For buying sight unseen, Bud's is about the best you can ask for as far as return options. As mentioned above, check with the receiving FFL to verify their policy as far as $$ if you don't want to accept it.

As far as the barrel canting, (and I'm not a S&W fanboy, apologist, or basher), after reading all this hoopla here, I took a gander at the smith's in one of my LGS. Pressing my nose and greasy mitts to the display case, out of the 18 or so smith's staring back at me, over half had clearly visible canted barrels, and that's just from sighting from the muzzle in a display case. Is that indicative of all new smith's? Heck no, just over 50% of one of my local shop's display inventory. YMMV.

Anyways, good luck with your search and purchase, whatever it be..

Dave