I own a SW99 .40cal. This is one of my favorite guns. For some reason it was failing to recoil so I sent it to the S&W warranty dept. They won't tell me what is wrong with my gun, just that it isn't repairable. I cannot help but wonder if they are just taking it out of service because of the bad feelings between Walther and S&W. Regardless, they are offering to replace it with either the SD9VE sku 123903 or the M&P Bodyguard 380 sku 10048. I told them I don't like either of these options and asked for it to be replaced with the M&P 9 sku 11770 and I would pay the difference out of pocket. I was told they only repair or replace. They cannot repair or replace so why should I settle for a lower value firearm here? If we are comparing apples to apples here, shouldn't my true replacement be the M&P .40 sku 11552? Would love feedback here. Becoming increasingly frustrated with S&W of this warranty issue.

Not sure what you mean by failing to recoil, but I would ask them to send the gun you feel would be a truly fair trade for yours and be polite but firm about it. Thanks and good luck.

I would ask for a supervisor. Be polite but firm. You should receive a gun of equal value if they can not give a direct replacement.

very interesting topic i want to here more

I agree with steelslaver. S&W has a habit of making things right.

Keep us updated and btw, welcome to the forum.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

The same thing happened to me . I sent my 22-A back and got the same answer . I went up the chain of command , even sent an email to the CEO . , but got the same answer . I had it sent back , the product code wasn't in the bible . I think the days of paying more to get something you want are over .

To clarify, the gun no longer opens after firing the last round. They won't tell me why my gun cannot be repaired. I have been dealing with them for 2 weeks on this. They won't allow me to speak to a supervisor. The person that I've been dealing with the most won't call me back. She just keeps emailing me declining what I want. Even their un customer service rep and the gun store owner feel I'm being very fair. They won't offer me anything other than 123903 – SD9VE, 123403 – SD40VE or the 10048 – M&P Bodyguard. They were extremely rude on the phone today stating the true replacement is the SD40VE. It's nothing like my gun. They said they replace the SW99 every time with either that gun or the M&P .380. I asked him to explain how either of those guns would be considered a replacement. He put me on hold, then came back and said accept the deal or not. They won't do anything other then send one of the above guns or send me back my broken gun. Everywhere I search, the M&P .40 is the only equal gun. I am quite surprised they are unwilling to work with someone that wants to send more money. I just don't understand.

I wonder why they are being so rigid. I sent an SW9M back for repair and they offered me a SD9VE. I ended up paying a little extra and they sent me a Shield.
They probably can't repair the SW99 because they no longer have parts. Your problem could be caused by an issue with the slide stop, slide stop spring or most likely just weak magazine springs/chewed up magazine followers. These P99 equivalent parts are available from Walther.
Have them send your gun back - I wouldn't take what they're offering either.

Around 2014 I sent in a Walther P99c for repair.
it was not repairable so they gave me an M&P 9c as a replacement.

I don’t really understand the problem. The slide doesn’t lock back on empty? The slide doesn’t move backwards at all? Do you have any pictures? I would guess that S&W offers limited or no support because this is basically a Walther pistol, with the frame made by Walther.

I wonder if you could have a local gun smith look at it, or even ask about it over on the Walther forums. Those guys can’t stop gushing about their P99s! S&W may not be the best resource for your pistol anymore.

**UPDATE - I received a call from the woman at S&W that had refused to call me or let me speak to a supervisor in the 3 weels. S&W has suddenly approved sending me a model 11770 M&P 2.0 9MM (I requested a 9 instead of a 40). She was so very sweet on the phone and said it typically takes 3 to 4 weeks for the gun to arrive at my local dealer. They were so all over the place. First they offered me a choice of a few guns that were super local quality that I had no desire to own. My next offer was a credit of about $300 (my gun was now being prorated as a 25 year old gun). If I wasn't happy with either of those options, I could just have my gun back even thought the put in writing my gun is not repairable and needed to be taken out of service and destroyed. I'm no lawyer but that doesn't seem like a smart move on their behalf. I just kept rejecting their offers and stayed strong with mine. I'm actually getting the exact gun I want to own with no out of pocket cost from me. I may have mentioned my post on this forum and that numerous people were waiting for an update. Playing the nice card wasn't working so I figured a threat towards social media was my next best option. Am I happy at the ending results, yes? I'm still so frustrated at how hard they tried to beat me down. They were so condescending to me on the phone and so incredibly rude. I've been yelled at, hung up on, transferred to someone's voicemail in the middle of speaking. They did everything they could to get me to just give in. I do not feel good about S&W's warranty if this is how they treat people. If anyone else has issues with warranty, do everything in your power to get your proper replacement. Thank you to everyone on here - the advice you gave me along with my local dealer really helped to get the results I wanted. I don't have the gun yet. If it doesn't show up, I will be back here with another update.

We have a saying around here that mentions "the S&W telephone lottery" and it refers to not only the end-to-end spectrum of success with anyone you might reach on the phone, but also how the information they share with you can change from call to call to day to day.

One of the suggestions quite often flipped around here is to keep calling and keep trying until you reach someone that can and does help, or actually has access to the information that some previous person claims doesn't exist.

I would like to apologize to you on behalf of Smith & Wesson but alas, I cannot, because I'm just not much of a fan of this brand post year 2000 or 2002 or so. They now make products that I don't particularly like and I believe their QC is atrocious.

Specifically these kinds of comments are not really all too welcome here, but I know what I know and I know what I like.

**Update Again. I contacted S&W since I hadn't heard from them in nearly a month. On 6/20 I was told they are waiting for my gun to be allocated, then it will be sent to my local office. Well, today is 7/15 and I still do not have a gun. My local office still has no record it's coming. This is stupid. I can go into my local office and buy the gun. Why can't they just get this resolved?

2 months and counting. Way to go S&W!

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Just Say No - To Social Media

I'm not trying to steal the thread of this post. BUT, IMHO, S&W customer service and warranties suck! I bought a new 629-6 44 mag a couple years ago. The first firing the rear sight fell off losing little pieces. Call S&W and was told they would replace the rear sight......for $55. BS

Not defending S&W, but it is funny to me how many people who have a beef with S&W warranty service cannot even accurately describe what is going on with the pistol. Makes me wonder if the whole situation may have been simply and reasonably explained to someone who just hasn't the slightest clue what it is they are being told.

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Pisgah

Hard to imagine the pistol would not "open" after firing the last round if it functioned correctly through the rest of the magazine. As another poster suggested, it sound like the slide didn't lock back. So slide lock or magazine issue? Could have been an easy fix by someone who understood the firearm. Anyway, sounds like the OP got what they wanted from S&W. If he ever receives the replacment.

Their "waiting for allocation" is very real. I am able to order firearms direct through their media relations department and back in November ordered a PC Victory with a dot optic. It went on backorder and when they couldn't give me a expected shipping date by February, I switched the order to a Model 41. It wasn't in stock either so I had to wait for it to be allocated when they started a run of Model 41s. I received it in April.

As a side note, it's been back to the factory for about a month for failing to eject spent cases. So far I've heard nothing but it isn't like it's a car or something else a person needs in everyday life. S&W's service has always been good so as much as I would like to be out shooting it, I'm being patient.

Ed

Irony here is that Walther USA Customer Service & warranty is great. I have a Walther P99AS that is the cat's ***

I had a PPK/s that has having a trigger reset problem. They paid shipping both way and I had the gun back in a little under 2 weeks, with e-mail contact.

I had a CCP M2+ that was having FTF/FTE issues. Sent it in, they replaced it with a brand new one (they never told me what was wrong with the original).

Hope it works out for the OP.

And I share Sevens POV regarding new stuff.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

I only had to use S&W warranty service once & was very satisfied, but that was quite awhile ago. It sounds like things have slipped sharply. My only negative experience was with Glock. I purchased a new G42 .380 when they first came to market. It would not get through a single mag w/o a stovepipe or double feed. The Glock warranty rep said their guns do not malfunction and took on an attitude w/me. I persisted for over a month, being firm but never nasty & finally got a full refund. It’s the last Glock I ever purchased, and I was issued both a G19 & G23 in the last years of my career.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I've had three interactions with Customer Service over the last ten years, all have ended satisfactorily.

In April of 2012 I sent my 1993 442 back to them because it had a cracked frame. They determined it was unrepairable because it was an early production gun and they had changed the frame design. They offered me a 442 or a 642 as a replacement. I chose a 642 and because my original gun was pre external lock, I was able to get a no lock version. I was informed that it could be a couple of months until they made another batch, which was fine with me. The gun came and I have and carry it to this day.

In 2017 or so I bought a very likely (14 rounds) 351C from a private party. In 2020 I noticed that it had become very hard to eject spent shells. I sent it back and a few weeks later CS informed me that the gun was unrepairable and that I'd be getting another one. Again, there was some delay until they made another batch.

That came in due course and at first I was pleased with it. Then it started failing to fire about 3 out of 7 rounds. I called CS, got a label, and sent it back in. This time they repaired it. As I recall, they repaired the yoke and replaced the firing pin and firing pin spring. It's shot like a champ ever since.

