I have a good friend who is an FFL and does a lot of business with Lipsey's and he managed to get his hands on a 432 UC and ship it to me.

This one has a gap between the yoke and the frame. The cylinder doesn't open or close smoothly either. Because it was a transfer, there was no refusing delivery anyway.

I've read about the poor quality of S&W's revolvers lately but this model seemed too neat to pass up, so I figured that I'd take a chance on getting a good one.
Well, that didn't work out too well.

Shame on Lipsey's too. They should have caught this defect and never sent it out.

I now have to figure out how to get a return label and send it back.

Attached Images

Lipsey's 432 UC Yoke-Frame Gap.jpg (117.9 KB, 404 views)

That’s ridiculous. Reminds me why I look for used pre lock revolvers.

That should never had gotten past the assembler or the inspector. Heads should roll over such obviously poor quality control.

Whoa. That is…glaring.

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Mark Lathem

These guns aren't inexpensive, entry level models. It's really disappointing that something so glaring gets by whatever final inspections are performed......if any are performed at all.

I knew the S&W factory was moving, but I didn't think it was to the Khyber Pass.

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Psalm 27:2

For all the folks that have gotten these Lipsey's special run revolvers with problems, my suggestion would be to make Lipseys very aware of these issues. Send polite factual e-mails to Lipseys and include photos with the issues illustrated clearly. In the end, Lipseys as a distributor has more pull with S&W than a bunch of dissatisfied individuals.

That's an excellent idea, I will let them know.

Sad state of affairs @S&W

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I’m your Boogie Man, uh huh.

Does the 38 special version of this gun have as many problems as the 32 H&R version?


Of is it better -- or worse?

I don't think it should be expected for Lipsey's to catch issues with the guns. They're a wholesaler and merely store the guns in an appropriate space until a retailer orders one or more. No one is opening boxes to examine anything.
The reports of issues with these guns has me rethinking my order for one.
No offense toward Lipsey's is intended. I'm sure they do a superb job in all other regards.

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

Sadly mine is a .38. Same issues; cylinder closed poorly; jammed
upon loading; plus front sight a dud.
Sent in for repair,which was rectified and returned within 15 days.
Very happy with it now.Preforms well with accuracy.
I guess I am kinda scared with new now as a couple years ago
my 617(new) wouldn't strike cartridge in double action presentation.I am still a smith fan but am schooling myself
up on what tolerances acceptable.As quoted before;quite willing to pay premium for a stringent quality control policy.
My 686+ is a real dandy from word go.

Reach out to Jason Cloessner at Lipsey's, [email protected]. He is the Senior VP and Product Development Manager.

I had a problem with the 642 UC I purchased. The night sight was dead and the barrel shroud was loose. I emailed Jason and he offered to expedite a shipping label back to S&W for repair or he could overnight a new 642 UC to my FFL. I opted for the new 642 UC which was at my FFL the next day. I took the original 642 UC back to my FFL so he could ship it back to Lipsey's and picked up the new one.

Jason bent over backwards to make it right and I'm sure he will help you out as well.

You make a good point Joni_Lynn, Lipsey's isn't inspecting these.

But, as was mentioned earlier, Lipsey's feedback will probably has more influence on S&W than an individual customer's would . Lipsey's needs to know how unhappy people are with the quality of the product that was made to their specifications. I did send them a message earlier this evening, let's see if they respond.

I hear that many are pleased with their guns once they have been serviced by S&W's customer service department. I know of at least one having had to send a M36 (IIRC) back a couple of times before it was replaced (which is upstanding of S&W).
I've always had good dealings with them but it was many years ago. I'm hoping that they still live up to their excellent reputation.

Maybe Lipseys can start inspecting the ones they have in stock prior to shipping due to these recent issues - but as noted they would have to be made aware of the issues.

Thanks for the suggestion. I sent him an email asking for his help.
I always like it when a top level administrator gets involved with resolving an issue, they always seem to be able to cut through the red tape and make things happen.

That gap is a feature, not a defect.

Since this is an Ultimate Carry, any dust bunnies (from carrying in your pocket) or unburnt powder (from super-hot buffalo-bore-style defensive loadings) - that get between the yoke and the frame cannot prevent the cylinder from closing on your speed reload.

Your finely-fitted by master-craftsman pre-MIM revolvers will get you killed on the street! You NEED this Ultimate revolver!



