I have a 629 Performance Center Competitor and is worth the extra I paid for it. I wanted another one and when it came in it looks fine but the Carry-up (timing) is off on all 6 chambers. I like my larger calibers to carry up as early as possible. I like for the cylinder stop to pop up and the trigger to have more rearward movement before the hammer falls. While the cylinder lock up good the cylinder stop pops up about the same time the hammer is falling. I don't see how this would be considered acceptable from a Performance Center revolver. I called the factory and was told some carry up better than others. Do they not have anyone capable of fixing a carry up issue? I like and look at a lot of S&W revolvers and it seems they are all over the place when it comes to timing. Line up 5 large frame Rugers and more than likely there carry up will all be pretty close. Line up five S&W's and some will be a lot better than others. When you compare my older 629 Competitor to the newer one you would think they were made by different manufactures. I guess I will let the dealer send the gun back to the vendor. I thought by buying a Performance Center gun and paying a lot more for it would insure me of quality. The timing is off enough that I would not consider it acceptable for a regular production gun let alone a Performance Center Model. No more Performance Center guns for me.
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Carry up should be checked with snap caps or brass empties in the charge holes.

Tilt the revolver downward and in slow double action check that the cylinder stop pops into the notch before the hammer falls; do this for each charge hole and repeat in single action.

If you're particular, repeat with the revolver pointed upward.

If the cylinder stop enters the notch at any point before hammer fall, the revolver carries up. If it doesn't, even once, it does not carry up.

As far as S&W specs go, where in the cycle the cylinder stop pops into the notch, early or late, doesn't matter so long as it's before hammer fall.

If using the correct method to determine carry-up you confirm your revolver does not carry up, S&W can correct this and you'll want to request a Performance Center fix and to speak with a PC rep to specifically request early timing. Maybe that goes your way and maybe it doesn't; dealing with S&W these days is iffy.

If you confirm the revolver carries-up correctly, just not to your liking, you're better off talking to a qualified revolversmith about tuning for early carry-up and letting them adjust to suit your preferences.

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Pickpocket

Need cases in the newer revolvers to carry up. Otherwise the extractor moves and has play in the cylinder. My 929 does the same thing, but works great shooting live rounds.

I don't know where you are located but if you want it fixed right, send it to Denny Reichard @ Sand Burr Gun Ranch. He is the Smith & Wesson revolver guru. Heck, when S&W couldn't fix a revolver they would send it to Denny. His web address is sandburrgunranch.com.

I used fired cases to check carry up. I know the regular production gun are just assembled from parts like Ruger and Tarus. I may call and ask to speak with someone in the PC center. Customer service person made it sound like they had no one that knew how to make the carry up faster saying some are just better than others including the PC guns. Being a lefty makes problem even worse. I guess junk in junk out. I would think the PC guns would be cherry picked for tuning. Customer service rep said they would probably just drop in another extractor or hand and send it back because these parts don't require fitting. The difference between too pistols of the same model are like day and night. Thanks to all for your thoughts.

Customer service in any company (but especially a large one) is hit-and-miss -- you can get several different answers based on who you talk to, their training, time on the job in that or other positions, and overall interest in and experience with the product the company makes.

Regardless, the notion they implied that a PC 'smith is basically no more than a parts swapper seems unlikely, even in this diminished time.

Anyway, hardly matters. You're a lefty -- why didn't you say so first? I'd wager you're experiencing what the old timers called "sing", whereby a revolver that carries up for a righty doesn't always for a lefty. Run a search here to see some discussion.

A qualified revolversmith -- that's really important and not common, by the way -- will know exactly what you're talking about and can tune carry up to your liking.

Good luck and keep us posted.

ETA:

Here are a couple threads addressing sing...

686 Floating Hand

Floating hand

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Pickpocket

Thanks Hapworth you brought back a word I learned from Gene Sipek at S&W many years ago. I can shoot either handed but due to arthritis I use my left hand a lot when shooting heavy recoiling pistols. My wife says I should stop shooting the big guns. We had a good gunsmith several years ago and some of his guns were featured in several gun rags. He passed away and is truly missed.

This is an incorrect statement by the customer service rep. A new extractor star would require complete hand fitting by using a cutter for the initial ratchet cuts, then hand filing each ratchet until the carry up is appropriate. A new hand would require hand filing of individual ratchets, and may require a new extractor star with the above described hand fitting . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .