I have been reading that it's not that uncommon with the newer S&W revolvers to find examples with barrels that are canted IE not in perfect aligment with the flat top of the frame. This causing the front sight to not be in proper alignment with the rear sight.
I serm to remember that the ribbing across the top of the M29's reciever was carried all the way down to where it was joined withe the barrel thus making it easy to see if the barrel to frame allignment was correct. I was examining my new 629-6 and realized it's not an easy task to determine if the alignment is perfect.
Has anyone else seen this issue with the newer S&W revolvers?

I bought a new gun in Jan. and a new one in Feb. Both are good. They shoot great and look excellent.

Lots of them are off a little bit. To me, it seems easier to tell just by looking, if you open the cylinder and look from the front sight to the rear sight. In the shop, I put them in the mill vise and use a square from the mill table to the grip frame. It's an easy fix if you have a frame wrench to just tweak it a bit and bring it in line.

I don't own any new Smiths (newest one is from 1994) but I have sure seen a lot here complaining about canted barrels on new production guns. The only thing I can say from my experience is that it seems to be a more common place problem these days.

It's difficult to say. You won't hear about the straight ones but reports of canted barrels now move at terabyte speeds and are disseminated all over the Internet. Without knowing the true number of defects and the total production numbers, it is entirely possible the incidence is exactly the same as it has been historically.

Your best defense, of course, is to be able to examine any gun (new or used) before buying.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Put things in the proper prospective: a dozen people, heck make it two dozen, complaining here separately or together would seem like a lot, especially if they did it repeatedly in different threads. Yet a 12 or 24 people out of thousands of guns doesn't seem like an epidemic to me.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

The times I've heard of this flaw it was associated specifically with particular runs on particular limited run limited models. ( Read: very isolated instances) I can tell you that I've handled maybe 50-60 new S&W revolvers in the last year or so and never come across one. In fact, in 30+ years of collecting, I've only seen it one once and that was on another brand.

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Dave

Sent my new M29 in for crown repair (had a horrible crown finish) and came back with the barrel now canted to the left! Not much but visible. Am going to shoot it tonight and see what happens. Don't want to send it back again. Took a month to have it returned to me the first time.

A slight cant has been acceptable as for as long as S&W has been in business. Colt was the same, even for the holy Python. It was hard to spot with round barrels, easier with a rib that can be compared to serrations on the top strap or rear sight. I bought my first S&W with a slightly canted barrel about 1975. I shot great. That's the test. It is better to use your revolvers to develop your marksmanship than your ability to type bitchy trivia for the internet.

By the way, most get their cant from screwing them in past top dead center to get enough torque so they'll stay put. Adjusting them back to straight up risks breaking them loose. While you likely would get away with that many times it is done at the risk of having to set the barrel back a revolution.

It happens. A few years ago it seemed worse.

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NRA Benefactor

My 986 Pro Series went back twice before it was corrected. It was very noticable. I talked with a customer service member and he said S&W allows 6degrees cant and it will ship. Here's a question.....was there ever a problem with the "pinned" barrels?

.....that you hear about canted barrels frequently here. Of course we hear more about the ones that are perfect and great shooters.

Somewhere I came across the spec that +/- 5 degrees was allowable. So a little cant is in spec.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I have a Brand New Model 60 and the Barrel is canted to the left and the sights are off. I sent my back to SW this morning!

I already wrote that I bought my first S&W with a slightly canted barrel in 1975. The revolver was made in the early 1950s. Also I bought a new S&W with a little cant later in the 1970s. The forum's owner has written that they occurred with about the same incidence for as long as S&W has been making hand ejectors.

Pinned barrels were installed exactly the same as later non-pinned one piece barrels. The slot across the barrel threads was cut generously enough for the pins to pass through after installing random barrels on random frames. Most pins do not touch the barrel, only the frame. S&W's barrel pins can only stop gross rotation of a loose barrel. The pins were never anything more than a sales gimmick.

Since the sleeves or shrouds around modern "to piece barrels" are keyed into the front of the frame they are probably the least likely to show any cant.

Personally I think the two piece is a great design. I had it on a Dan Wesson I bought back in the late 70's. I would like to see them all like this design. Do you feel it is a worthy design?

It is a good thing that you asked what I "feel" rather than what I know. A tiny percentage of members here think the two piece barrel revolvers are the most accurate revolvers S&W has ever made. Their logic is that the barrels are under tension the same as Dan Wesson's and Dan Wessons were spectacular performers in 220 meter silhouette competition. A couple of members have demonstrated that accuracy off the bench. I have not shot my two piece barrel S&Ws off the bench nor have I concentrated on getting the tiniest groups out of my guns in so long that I can not back up or refute that claim.

There are draw backs to S&W's two piece barrels. It is not hard to find a local gunsmith who can replace one piece barrels. Some times the older barrels are temporarily removed to mill a dove tail for a preferred front sight or shorten them in a lathe. That kind of work is impractical on two piece barrels. As a practical matter replacing two piece barrels is a factory only job. The actual barrel is tightened with a wrench that is the mirror image of the rifling. After tightening the muzzle is counter bored to remove the rifling damaged by the wrench.

One piece barrels are my first choice. However, Model 69s and X frames were never made with one piece barrels and when the Model 66-8 was given a two piece barrel it was also redesigned to eliminate forcing cone cracking. Those revolvers are worthy designs.

