Hello gents. Please look at the photos below of the firing pin bushing area of my 629-5. Does it look normal to you? Thanks for your input.

Looks bad. What kind of ammo are you using?

Very obvious you have leaking primers. The built up in the corner of the frame and all over recoil shield came from there to. My guess is a bunch of hot loads and the brass has gotten lose primer pockets. Any pictures of some recently fire brass?

Reloading old brass with lose primer pockets?

I would like to ask some questions:
What Caliber?
What load?
What kind of primers?
What kind of Brass?

So it looks abnormal, that's what I thought. This gun has seen many thousands of rounds over the 16 years I've owned it so it's difficult for me to answer definitively "what kind of ammo" because it's been a variety. Not a lot of hot stuff though, I never load anything but published data. My favorite load the last few years has been a 240 LSWC over 8.5 to 9.0 gr universal. Lately I've been using winchester wlp but over the years I've used all the major primer brands. Always in a Magnum case.

I am certainly guilty of using old brass and I have seen signs of loose primer pockets lately. A thin black ring of crud around the primer after firing. Looks like it's time to throw out all my brass and start new. My brass is all marked "R-P". Remington Peters?

Ill contact S&W about the gun in hopes they'll repair it.
Lesson learned for sure.

Yes, that needs to go back for repair. If it has that many thousands of rounds through it it should be time. Most magnum brass, with full magnum loads, is only good for up to maybe 8-10 reloads before it's ready for the recycle bin. Any black rings by the primers is sign to get rid if it.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I'm wondering how the erosion on the breechface, outside of the perimeter of the firing pin bushing, will be repaired? Or can it be repaired?

And......since the factory manual advises not to use "reloads", I'm also wondering if they will repair or replace under warranty at all? Anyone have any prior experience with a service inquiry like this?

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Try giving it a hit of ballistol let it soak for a bit then hit it with a brass brush. Wont hurt it and it may clean it up some.

That bushing NEEDS to be replaced. And, you need quit using that brass and to re-cycle the brass that is leaking at the primer pockets. And, you might look at getting a better grade of primer. And, you might look a backing off slightly on the pressure you are loading for. ..............

It looks like the firing pin is poking a hole in the primer using a hot load with a soft primer. Clark custom guns can install a new bushing.

IMHO, those cuts are being made by jets of hot gases emitting around the perimeter of the primer, not from a single hole in the center of the primer. That erosion looks totally different from what we are seeing in this case. This is a far more serious problem than is the occasional pierced primer. That firing pin bushing is dangerously close to falling out. If it does so and is unnoticed the next shot is going to result in a mini-kaboom down into the internal part of the handgun's action area. ......

I found that same type of erosion on the breech face of a Les Baer Premier II 1911. The gun is a carbon steel version with a hard chrome finish. I bought it used off an auction site. I didn't examine it carefully when I received it from a highly trusted seller. I finally noticed the problem when the primers on fired brass showed a donut ring.

Called Les Baer and the first words were: Are you using Winchester White Box ammo? Of course I really didn't know, but Les claims the WWB ammo leaks gas around the primers causing severe erosion around the firing pin hole.

A long way of saying that's exactly what's happening to your gun.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

I have similar erosion on my 627–5 but not as bad. The damage to my revolver has been caused by defective primers . I have been using federal primers. I searched the web and could find no one talking about defective federal primers. I found lots of instances where Winchester primers were defective .
I have used tens of thousands of federal primers in the past and not had this issue . But the last batch of a 1000 had 10 or 12 primers that were defective . The primers have pinholes at the area where they are bent 90° straight to fit in the primer pocket. Several of them burnt through and others also split all the way to the primer pocket base. No damage to the primer pocket sidewalls of the brass just on the case head where the gas cut the brass as well as the backplate. See attached pics.
I use the weapon for steel challenge and ICORE, but I was still bummed when I saw the damaged bushing. This is a 627-5 Performance Center gun and of course I paid over $1000 for it. I doubt sending it to Smith & Wesson would get it repaired under warranty. I don't think it would be cost-effective to pay for it to be repaired what do you think?

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IMHO, you are good to go for many more thousands of rounds down range. BUT, keep your eye on the firing pin bushing. You never know when the next bunch of defective primers are going to jump up and bite you .........

I would save those primers, send the photos to Federal and see what they are willing to do. Definitely not Smith & Wesson's fault.

I think the damage is in no way S&W's fault. They can probably repair it but ...oh shudder...you might have to pay something.

Second, I run all Federal primers in my competition revolvers and I haven't seen damage ....yet.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

I agree definitely not Smith & Wesson's fault. The gun shoots fine and I never intend to sell it anyway . My heirs may get a little less for it though. 😨

The bushing is a easy fix (for a gunsmith that has the tools), and isn't too expensive, but the OP's damage seems to have gone way past normal and looks to be eaten into the frame. I would be having a gunsmith look at that real soon.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I would send it back to the mothership for evaluation and repair. Smith & Wesson's repair charges are quite reasonable. You will have to pay for shipping both ways but you'll pay Smith & Wesson's negotiated rate with FedEx and not the obscene next day air charges which ordinary humans need to pay. Go to Smith's website and get a prepaid return label e-mailed back to you.

Bruce

I agree.
You may even find that they will do the job for free.
In the extreme you will get a new frame.
I had that happen once.
Kind of afraid of the authorities looking at that one as it has an overstamped serial.
It is however the tightest S&W I own (It's a 629-2).

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NEMO
"Everything 44"