The whole cotton-pickin world is Topsy Turvey right now. Nothing is as it should be. By the way, that is not racist, it's what my Daddy always said instead of cursing. I remember asking him as a young'n what it meant, and he said he didn't really know either, but he'd picked enough cotton to last him a lifetime as a boy.

Anyway, most manufacturer's are still trying to keep up with "never seen before" demands for their goods and services. They are only hurting themselves by not doing it right the first time. A lot of new gun owners are going to be frustrated like you and buy some other brand next time around.

If I am able to buy any more S&W's (meaning if the prices come back to normal or I find a deal), I'm buying pre-IL builds, and preferably one as old as I am, or close (I'm a late 50's model, as in '58)

Buying new is not a guarantee that you won't have trouble, and that goes with anything. Buying used is certainly not a guarantee, but hopefully the bugs have been worked out, or it was built right the first time.

I don't know if they would refund your money upon request, but it might be worth a try. Taking your time, you should be able to buy an older 629, or maybe even a Ruger Redhawk.

I hate it that you spent that much money and never even got to empty a full cylinder down the barrel. That's about the most frustrating thing that can happen to a gun enthusiast. I've had to send one new S&W back to the Mothership, back in the mid 90's. I had to send a Ruger back THREE times in 2001, before they got it right.

Hang in there, and hang out around here see if you can learn what to look for, iff'n it happens to come back messed up, might be a simple DIY repair. I'd give a gunsmith $50 bucks or more if it kept me from having to wait 2 more months for a return.

Hopefully you've got something else you can shoot to get the frustration out of your system. Welcome aboard from Kentucky by the way! Did you happen to take any pictures? We do like our pictures here. Wishing you the best of luck and a speedy return.