Yes. I got a new 686 - 6 in Jan , 2018. I noticed the front sight was a little off and slanted down slightly on the left side. The dealer said I must be seeing things when he looked at it. Shortly after that I noticed the canted barrel. I showed it to and after trying to bull**** me said that yes I was right but it doesn't affect the accuracy. As a first time gun owner I just let it slide but , I did pay $745.00 for it.I expect better. Suggestions?
Never been fired.

I suspect this is one of the major reasons for the two-piece barrel design.

To be more specific, the skilled labor required to install a barrel correctly was the reason; the two-piece design is the solution.

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Richard

I have two such S&W guns . One is a 649-2 and the other a 28-2. On the 28-2, the bbl goes off to the right and is quite noticeable. I adjusted the sights to compensate and the gun now shoots dead on. I have Crimson Trace grips on the 649-2. The canting on both now is a non problem for me.

I've seen a couple of guns where the barrels were far enough off dead center to be noticeable. I have an 8 3/8 pre 27 with an S95xxx serial number that is a little off but it requires only a few clicks of adjustment of the rear sight to correct.. I think it would be more trouble than it's worth to try to correct it. I think 6 degrees would be noticeable. I you can't get a good square sight picture due to a canted sight, it would have to be fixed!

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

As luck would have it, after a hiatus of 40 years from purchasing a "new in box" S&W revolver, (because of lack of funds, not desire) I was fortunate enough to receive a fine example of this barrel issue, or "calamity", in 2016. The brand new jewel came in the form of the 442-1, which because of the barrel's position, shoots 3" left at 7 yards. (barrel canted not so slightly to the right)

Since the purchase date, I've politely asked the fine people at Customer Service to fix the problem, and patiently waited for the gun's return....twice. Sadly, it arrived back home after both long trips in the same condition as when it left on the FedEx truck. Suffice it to say it still shoots 3" left at 7 yards, and probably always will. Sad.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

The canted barrels are a special order item for all of the gangstas with their special gangsta grip and hold. They did not come and pick all of them up (something about a decline on 4473) so Smith sold the remaining supply to us non-gangstas......

Randy

PS. Just being a little sarcastic here.....

"Every undertaking involving the expenditure of human energy is worthy of study with a view of making that expenditure more effective"
If you eliminate the possibility of a barrel cant due to human limitations, that's making the human more effective.

I'm a bit surprised the 2 piece barrel and ball detent lockup hasn't migrated to the standard L frames by now. 357s that is.

Welcome to the Forum.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Nothing is perfect, including barrel position. So long as it does not adversely affect point of aim or is so obvious that it completely detracts from the appearance of the revolver, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Where can I see a cross-section drawing of the two-piece barrel design? If it is put together in the manner I envision, thereby creating tension in the barrel itself, it makes me wonder what happens to the barrel when it expands due to heat? Obviously it doesn’t appear to be a problem - but it is a curious design fact that I’m sure was given consideration. Long barrels would, perhaps, be more problematic than short, snub-nose barrels. In addition, I’m even more curious about the design of my new Model 19 Carry Comp. The end of the actual barrel is obviously behind the compensator port and the piece at the end of the barrel shroud is nothing more than a cap? There is a fine separation between this “cap” and the shroud - as though it wasn’t fully screwed down. Looking at the inside of the cap, there are no visible tool marks to indicate that the cap was installed with any significant torque applied. As the annulus space between the cap and the barrel is somewhat difficult to clean, that brings up another question. Is there a simple tool available that would permit removal and re-installation of the cap?

Of the close to one and a half million firearms that Smith and Wesson has been shipping for most of the past 4 or 5 years, there are easily many dozens of examples that show up on this Forum annually.

If as you say "it's not an easy task to determine if the alignment is perfect." Then the alignment is fine.

For the front sight to cause a problem, any canting for the barrel would be very obvious to the naked eye

MY 60-15 had a canted barrel.
Did S&W satisfy my request? Of course they did.

S&W Customer Service Canted Barrel

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

Perhaps you could send mine back for me? Maybe I shouldn't have told them I was a S&W armorer.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Not whining it is what it is, my 8x 627 pro came to me New with an over clocked barrel sleeve not a heck of a lot but it is definitely noticeable. The muzzle crown is pretty scary, honestly it looks like it was done with a chisel (wish I knew how to post pics). And of course one more thing the ejector rod isn’t straight, oddly enough it hasn’t caused any function issues. I like the gun use it a lot and don’t think about the issues much, but they surely could have done better. I have no plans to sell it but I also don’t see myself buying any new Smiths.
For those who do have new S&W revolvers and are satisfied I am definitely glad for them.

Dan Wesson Firearms pioneered the tensioned barrel revolver back in the 1970's. I do not recall anyone mentioning a shift in point of impact or a change in accuracy as those barrels heated. The tensioned barrel system actually dampens harmonic barrel vibrations and contributes to improved accuracy.

All my guns are pre 2000 so they’re all perfect in every respect.

I’ve seen barrels canted to the left, have any been canted to the right?

Time to start buying Rugers.

If a 6 degree cant is okay, how about a 6 percent cut in salary for all employees, each week, until they do it right?
After 4 weeks they bee gettin' a 24 percent cut etc etc.
No reason for shoddy work.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

I bought a 1960- made model 28 a few years ago, and had trouble sighting it in. I thought that I was doing something wrong but realized that the barrel was canted to the left. A trip to the gunsmith took care of that.

A five year old thread with the last revival 3 1/2 years ago.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220