I've yet to have a reason to send any of my 3rd Gen guns back, and hope I never will.

I'll go along with the others who say that S&W "Doesn't make them like they used to."

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Can open, worms everywhere.

okay, so I may have mistakenly worded my gun malfunction as not recoiling. I have since corrected that statement to my gun does not stay open after the last bullet has been fired. So this is clearly not my misuse or misunderstanding of how my gun works. Not speaking for anyone else here you are referring to, just clearing up I do know how to use my gun.

Did you have somebody else shoot it?

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

In response to "feedback wanted"......

A new OEM recoil guide assembly may take care of the problem, unless there is a mechanical issue with respect to the frame, etc. that Customer Service has not mentioned.

"Limp wristing" during firing can cause a variety of issues, including the problem you have described, failure of the slide to open after the last round in the magazine has been fired. Moderately heavy recoiling pistols like the .40 S&W, among others, are particularly prone to this.

"Limp wristing is a phenomenon commonly encountered by semi-automatic pistol shooters, where the shooter's grip is not firm enough to hold the frame of the pistol steady while the bolt or slide of the pistol cycles. This condition often results in a failure to complete the operating cycle."
(or, in your case, failure to lock back/open)

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Another update. I do appreciate everyone's feedback here. However, I do not have an issue with "limp wristing". I know how to use my firearms. I have a very high percentage of nailing every one of my targets. I am very good at using my guns. If I was truly limp wristing, then why would S&W determine my gun could not be fixed and needed to be destroyed? They have been stringing me along for months. I received a call last week that my numerous calls to check on the status of my gun to be allocated is annoying and won't speed up the process. She went on to say they have no idea when my model 11770 replacement firearm can be allocated. She told me they are prepared to offer me a different firearm. One that is not in any catalogs. It's the same as the 11770 except instead of a 4.625" threaded barrel, it has only a 4.25" threaded barrel. It is optic ready whereas the 11770 is not. I've reached out to a few gun dealers who have told me it sounds like S&W is piecing together a firearm for me. I just hope they give me a really good test run - 100 rounds or so to make sure this isn't another ***!!!!

Reading through this tale makes me reluctant to purchase a new S&W.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

You wanted feedback, so here it is. I think SNW has gone above and beyond by offering a brand new M & P. I have read through 26 posts, and I am still not confident that I understand what is happening other than a failure to lock back after the last shot is fired. Big deal. That hardly makes a pistol unsafe. This whole situation is suspicious sounding because a failure to lock back does not make a pistol unsafe. You have gotten a brand new gun out of the deal, so quit griping. Not fast enough? In 1972, I waited over a year for a 6 1/2 inch Model 29 in 44 Magnum. S&W is good for its word. You will get the pistol when they build a run for the commercial market.

Eventually get it,immediately sell it "new in box" and buy something else!

I have owned 3 guns in my life (one was a M10 2" RB S&W) that were jinxed guns. In the case of the M10, S&W could not figure out what the problem was that was constantly causing the internal parts to lock up. Everything looked OK to both me and them and after 3 attempts to fix the problem, S&W gave up and gave me a brand new gun. The service manager did tell me that he thought the frame of the gun was out of spec and no matter how many times they replaced parts, the Frame was a little wonky and needed replacement. They did that and all was good.

I also inherited a Rossi M62A pump rifle that never fed correctly. After my Dad bought it, the rifle went back to the manufacturer 4 times and they were never able to fix the problem. Long story short I used to always tell my Dad that the Rossi was the only gun I did not want to inherit. When he passed away 12 years ago I was going to get rid of the rifle but decided to shoot it first. To my surprise he actually fixed it himself and never said anything to me. Upon close inspection I saw that he braised the feed ramp increasing its height by about 1/16" and that completely solved the issue! Apparently, it was manufactured a bit to short and was causing all the problems - BUT the manufacturer never figured that out!

The third jinxed gun I owned (don't ask me why I bought this one) was a Bauer 25 acp which was a copy of the Baby Browning. On every third shot the magazine would just drop out by itself. I originally thought it was a bad magazine spring and Bauer replaced that a few times. Long story short - they never could fix it and the gun shop that I purchased from took it back and have me a store credit.

