Quality on new S&W revolvers?

Hi Guys,

Just wondering what people's recent experiences have been like with current production S&W revolvers?

A local gun store has a new production 627-5 Pro model available for $989. Aside from a slightly canted barrel, which seems to be a standard feature on all new smith wheel guns made in the past 10+ years, it looks pretty good with only a few scuffs to the satin finish. The only other imperfections of note are a few very minor nicks on the edge of the recoil shield, and the front sight extends past the end of the barrel a bit.

I've always wanted a 627 so I'm tempted to give this one a try, but I haven't had the best luck with S&W revolvers. Around 10-12 years ago I ordered two different s&w 625 revolvers (a year apart) and both had to be returned before transferring due to major defects right out of the box. About a year after that I decided to try again and bought a 617, but eventually s&w bought it back from me because it spit lead and they couldn't repair it.

At this point I'm just trying to gauge if their QC has improved at all over the past 10 years or gotten worse. I'm perplexed why they seem unable or unwilling to fix the canted barrel issue.

Uh, oh, here we go
again, round and round
and again and again.

You mean S&W has made revolvers since 1981????

No way. All of mine are older than that.

I've noted S&W quality tends to have its peaks and valleys. All my wheel guns were made in in the 80s and 90s. The only one that had any defects was a Model 18 that came out of the box with a rear sight that wouldn't adjust. I ended up just taking it to a local gunsmith to repair. Back during the days when S&W was a the wholly owned subsidiary of various foreign firms that were vehemently anti gun, quality waned, but it was mostly manifested in their semi autos as I recall. Not sure why the current QC problems exist, except for the possibility of demand exceeding manufacturing capability and lack of qualified craftsmen to assemble or at least oversee the machinery that performs the assemblies.

In the last 10 years I have bought 2 / 29-10 classic's, 2 / 29-3's used, 686, 627 pro, 586 classic, and not one had a mechanical or facial flaw. All are perfect.

Since any answer you get will be anecdotal, here’s my 2 cents worth. I sold off a bunch of guns a few years back to finance an even more expensive hobby. So, in an effort to replace some of the gaps in my accumulation, I’ve bought the following new guns since December: Python, King Cobra, Redhawk, 629, 686 Plus, and a 69. The first 3 on the list are pretty much perfect in terms of fit and finish. With the Smiths, the 686 has a couple of minor visible machining marks, but is otherwise great. The 69, which I got yesterday, has just one minor handling mark, and (unbelievably) a buggered rear site windage screw. I haven’t shot that one yet. The 629 has a slightly canted barrel, and some other minor flaws, but it shoots well, so I’m keeping it. Bottom line is that you need to give any of them a good looking over…just as it’s always been.

Skip that gun. Unless you can get a stellar deal. If I identified one flaw I would walk away.
You will have remorse knowing it needs to go back already

The quality is good for what they currently making. if you like the model variations offered today then get one. They are never going back to hand fitting by in house gunsmith. And get one while they still willing to make them.The Smart gun is right around the corner.

manufacturing errors aren't new. I bought a new Model 63 in 1981. Got it home and the barrel lug that engages the ejector rod was off by at least 1/6 of and inch, allowing the crane/yolk to move laterally about the same amount. I was fortunate that the store I bought it from had another in the back and simply changed the serial numbers on my paperwork and let me go home with a good one.

I’ve only purchased one new S&W J in the last several years & it had to go back b/c the cylinder slid off the frame when I tried to load it. When Glock came out w/their .380 I got one and could never get it to run reliably. My LCP2 had to go back for reliability issues. All three companies stood behind their product so I guess any of them can have issues.

There are nice ones made today, but most have a couple of issues, some more serious and harder to fix than others. For modern production Smiths it's really like this: Check the gun thoroughly before purchase, and if there are flaws you cannot live with or fix, don't buy it and keep looking.

I the last 2 years I have bought a
686
629
610
all of them are flawless and shoot bullseyes all day long, I could not be happier.

I have a healthy mix of newer and older S&W revolvers in my stable. The new ones seem to be well made and have stood up well, and when I compare them to the Bangor Punta era revolvers, the modern ones are an absolute delight—both in terms of fit and finish.

I agree that if the gun you're looking at in the store doesn't appear to be perfect, then I wouldn't touch it. Assembly problems happen with every company, and I always make a point of looking any gun over thoroughly, even if it's new-in-box.

