Hi everyone. I have a question because it seems that whenever I call S&W Customer Service at 800-331-0852, I never get to talk to anyone in the Performance Center, even though I have issues with a Performance Center gun. I bought it because it was a step up and in talking to one of the people who answer the service line, they speak of the PC as if it's a separate operation with it's own repair section and that is really where I want my gun to go. The last person told me that they are not taking any new work in "over there" until August when I asked if I could send my gun in for a new slide which they will NOT sell me. I'd really like to speak to someone in that department if anyone knows how to get through to them. Thanks in advance!!

I talked to them yesterday. First I called the 800 number, pressed 0 for operator, and I stayed on hold for a while.

I told them I wanted to speak to the performance center about an older gun, and I was on hold again for some time, not sure how long.

After that, I spoke to a fairly knowledeable person who looked up the gun by serial number, told me when it was made. It was in range for them to work on, etc. He answered quite a few questions that must have seemed pretty basic to him patiently.

He also DID tell me they are not accepting any work like I wanted until October because of the situation with the Corona Virus.

I assume that if you have warranty work then you would get preference. Just ask the operator to let you talk to the Performance Center, they do seem to be separate. Good luck.

Thanks very much Pete. The people who answer are nice, but seem to want to take all the calls themselves because I once did ask for the PC but they didn't put me through. Now I will specify that I want to talk to them.

The Performance Center used to be a separate entity within the factory gunsmithing operation, but from what I understand the whole shop is now called the P.C.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

The last date I believe I have seen for the real Performance Center (what I tend to call “True PC”) would have been around 2011.

The PC was born around 1990-1991 and Roy Jinks has published that their first task was to finish up the last breath of the 52-2 pistols, production of which ended in the first half of 1993. The PC then built a few one-off full customs which are amongst the most scarce modern S&W products ever made. They made the competition Briley Custom, they developed the .356TS&W cartridge in concert with Federal and they debuted that cartridge in the 3566 Limited pistol.

Since around 2011, the Performance Center has been dissolved. Currently, S&W offers “PC” versions of cheap production guns with some odd added features and rakish looks. Folks consistently report the same QC problems with these “PC” guns as they find with all the others. S&W has seemingly outsourced their beta testing and their QC. Don’t worry, they didn’t send it offshore: the customers and end buyers do it now.

New S&W products should be packaged with a durable carrying case and a prepaid return label to expedite the “break in” process.

Well, if the latest fix to my 41 results in what I think it will do, I will soon be on return # 4 for a variety of issues. Gun due back tomorrow provided that Fedex doesn't screw up the 90 mile delivery from Springfield to me across Mass by going from Hartford, CT to Memphis, TN, then back to Boston or Providence and then finally to me. Since it requires a signature, I have to hang around all day waiting for the arrival..maybe...sigh.........

It’s as sad as it is true. Anyone can find the history of the S&W Performance Center online but not the pictures from “then” with the names put to the pictures.

I saved my copy of the 2001 Jan/Feb issue of American Handgunner because of the most wonderful hot centerfold I’ve ever seen. It was/is a 45 CQB and some day I would get one. (That some day actually did come.) As it turns out one of our own here actually has that exact pistol in the magazine. Not a Kevin Bacon connection but close.

Almost more importantly right before the 45 CQB article is an in depth story of the PC. What a great insight back in time of S&W history. Long gone.

I’m NOT putting down the “PC” Victory’s.....but.

Jim

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I did get the gun back and there is a lot more to the frustrating story that I will go into at another time. Let's just confirm that there is NO PC call center, it's all just one and this is definitely not your father's S&W company anymore.

Bought a 625PC two years ago. Was not a satisfying experience.

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Centennial Every Day

I guess it is possible to talk to someone who works the "PC" line in the main plant. But it is my understanding that the Performance Center was a separate building where PC gunsmiths designed and machined their own designs based on forgings received from the main plant. The Handgunner article 4T5GUY references indicates the PC was a "square building several hundred yards behind the main plant". The article further indicates the PC was staffed by "the most skilled and gifted gunsmiths,machinists, engineers,polishers,engravers,designers, and fitters who have ever worked at 2100 Roosevelt Avenue". Given offerings of the last several years, I do not believe an actual PC still exists. It is my understanding that the current "PC" is just another line in the main plant where some non-standard feature/s are added to regular guns, and of course a PC logo is added at some point. An individual in my chain of command years ago stated, "The perception is the reality". So I guess riding on the perception of quality in years past, marking the PC logo on a gun now days is all it takes....

I've owned several actual PC guns from the late '90s to early 2000s, the last about 2007 IIRC. They were beautifully machined, barre/slide/frame closely fitted and finished. I would compare overall build quality to the Swiss SIG P210 pistols. Not what I see from the "PC" pistols flooding the market now days............YMMV

BTW, Before the Handgunner article appeared, I'd already owned a 945 and Stainless and alloy framed CQBs. I was glad to learn more about them when the article appeared. I carried the alloy framed CQB for a few years full time in LE. Never a malfunction of any kind.

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

Performance Center Guns these days are simply production pieces that are blinged out with “features”, similar to the guns produced by the similarly non existent SIG “Custom Shop”.

Pistols such as the “Performance Center ” versions of the .380 EZ tell the entire story of what The S&W Performance Center has become.

I started a thread a few months ago. It’s from a Guns & Ammo article from 1991.

Guns & Ammo 1991 “New” S&Ws Hi-Tech PC

The people that started and were the Performance Center, are no longer there. S&W would probably lose money if the people now spent the time to build custom guns like they did in the past. The general public doesn’t know the difference and it’s not in the budget for S&W.

Just imagine trying to send back to S&W a PC pistol from the mid ‘90s for repair. Would you feel comfortable??

Joe

If the techs in the PC are on the phone they are not working on guns.

Maybe it sounds like hyperbole, I’m just being honest. If some random person I don’t know puts up a post in this forum telling us that he sent a true PC gun from the 90’s/early-2000’s back to S&W today, my stomach would turn.

The truth is that there are few people working there today that even know these guns exist, let alone the history and back story of what they are and how they were built — and how to respond to one now.

The people that answer the phone
Are nice enough, but know more
About phones than guns.
JMO