PS. Just got a job writing copy for the top shilling gun videos and articles

I posted about this before but I ordered a 432UC and had it within a week. It has been just fine since I received it, so there are some good ones out there in spite of all the negative posts. Sorry that there have been these issues. The little gun is probably the best configured snubby to date.

I too just purchased a 432 UC. Absolutely nothing wrong with it. Excellent finish, tight seams, bright front sight. Ran some 32 long and 32 magnums through it. Shot both just fine and to point of aim. While there are some with problems, the one I have is exactly as advertised and I'm very pleased with it.

For those who receive a UC gun with the front sight dead, the problem is easily solved! I have a high intensity LED flashlight that I held on the front sight for about 3 minutes and the sight no glows like it should!
jcelect

I'm glad I re-read your post before I replied.
You can imagine what I was going to say!

Do you think the distributors open boxes and inspect? When the distributors receive a shipment of hundreds of guns, the receiving department merely scans the bar code on the box which enters the serial number into their computer records. The boxes are scanned again when they are shipped out so the computerized acquisition and disposition records show the gun no longer in inventory. There are no gunsmiths inspecting the guns for defects.

Uh, no. They are not gunsmiths. They do not know what to look for. And, how far should the inspection go? Calipers and feeler gauges, or just a quick visual? Absolutely unworkable with the volume the distributors are handling.

I have never heard of tritium being "revived" in the manner you just described. The Lipsey's UC guns have tritium front sights, not phosphorescent front sights, correct?

I believe those front sights have a large phosphorescent paint dot with a smaller Tritium ampule in the center. So if the center does not glow in the dark on its own, then the ampule was damaged on installation or the ampule had a defective seal.

picked up mine today 632, same damn gap, didn't see it it at store, looked at sight in the stores bathroom, all was good

was concentrating on shroud, and how it closed as well as sight

now what, no one can do anything right today!

I saw one in the used case at my LGS the other day. Clerk told me it had belonged to a manager there who wasn't happy with something about it (He told me what but I forgot). I gave it a quick look over, and didn't see anything that jumped out at me, but I decided to pass. If it hit the used case that quickly I figure there was something I missed. Plus it was a 38. If I get one it will be a 32.

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John 3:16 .

Sorry, I can't explain how or why, but the flashlight worked on my 632UC!
jcelect

After sending in my unfired 432UC because of the large frame-yoke gap and the cylinder not opening or closing smoothly, they replaced the frame.

Actually, they replaced the whole gun but told me that the frame was being replaced, nothing else was mentioned. Because it had a new serial number, it had to go through my FFL but they also reimbursed me for the transfer fee. I had to inquire about it and was told to send in a receipt and they then promptly sent me a check.

Here's a picture of the new gun's frame-yoke alignment....not perfect but just about as good as we can expect nowadays.

A surprise: The B/C gap is really nice, with a snug .006 on the frame side and a loose .005 on the yoke side of the forcing cone. That's fantastic considering that .012 is reported to be the new factory limit.

The trigger pull is smooth and averaged a little over 8 1/2 lbs and has seemed to improve with dry firing and limited live firing. (I have to find where I stashed the rest of my .32 ammo.)

I've also included a photo of a target of some of the first rounds. They were shot at 7yds with the factory VZ grips, which feel good in the hand but I had to concentrate to keep the rounds centered.
I changed them out with some combat grips and much prefer them to the VZ. I think that I will use standard stocks with a Tyler-T and carry it with those.

It's a shame that the original gun made it out of the factory in the first place but S&W's customer service made it easy to send it in and they replaced it in about a month, without any push back and on the first go around. I would say that they made it as smooth of an experience as possible.

Attached Images

	Replaced 432UC.jpg (95.6 KB, 163 views)
	432UC Target First Shots.jpg (87.9 KB, 134 views)

Assembler not gunsmith there’s your answer.

See this post from above. If it has no glow after being in complete darkness you have a bad/broken tritium insert. The light just charged the luminescent ring. This front sight is wonderful combo of features, but make sure yours is working to its full potential.

Although MIM and CNC machined parts produce very uniform parts, it still takes more skill to properly assemble a revolver than it does to assemble a striker fired pistol.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I just emailed Jason with my story. I'll report back after I hear from him.