Thanks for all the kind words...
Had I to do all over again, I would not have sent the gun back to Smith, even though it was a warranty issue. Had the service department told me at the time that I would not receive the original barrel back, I would looked to someone else to repair/restore the gun. I even contacted the Performance Center at the time and they were unable (or unwilling) to help.
It's still a shooter, just not a favorite anymore.