate it shot high with heavy loads. Since it was going back I asked them to clean up the crown and they left a couple of burrs. It still shoots fine but I wish I had left it alone. Cleaning up the crown yourself is a better option. Pictures from a previous thread:

Crown looks like ****?

The crown on mine looks exactly as yours did prior to your sending it back ... I might also add that the ridges are consistent on all lands. I could easily clean it off with my 45 degree crown tool.

I'm going to shoot the gun and see what she'll do. Other than the 2 items noted above, the gun is superb.

I'm open to more opinions/ideas.


Thanks much

P

The two/three piece barrelled revolvers usually don't have the canted barrel problem (like the one-piece do) because the shroud is indexed to the frame.

My snubby M69 had some burrs too & I used my Brownell's 45 degree chamfer cutter to clean it up too, as I have on several other models.

I hope it shoots well for you. Mine's an awesome little revolver.

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Waiting for the break of day

It's probably fine, shoot and enjoy. If you are assuming the shroud is canted because the milled lines on the shroud and frame are not in perfect index, that's not canting.
What you see on the barrel is normal for ECM rifling. Both of my 69s are like that and as far as I can tell, it causes no performance issues.

The shroud doesn't screw in the frame. The barrel does and there's a bulge at the end that pulls the shroud in. This is done with a special tool.

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9tenz

My 69 snub has the same burrs at the crown others mention. Sure doesn't hurt its accuracy any!

This /\ /\ . My 2.75" was as described by the OP PsTan. It took one click of left windage to center POI and it is very accurate. Way too much angst generated on the internet.

Here's a 50 yd group shot with the 2.75 incher. This group was not a fluke -- verified on a different day.





The group might have been better, but the red ramp washes out with these old eyes causing a bit of vertical dispersion for me.


I also have several of the 4 1/4" versions that are great shooters.


Shoot the gun before you decide.

FWIW,

Paul

Well I pick mine up sometime Monday so hoping for the best.

I have a Charter Arms .44 Bulldog with slightly canted barrel but it shoots great for me.
A slight cant left won't hurt me much since I am a Lefty and sometimes pull the revolver to the right!

Regarding crowns...my 66 no dash has a beautiful factory crown but then my 629-2E has a fine micro crown....have to use a magnifying glass to see it!

Gun shoots like a champ ... wont be going anywhere ... I'd be afraid it would come back not as good!!

Thanks to all that posted for your advice and guidance.

P

I checked and mine, the 2.75" also has the lip around the crown that you can hook with a fingernail. It looks symmetrical. I see no other issues with it.

Only been to range with it once. I liked it. I took my Trail Boss too to compare. I thought the 69 would have considerable more felt recoil but not really. Accuracy seemed fine but I didn't bench it. I was using Speer and Federal factory JHP and JFP 240 and 270 grains. Old former Dept issue. It's certainly easier to carry that the 629 Trail Boss.

I'm wondering if porting it like the Trail Boss would be worthwhile. I know many won't agree but I'm also considering a smoother no snag fixed rear sight. Lastly, I'd love to have a bobbed hammer that left enough to grab if needed. I don't think the factory hammer is big enough to lop off the spur and leave enough to groove so it can be grasped. Well find out what's practical I guess. I don't mind spending a few bucks on it as I think I like it.

Edit to add that I'd also really like some G10 boot grips for it. Can't find any but the shape I'd like is like these K / L / X-Frame Round Boot Grip — Badger Custom Grips but they don't have G10.

I guess I should have started a new thread. Sorry!