New 43C back to SW

[Wee Hooker]

So I ordered a SW 43C a couple of months back on a whim. I already have a 63 and a "couple" rimfire K frames but thought a lightweight pocket gun for plinking /woods walking might be fun.
When the gun arrived , I did a quick inspection for blems, dry fired it a few times (on snap caps) and took ownership.
No sooner than I got it home I realized the the cylinder had to be pressed out in a certain place (only) or it bound notably in the frame. Otherwise , everything else seemed good so I took it to the range the following day and put 100 rounds through it. As it turns out, hot only did the cylinder swing out get stickier but EVERY cylinder needed the assistance of bumping the ejector rod on the bench to get the emptied ejected. ( This is with several brands of ammo). It was just impossible to get even a partial cyl load out otherwise. However, my biggest disappointment was that at 15', the revolver printed 3" left from a strong two hand/ benched hold staged . This was even true if I staged the trigger to a near single action mode. ( I can actually shoot my 360PD DA straighter than this little guy)
I can't say how disappointed I am. I know the 43C with it's alloy frame and cylinder has some potential manufacturing challenges but as the new $650+ revolver sat on day one. it was basically unusable. Anyway, off the the mother ship it went. They have had it 3+ weeks now and I'm wondering if this wait time is normal these days or if something deeper is going on?
p.s. I've owned well over 150 SW revolvers in my days to include some 20+ purchased new in the last dozen years. I know what to expect from SW and this wasn't it at all.

 

[mckenney99]

My suggestion, when sending something back to S&W for a warranty issue, is once you send it off, just forget that you ever owned it. Then you will be surprised when it finally comes back. Calling them and pacing the floor does nothing to help speed up the process and it just wears out your carpet. Figure on 6+ weeks as normal. If your firearm happens to be there when they shut down for their annual "shut down" you can double that time period.

 

[BEEBEE]

I just sent my 351c back within a few days of purchase. Never shot it. That might have been a mistake as maybe it has other issues. The extractor racket was cut poorly. Metal looked ripped vs clean cut. Funny thing was it was in time and smooth. Hopefully if it has other issues, they will shoot it and fix.
I would hope they get to it quicker, but I look forward to getting it back 100%.
My friend sent one in for warrantee as it locked up. Turns out his cleaning method resulted in the interior filled with residue. Nothing wrong with the revolver. He found out repair firearms sent in, not warrantee, take months to get back, Since S&W was going to charge him and it would be months to get if fixed, the service rep recommended he just have S&W send it back and he clean the revolver himself. That's what he did. Strange that they did not notify him what was going on and sent a repair cost. He found out by constantly calling asking what was going on. After covid things just are not the same.

 

[GOE909]

Mine went back twice before it ran smooth. Buddy got one and it’s been smooth from the first day. SW is spotty on their 22lr j frames lately. But a worthy pistol to have me thinks.

 

[Breakaway500]

Out of the box my 43c was fussy about ignition of various ammo. Rather than send it back I replaced the mainspring with a Numrich unit. (S&W would not supply me with one) 500 rounds later and not one misfire.

 

[44 mag]

S&W quality control is non existent now days . 4 out my 6 recent revolvers have to go back for warranty work . The number could go up to 5 out of 6 as I have not test fire my 686 2.5” yet . My 43c was a mess when it arrived at my ffl . Cylinder won’t close , the cylinder release works backwards ( similar to Colt). Not sure how this gun left the factory. Got a full refund from the retailer ..

 

[chief38]

I truly can not understand how a major player in any particular field could just ignore all the issues that are ALL TOO REAL. Occasionally I have seen large company's lose it for a period of time, then catch themselves and regroup to pull themselves back into the ring. S&W has been on the steady decline for over a decade now with no end to the worsening in sight. It seems to be getting even worse!

It is long past due for a new CEO!! Company's are run from the top down, not the other way around. After all these years of the CEO, COO and Board not correcting these problems I think they need to be replaced! This has gotten so out of control that there are no longer any acceptable excuses.

Throughout the last decade or so, almost every single gun company out there that had QC issues has pulled themselves up the ladder. Colt, Ruger, Taurus, Rossi, Sig, etc. They have all corrected design issues, production problems and QC problems. WTH is going on in the minds of the leadership at S&W?????

 

[Wee Hooker]

Thanks for the feedback, gents. For the record, I've been a fan boy of SW revolvers for the last 35 years. I do realize that some years had "better" quality standards than others but SW (IMHO) always were better designed, finished and functioning than any of their direct competitors. Still, I've witnessed a what seems like steady decline in quality in the last 10 years or so. For me , it started with the PC versions on anything back in 2016ish when I worked in a LGS. At the time, there was a rash of PC quality issues in revolvers we sold at the shop. For myself, that meant my new 929, 687, 681Pro and even a SW22PC had to go back for serious issues. It was attributed then to a changeover to new PC gunsmiths at SW but now it's looking like the failures in QC have moved into the standard production line. My bet is that they cut "wasteful" QC checks out of their production process using the same LEAN methods the manufacturing industry drank like cool aide in that same time period. Anyway, I'm in n rush to get the revolver back. I can wait 6-8 weeks if that's what it takes to do it right. I just feel like I got spanked on dropping near $700 on something that was this poorly manufactured from day one. I also fear that maybe (like my 929PC) it never "gets right". Honestly, if I could take a $100 hit and tell them to keep it I would.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Well, It's been just about 8 weeks and all I've heard is that they had it. At this point, I have to believe that either this gun is REALLY hosed beyond repair or SW service has taken a nose dive. Either way, I think I'm done buying anything new from them until they pull up on the stick. Maybe it's me but I expected more out of a $700 purchase.

 

[petepeterson]

Well, It's been just about 8 weeks and all I've heard is that they had it. At this point, I have to believe that either this gun is REALLY hosed beyond repair or SW service has taken a nose dive. Either way, I think I'm done buying anything new from them until they pull up on the stick. Maybe it's me but I expected more out of a $700 purchase.

I felt exactly the same way about mine. That's a lot of dough for something that doesn't work straight away.

FWIW, the first time it went back, it was about 7 weeks before it came home.
The next two times were a faster turnaround. I think you get "preferred" status on each successive trip.

 

[TAROMAN]

IMHO, S&W's problems have gone from bad to worse with the relocation. Likely many staff quit rather than move.
Couple this with COVID retirements and the board having signed up to the Boeing system of management and the issue becomes clear.
My recent new gun purchases: Colt, Tisas, Glock and Ruger. Zero problems with any of these.
Vote with your dollars.

 

[Wee Hooker]

I felt exactly the same way about mine. That's a lot of dough for something that doesn't work straight away.

FWIW, the first time it went back, it was about 7 weeks before it came home.
The next two times were a faster turnaround. I think you get "preferred" status on each successive trip.

Wow, 3 times???? . You've got more patience than me. I'll give it the once and if it's at all serviceable, I'll flip it at a loss. I'd rather take the financial hit than live with something I dislike/have no love for. A lesson I learned in my "Taurus days" long ago ;}

 

[fakahatchee]

My recent experience with S&W warranty, got a mod 27-9 classic about two months ago.The cylinder gap was 13 thousandths. Called them and they said that was excessive and to send it back. Sent it back with the prepaid FedEx label. Got it back in five weeks with a new barrel, so was happy the way they handled it other than it should have not been sent out like that in the first place. Got the gun from a dealer on Gunbroker so I had no way to check it before I bought it.

 

[petepeterson]

Wow, 3 times???? . You've got more patience than me. I'll give it the once and if it's at all serviceable, I'll flip it at a loss. I'd rather take the financial hit than live with something I dislike/have no love for. A lesson I learned in my "Taurus days" long ago ;}

I'll take a hit on something I don't like, but I'm funny about selling guns that don't work, even with full disclosure.

It was no better the 1st time back (maybe worse), a little better the 2nd, and "mostly" cured this time. I've determined that it has something to do with how the cylinder is closed, but the only way to check is to fire it!

Again, not something you should deal with at that price point.

 

[Wee Hooker]

I'll take a hit on something I don't like, but I'm funny about selling guns that don't work, even with full disclosure.

It was no better the 1st time back (maybe worse), a little better the 2nd, and "mostly" cured this time. I've determined that it has something to do with how the cylinder is closed, but the only way to check is to fire it!

Again, not something you should deal with at that price point.

I hear you, I wouldn't/couldn't sell or trade any gun in the condition i got this one. It just wouldn't be right. Still, if it comes back and runs reliably (even if not elegantly) I think it would be fair to let it go at a discount price. Most folks are looking for minute of cantaloupe accuracy in pocket 22's anyway. We'll see. Meanwhile we just finished another week of radio silence from the mothership. I think I'll give them a call next week.

 

[Gater]

The end of the ejector rod on my M43C looks like they hacked it off with a Dremel tool, but other than that the gun shoots fine. I had a gunsmith do a trigger job on it.

 

[Gater]

I was trying to post a photo of the end of the ejector rod of my M43c. I can’t seem to figure it out.

 

[V-Eight]

Was at the range the other day, upon leaving I of course browsed through gun section and found a used 43C in like new condition for $450. This thread was in my head as I was looking it over but it was too nice to pass by. Had a $50 gift card from Christmas in my pocket so out the door it went with me. I'll take with on the next trip to the range and hopefully all goes well.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Well, my 43c showed up (without notice) at my door last Friday. Down time at the mothership was just about 8 weeks. The accompanying work order said that they replaced the latch, adjusted the barrel and cut forcing cone. First inspection showed that the cylinder issue has indeed gone away. . Nice. I got the little gun to the range yesterday for some testing. Results were mixed but generally better than when I sent it in. POI vs POA was pulled back into the acceptable range. It was still to the left but only by 1" or so at 155'. I need to put bigger grips on the gun to really see how it will group but it shot fairly consistently. Extraction was also slightly improved. It took a considerable amount of force but I was able to manually push the rod to break 8 MT's of subsonic (Norma TAC-22) by hand. Likewise for a partial cylinder (4-5 rounds) of CCI mini mags. I still needed to press the rod against the bench to free un 8 CCI MM casings though. At this point, I'm satisfied the 43c is "decent" and usable but it's off to the bench for some action work and cylinder polishing before deciding if I' going to keep it.

 

[Bob512]

I have had a 43c and a 351c the last 3 years or so and both have been excellent and fun guns to own and shoot. I am sorry to hear that you have had issues with yours!

All my revolvers from S&W have been good experiences…..knock on wood. Now my Bodyguard.380…..that’s another story