New to S&W...new revolver already broken?

[ridgewalker]

For the record, I am with the it doesn't look right to me crowd.

But I would have a different suggestion about sending it back. If you intend to shoot the gun, then I suggest that you shoot it as much as you wish before sending it back to Smith. If it were my gun I would probably shoot at least a thousand rounds before I would even consider sending it back. If some problem with the out of round hole manifested then I would send it back right away. But as it is now you know you can send it in anytime. By shooting the heck out of it, you may discover some other flaw that Smith can remedy at the same time as they fix your Firing Pin hole.

Let us know what happens and Good Luck.

 

[H Richard]

Take it out and shoot it with potent loads, and see if you get any flow back into that recess from the primer, and if that caused any drag on the recoil shield. If it doesn't happen within the first box (make sure they are potent loads) it probably will never happen.

 

[touchoneoff]

Welcome to the Forum and the world of Smith & Wesson.
I cant say I have ever seen that condition on a firing pin bushing. But all of my L frames are .357. The Model 69 is the first L frame .44 Mag revolver.
The photo does not look like out of round. It is so clean it almost looks like a relief cut but not knowing for sure and if other 69 owners dont chime in, I would ask S&W, for sure.
Jim

I agree. Looks machined that way. Why? Beats me. BTW, welcome to the forum OP!

 

[Nemo288]

I have several of the frame mounted firing pin guns now with the dome shaped bushings.
None of them have that ding and the hole is perfectly round.
I do have a 624 with the hammer mounted pin and the flat bushing.
It developed an elongated hole with use so I sent it back for a new bushing.
They did absolutely nothing (except screw up the finish).
I concur with the above suggestion that if it doesn't present any problems for you to just enjoy the gun and remember the warantee is for life.
I have never seen any handgun that was perfect.
Maybe I have not been lucky.
I also have one that has a "crack" between the bushing and the frame that has also not caused any problems whatsoever.
Build quality in the 80's was a very mixed bag.


===
Nemo

 

[Mr. Quick]

Me too

Sigh...I was afraid to hear that...looks like I bought a brand new revolver that was damaged from the factory :-( I have always associated S&W with high quality revolvers and good Quality control too :-(

Sorry to hear of your problem... I too made a similar mistake not checking my 627 thoroughly til I started firing it on the range.... my barrel had the "famous" cant! I had plans to purchase two more Smith and Wesson revolvers but not sure I will now... Has been at Smith since beginning of January 2015.... still waiting for an answer from them... I find it very hard to deal with spending over $1000 on something and not be able to use it out of the box!

You will continue to get great advise from all on this forum... so I would call them and get a shipping label and hope they fix it in a timely manner..

 

[M2MikeGolf]

I just checked all my new model S&Ws. I have some ILs that are older, a 619 and a 22-4 and they do not have an insert like that. I have a brand new 640 that is not like that. However, I have a brand new Governor and my insert looks exactly like the OPs. It does not look accidental, and it's almost exactly at the same point on the "clock" as the OPs. It looks machined and not accidental or damaged. Maybe someone should begin a post that mentions this to attract those that know for sure.

 

[MTKTM]

Back in the 1980s I bought a 629 8 3/8" gun. It had that exact same defect on the firing pin bushing, although in those days the firing pin was part of the hammer, not installed in the frame. I ignored it and shot the gun for a number of years, before I sold it to a friend of mine who shot it for many more years, and still has it to this day. To my knowledge the bushing has never been replaced, nor did it affect the shooting of the gun in any way.

 

[sodacan]

Send it back, and don't let their customer service rep convince you that it is within specs and not a problem. Letting them get away with lapses in quality control, will only engender more of the same. You should learn what to look for and how to buy a used revolver. You will learn to appreciate the quality, and own some really nice guns. Good luck.

 

[at_liberty]

Sorry to hear of your problem... I too made a similar mistake not checking my 627 thoroughly til I started firing it on the range.... my barrel had the "famous" cant! I had plans to purchase two more Smith and Wesson revolvers but not sure I will now... Has been at Smith since beginning of January 2015.... still waiting for an answer from them... I find it very hard to deal with spending over $1000 on something and not be able to use it out of the box!

You will continue to get great advise from all on this forum... so I would call them and get a shipping label and hope they fix it in a timely manner..

Can't think of a new gun that is not a work in progress...many used, same thing. Matching our expectations perfectly every time might double the price. Gun companies these days seem to prefer quality by rework, throwing it out there and seeing if it will stick.

 

[rwsmith]

Probably because in producing....

I agree. Looks machined that way. Why? Beats me. BTW, welcome to the forum OP!

Probably because in producing these in mass on the same machine has the tendency to 'mess up' the same way again and again. Or maybe the operator drills a nice hole but has a tendency to try to remove the piece before it's ready to be moved.

 

[Tom K]

Obviously you need to get the firing pin replaced to match the bushing. Reminds me of the repair fasteners we used in aerospace for misdrilled holes.

/joke