By the way, I've owned a few S&W's dating back to the 1800's that have had assembly errors. Hand fitting made for some good stuff, but it wasn't without its mistakes too.

And lastly: I've always had good luck with S&W standing by their products. I had a 986 that I bought used that had a few problems; a gritty action (even after being cleaned thoroughly) and a loose front sight. S&W paid the shipping in both directions and made the gun correct on their own nickel. Hard to complain about that.

Mike

I've have both new and old and find the quality to be equal. I think it boils down to the intangibles of personal preference. To my mind, the 1998 and earlier guns have a certain je ne sais quois the new guns just don't have and the newer guns have things that I don't care for... but that's just me.

Well being a J frame hound anytime I am in a fun store I am always looking at what they have now days, and it is slim pickings in my area too. It seems, to find a current J frame that is perfect and I mean mechanically perfect, not some minor scratches or flaws in the coating which I don't care about cause I shoot my guns. Since they are not center pieces for discussions, it has been a challenge for me around here. If I find one that is what i call perfect from my favorite shop, I will buy it (cause he is the cheapest place to buy guns anywhere in my local area) even if I don't need it I can always sell it or trade it later if I don't want it or need it. I can pass it onto another J frame guy and know that he is getting a great J frame.. However, my issue at my dealer is he will only get 1 model in at a time, meaning he will have a 442, 642, 638, etc at once but no extras in the back to look over. Then some will be the no lock versions, the internal lock versions and so on so it is pain staking when I am on the prowl for a certain model. I am seeing about 1/3 of the current J's being what I call mechanically perfect and the others are showing issues from the counter and I wont buy them. With the wait to get stuff back from S&W and then being home to sign for it, its just too much hassle for me unless it is dirt cheap on my end when I bought it or is a J frame that is extremely hard to find or very rare.

I have come to the conclusion that Smith & Wesson probably hires whom ever they can get to work and most of them are not "gun" people and its just a job to them like any other millennial now days, and yes I speak from experience on this too. Not many people take pride in their work anymore and it is showing on all areas of what we purchase anymore but I am getting off topic (rant over).

To the original poster, if the gun is what you want and you cannot find another anywhere to look at and you really want it, call S&W and speak to them about what you need to do if you buy that gun since you already looked it over and the only thing you see is a canted barrel. If it is something you can live with, buy it but if not, keep looking. I will say this though, I absolutely will not buy a S&W revolver through the mail without being able to inspect it first. Good luck....

I have that gun except mine is the actual Performance Center model. Mine even has the slightly overclocked barrel feature ( free of charge) and I do notnown a more accurate 357 revolver, any caliber really. Its a proverbial laser. The barrel had to grow on me but it has and I really dig the look now, probably because it IS so accurate, and its a N frame 357, my favorite combo.

pctech said:

Hi Guys,

Just wondering what people's recent experiences have been like with current production S&W revolvers?

Click to expand...

Not good, unfortunately. Recent purchase was a 686 Plus with 3" barrel. I never should've accepted delivery. It's taken quite a bit of work to get it up to where it should've been upon delivery.

Until quality improves, I will not be ordering any more new production revolvers from S&W (Airweight J frames being the exception; haven't seen any problems with them).

MIM components seem to be the shrinkflation of the firearms industry.

Thanks everyone for the responses. It sounds like not much has changed at S&W in the past decade.

Several of you who commented basically said that if the gun I was looking at wasn't perfect then I should just pass on it and keep looking. Therein lies the problem! As best as I can tell, S&W doesn't make any perfect revolvers, at least not anymore. Even with the slightly canted barrel and overhanging front sight, and a few minor cosmetic blemishes, this gun is still put together much better than many new production s&w's I've seen in the past few years.

I guess at the end of the day I just need to decide if I can live with these defects or not. I know I could send it in to s&w for the canted barrel, but I've seen a number of forum members try doing just that who have received the gun back with minimal improvement or even a note that the gun is considered "in-spec".

Hmm, decisions, decisions...

Quality is very very good. Quality control to make sure you didn't mess up the gun before shipping is not very good.

Never buy a gun with obvious QC problems. Point them out to the dealers so they can fix it themselves. Why use your time to return a gun?