Latest update on my 317-2 airlite

Update on my 317 airlite

Last month i posted about my horribly inaccurate 317 snub revover. I sent it back to S&W and they just called and said it's unrepairable! They are going to give me a new gun, so i asked if they could give me a 3" target model instead. They said yes, as soon as they make one for me i will have it. So at least i know it wasnt me, it was the gun. Hows your quality control S&W, it only had 150 rounds thru it.

Every company has a lemon that slips through QC now and then, sounds like they're doing a good job of making it up to you.

yes they are, don't know when i'll see it tho...

Greg,
Glad they covered you. I had heard that the trigger
on the 317 was really bad, but mine seems like any
other j-frame; stout but workable.
This incident is a win-win. You get to break in another
new S&W. And we get to see the pics.
TACC1

I had a 3 in. 317 that shot terrible from day one . I sent it to S&W and they said it needed to be replaced . The only problem was I had to wait till they tooled over to those guns . I waited 9 months, but it was worth it because the gun shoots great and it ride on my hip or in a shoulder holster everytime I am flyfishing or as backup when small game hunting . This happened three years ago so I hope you won't have to wait as long . Good luck !

S&W called today and said it should be about 3-4 weeks till i get it. they are going into production now so i'll be on the top of the list to get it.

well......s&w said they would replace my brand new 317 snub that's unrepairable with a new 317 3" in about 4 weeks, that was 5 weeks ago so I called them. I was told that even though I spent $700 for a junk gun and was told it would be 3-4 weeks, there are people that "have already ordered and paid" for one out of the next production. I said I bought and paid for your faulty product I should be on top of the list. Long story short she said I won't see a new gun till AT LEAST OCTOBER!!!??? Safe to say that was the last S&W purchase I will EVER make.

The factory may not have any choice in the matter. There may not be a 317 to give you until more are made. As they said, the current stock has already been paid for and promised to others. They didn't know about their need to replace yours until 5 weeks ago.

It's hard to find many specific models of handgun now. I looked for many months for an AirLite in .22 Mag. Finally found one, from a brand new batch produced in March 2013.

Maybe there's another revolver you would be happy with, that they do have in stock. There's the M63 and 43c in .22lr and the 351pd and 351c in .22 Mag.

Or ask for your money back and go buy a 12-oz revolver from some other company...if you can find one.

GregP01 said:

my brand new 317 snub that's unrepairable

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what was wrong with it? what can't be fixed?

GregP01 said:

that was the last S&W purchase I will EVER make.

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I'd be angry too, but don't discount the older guns just yet, you don't know what you're missing

Everybody sooner-or-later pulls the bad apple out of the barrel...no matter who made it. I feel your pain and I would surely be on here shouting and venting myself.

Fact of the matter is that the LARGE chain-stores and dealers are getting first-crack at about anything that shoots rolling off the production lines. My table-mates and I used to be able to order guns from our distributor and all they wanted to know was....how many of what kind. Over the past 3-4 months, we have probably received 25-30 guns. The distributor simply don't have any and the BIG vendors come first. This past couple of weeks has been better. Got some new guns in.....finally.

GregP01 said:

Safe to say that was the last S&W purchase I will EVER make.

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Since December, the firearms industry has experienced tremendous demand ... so much so that supply has not been able to keep up. Not understanding how current allocations work is not S&W's fault, it's yours.

I read through your original eight posts, and I understand your dismay at getting a revolver not up to standards. But I also know that S&W is a company that does it's best to right any wrongs that may occur.

From your initial assertion that customer service was rude, to grousing about inferior quality control and having to wait for a replacement revolver, I have to assume that you're a new member simply looking to stir the pot. Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience, but your incessant whining and anti-S&W sentiment will only garner a certain amount of public sympathy before it rings hollow.

If your above quote is accurate, and you will never own another S&W product, too bad for you. Hopefully you will have better luck with Ruger, Charter Arms, Taurus, Rossi, or whomever else you choose to spend your money with. Then you can join another forum and save us the trouble of enduring more gratuitous complaining about how lousy S&W products are. Those of us who have been here for a while, have heard enough anti-S&W commentary. Sometimes it's deserved, most of the time it's not. In the latter case, it gets old quick, and contributes zero to the Forum.

I always feel for the folks that get one of the less than outstanding examples of the Gunmaker's Art from any manufacturer.

I too have read all eight of the OP's posts since he joined the Forum in March. Every one has been about his bad revolver.

It does appear that the intent may be to stir controversy.

One of the things that caught my eye is that an alleged certified instructor who is also a shooter of more then thirty years first visits the S&W forum to complain? Not a single other contribution to the Forum in 30 years of shooting.

Secondly, the alleged reason the 317 was purchased was because he was an instructor? I am also a Certified Instructor of many decades and I do have a 317 in the inventory but it is there as a curiosity, since it is one of the lightest S&Ws ever produced. It probably has not had 500 rounds through it in 16 years I have owned it since it's manufacture. I find my Model 17s to be far better teaching revolvers for novice shooters. It makes it easy to transition to model 14s as skills progress



Third, the first thread complains about accuracy issues with the 317 but group size is not mentioned a single time in any of the eight posts. The actual complaint expressed is that Point of Impact does not match Point of Aim by more then 4". I want to believe that a Certified instructor who is a shooter with thirty years of experience would know the difference between accuracy and a Point of Impact issue.

The last issue is that I question a Certified Instructor that would choose to add an allegedly $700 pocket 22 revolver to the training inventory. Why purchase at a price that is inflated by the current uncertainty among much of the public.

As posted above you state "that was the last S&W purchase I will EVER make." I would have to ask, is this the first S&W you have ever purchased?

It just sounds like either we are not hearing the whole story or some of the story is being expounded upon for a more dramatic effect.

Regardless of the above, I am certain that S&W will make this right. You just have to wait for them to have a replacement revolver to send to you. I know patience is hard when you have a new toy in the pipeline.

I deal with product allocation all the time on my job. Warranty replacements go to the front of the line over new orders every time. That's basic customer service. The replacement customer put down money before the new orders; they deserve their product first.

Had you have taken a direct replacement instead of changing your mind and requesting a replacement that is different from what you had and is a somewhat limited production model would you still have have to wait several months?

Sorry to hear about the OP's bad luck with the 317. I don't want to add fuel to a gun's less than great reputation, but a friend of mine bought a slightly used 317 and had many misfires or light strikes. They feel great in the hand, but I probably won't be buying one. Smith revolvers are supposed to go bang whenever there's ammo in them and you pull the trigger.

Not A QA Rant . . .

I've ranted about hi-volume production and poor S&W QA enough. Sorry to hear about your misfortune but in the end it looks like it will turn out OK. Best of luck and great shooting.

Take good care,

Rachel

"bought a slightly used".......which means......no telling what somebody did, or did not do to it. I have had three (NL's), still have one and they all went and still go bang every time. One can go monkeying around with the springs in a 22 j-frame trying to improve trigger-pull (whether-or-not it's alloy or steel) and make it non-functional. If it's just a matter of the gun not going bang, that can easily be remedied. There are just too many 317 owners here on the form that have 317's that work to call them all bad-apples. Tender....you bet. Range-gun....no it's not.

BTW....this is not meant to defend S&W. I have had not-so-pleasant experiences with them myself, but the 317 is a good little gun for it's intended purpose.