So less than perfect guns do slip out of factories - even Revolvers that most think are exempt from common malfunctions. When manufacturing products like rifles & pistols, sometimes even a small inconsistency can make for a bad product. I know you have been waiting a while and S&W can sometimes be quite frustrating to deal with, but at the end of the day you will get a proper functioning pistol. Each year that goes on, S&W has to hire less and less qualified employees. Their CNC manufacturing process makes those employees less knowledgable about the actual process, tolerances, specs etc. because they are now used to pushing buttons on a computer than actually operating Mills, Lathes, Drill Presses etc. Customer service people are NOT what they used to be and getting to actually speak with someone in authority is not easy!

Very frustrating situation - been there, done that!

They will never tell anyone what they find wrong with a gun that has been returned for repair.

People get really spun up about little things.

Here, we have a 16 year old (or older) gun that reached end of life. It happens.

And then fretting over various replacement offers.

And then creating a forum account to complain about SW. Hmm, where were you those 16 years before when you were satisfied with the gun?

How much time and energy did the OP spend on this relatively minor issue? Put things into perspective. If you get this uptight about a hand gun, how will you handle your house flooding or burning down? How will you handle a serious health issue with you or a loved one?

Perspective, people. Perspective.

I had an experience with a Smith semi that wouldn’t lock back on the last round. It chewed up magazine followers and required three trips back to Springfield before they classified it as “unrepairable”. No number of different magazines or new followers helped.

Looking back on what could have caused the problem AND been unrepairable, I concluded the plastic frame itself was probably out of spec. If a magazine well were ever so slightly too wide, the slide stop would engage the very edge of the follower instead of landing squarely on the horizontal ledge. If so, the slide would not lock back and the stop would chew up the follower.

I’ve had two cases where they “replaced” an unrepairable gun (one was the case mentioned above). Both times the replacement was a different model. Once, it took many months to receive the rarely-manufactured replacement. I didn’t mind.

Obviously, YMMV.

Please update when you finally get your new pistol.

Yes, I did ask for feedback which I realize subjects me to all sorts of people out there. I do appreciate the helpful criticism I have received. To those that feel this is suspicious, I'm happy to forward you the email from S&W. Isn't a forum exactly the place to ask for advice or to share your experiences? I don't care what the item is. If you offer me a lifetime warranty, then you are telling me this item will last my lifetime. It failed and I asked for S&W to honor their contract. I would take caution against any gun I have if part of the system stops functioning properly. S&W is the one that decided my gun could no longer be in circulation and needed to be destroyed, not me. I wanted that gun fixed and returned as it has always been one of my favorite guns. If you read enough of the posts here, you would see that I wasn't offered an M&P gun at all. I was offered a total *** that my local FFL said to refuse. My dealer is the largest supplier of S&W in my area so I gladly took his advice, stood my ground and demanded a replacement of equal value. Yes, it's taking time and perseverance but it was important to me they honored their contract. If they told me it could take a year to get my replacement, I would have been very patient. Instead, they are the ones that have been rudely dragging me along with numerous empty promises. They have horrible reviews due to their lack of customer service. From my point of view, I am very well in perspective here and have had numerous traumas in my life. My 23 year old son died in my basement. I lived after being kicked in the face by two hind feet of a horse. My home did flood and I rebuilt. My grandma is in hospice currently but I am still reflecting on all of our great memories. This is a thread about honoring a contract for a material object, not about life crisis. Enough said.

As a follow-up to my earlier post regarding my Model 41 not ejecting empty cases, the gun was returned from S&W in right around a month with the notations "polished feed ramp" and "repaired barrel." I didn't see how either repair would correct a failure to eject condition but I shot it and it still didn't eject empty cases.

I took it to my local gunsmith who, while admittedly not a Model 41 expert (rifles are his specialty), said he felt the slide was excessively difficult to move. I had felt the same thing but wrote it off to the arthritis in my hands. He laid a narrow straightedge along the slide's rails and found a noticeable high spot. Working the slide back and forth for about 15 minutes leveled the rail and the gun now ejects empties of any type of 22LR ammo.

Ed

This statement is correct. When a gun gets to the repair table the gunsmith checks it out and makes every attempt to duplicate the problem and make repairs. Taking time to sent evaluation messages to the owner makes no sense. On some occasions there may be a replaced parts list included with your return. Getting a replacement gun is a good deal and if you don't like it, just sell it and buy something else.

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S&W factory revolver armorer

Well, seeing that they told him, in writing, that the pistol needs to be taken out of service or destroyed, I don't think you need to be a genius to understand something is very wrong.

Pretty clear what he's being told, isn't it? You need more?

I think Pisgah was discussing the OP's inability to describe what what was wrong, which was compounded by S&W's "gotta be melted down" response. We really don't know what the issue is . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .