No more smith and wesson guns for me! All I wanted to do was get a barrel for an m&p that's worn out and was told that "customer service wasn't set up to sell them if they aren't on their retail site." When I asked them how it is that other retailers regularly get parts they said they didn't know what "other means" they used to get them but that "customer service can't (won't) sell them. Only if it's a warranty issue, can they replace it for you, but just to let you know, if you buy a smith and wesson firearm, you won't be able to properly maintain it unless you get lucky enough to find the part you're looking for (and is actually in stock) at MGW or numrich, Brownell, or ebay. Goodbye smith and wesson, they'll probably be the next Remington with attitudes towards their customers like this.

Do with this info what you will but I feel like a buffoon for buying so many m&p's and being so loyal to the line for so many years. I've checked with MGW and numrich, and both of them say they've had the barrel I'm looking for on order and have no idea when they will be in stock. My only other option with be to fork out at least $185 for one at KKM who seems to be the last one left doing M&P .40 barrels in 5". And yes I've also checked Brownell, ebay, and midway.

Man, I wish other gun manufacturers used the m&p magazine pattern cause my state is going total commie and I have a ton of full capacity mags. Guess I'll be looking at glock and CZ pattern stuff from now on. Sad to see them go but it must be done. Good luck to everyone else with the aging of their guns and hopefully finding parts.

Why does everything have to be about politics.




if you "shot your barrel out" you go through a boatload of ammo and money shouldn't be an issue to upgrade to a barsto so I am not sure why you are griping so much. Just saying.

It's not. That's just the way their acting. That was the nicest way I could put it and not get sited for bad language by the wholesome police. There's definitely more choice words I'd rather use. But since you mention it... most things in everyday life ARE political, because they've wormed their way into EVERYTHING we do, everything we buy, our health, our entertainment, food, clothes...ev-er-y-thing! It sucks but it's the facts. I always get a kick out people saying that "not everything is about politics" and then watching them roll their eyes why I tell them exactly why most things are, by using their own conversations as examples. I guess that's why I don't really have any friends.

And with Glock discontinuing all their .40s, I'd bet you won't be able to get a barrel from them soon. So, it looks like CZ. Enjoy your new pistol.

__________________
The best I can with what I got

At least they have tons of aftermarket support for parts. S&W doesn't. I'm not gonna buy any new .40's... just wanna maintain what I have, at least until I shoot through the couple thousand rounds I have and then reload the couple thousand bullets I have. I still like .40 for chewing up stumps and stuff on the range. And it keeps me conditioned for shooting 9mm like a boss. Run a couple mags of hot loaded .40 and then the rest of the range trip, 9mm feels like .22lr and you feel like challenging Jerry Mickuleck to a show down! (Not really though)

Is there anything that is NOT about politics.

There’s no excuse for S&W to abandon a huge group of collectors and firearm enthusiasts.

Factory parts availability for maintaining original condition seems to be a logical first choice.

“Griping” about everything seems to be big on the topics here.

My experience with my Body Guard 2.0 makes me NOT want to buy anything from S&W.

Is glock really discontinuing all their .40's? I wondered how they'd handle going back to the single pin design in the gen 5, Ala gen2 before having all those problems with the higher powered .40 in the small frames and then switching to the two pin design on the locking blocks of the gen 3 and 4. They can say all they want about new metallurgy or whatever BS line they used about switching back to the one pin design but I still stay they just rushed the gen 5's to try for the XM17 contract and used gen 2 molds that they modified a little bit. That's just my opinion.

Amen to that

Only in Europe. Check the Glock USA website.

I didn't say I shot out my barrel. But it does happen. Or mabe you drop you're barrel at the range and it lands just right on some gravel and screws up your barrel crown and it shoots like **** after that. Theres a lot of different reasons for needing parts. Maybe it was a defective part but its out of warranty now. It's about integrity. Ya know, that thing that almost nobody has any more. And yes, I can drop $185 on a KKM but when I see a $70 price tag on a factory part that I can't buy because the MFR wants to act like a tool, it doesn't bode well for their integrity. I won't always be able to afford that $185 barrel so I'm trying to think for the long haul. Obviously you must have enough money not to care about buying guns that may be disposable if you're gonna make a comment like that. Good for you.

All I'm trying to do is tell people my experience so they will know what to expect from S&W so maybe they don't end up like me or worse. If that's "griping" then maybe you should familiarize yourself with what integrity is. Just sayin'

You got THAT right!

__________________
I’m your Boogie Man, uh huh.

Ahh. I didn't know they every used .40 in Europe... ifigured it was mostly an American thing. I've only ever seen 9mm and things like the tokarev for duty side arms over there.

I'm curious to see how the gen 5 will handle the higher calibers at higher round counts

Oh the insults are coming out now. Of course.


If you hate smith and wesson, you are really going to hate Ruger LOL.


Good luck in your tupperware journey. meanwhile I will keep purchasing vintage k frames that haven't had factory parts available for quite some time.

In the OP’s defense the Washington State legislature has declared war on honest gun owners while legalizing property crimes and drug abuse (which is why he’s concerned about magazine compatibility).

Only in the hopes that it will make its way back to S&W and change the way they do things. But they would actually need integrity for that.

It always amazes me how many gun companies don't take full advantage of forums and blogs. It's basically free R&D. All some of them seem to want to do is sell everyone a gun with problems and let us work out the kinks for them.

Grandma called this "Cutting off your nose to spite your face."
Stock barrel $85 at Midway is what I would do. I LIKE my plastic M&P and an officious flunky is not going to keep me from it.

Like I said, good for you. Obviously you just like trolling if you're one of those "Tupperware" guys and spending time on an M&P forum. I bet you've complained about new smith revolvers and there frame locks plenty of times which is why you buy "vintage" guns that you probably hardly ever shoot. There's almost always one of you on every thread trying to make yourself feel better about whatever it is. And if you think what I said before was an insult then you should probably be insulted more.

Golly.


I've found and bought all manner of parts in great shape from auctions of "kits" of seized/cut guns on GunBroker. Might not still have that "factory smell," but they work. Not to mention aftermarket, etc.


Given the tone of the posts in this thread, I'll assume there's a reason that's insufficient in this particular case. But, gee: is it worth getting that upset about the refusal to write several spitting-nails posts on a friendly site where afficionados of the brand gather? Hey, I'm a hothead myself sometimes - here's hoping things look better to you soon.

__________________
How God has blessed us!

Sounds like their "customer service" is right up there with their quality control, i.e. non-existent.

I have over 50 S&W's, but I won't buy a new one without spending a great deal of time going over it to look for flaws. I wanted/want one of the new 432 UC Titanium, but the only one I have held in my hand had the barrel installed incorrectly, clocked to the left. I passed on it.

__________________
Bill

These tool sheds are literally trying to out-stupid California to see who's more of a commie rat...I was born here and have 45years of baggage, otherwise I would have gotten out. Hopefully before they kill me.

You got excited for a second, but sadly, no... I need the 5" .40 barrel that nobody has and can't seem to find out if they'll get anymore.

Smakmauz - - -

Before you swear off S&W, write a letter and address it to the Director of Customer Service in Maryville, TN. I recently dealt with the guy on some disturbing issues with my BG 2.0 and was totally impressed by the level of service I received. Complaining here gets you nowhere, and what happened to letter writing to pursue your problem? Sheesh.

Recently, I had an issue similar to yours at SigSauer. Customer service told me they do not sell flush floor plates for magazines. After I got over the shock, I sat down and wrote a nice letter to the CEO and 48 hours later I received the two floorplates I needed, for free, in an overnight FedEx box.

If you want something badly enough, go after it the right way.

I appreciate your candor sir, but I'm a little confused as why anyone thinks my posts are inappropriate in some way. I just like to respond in kind to people who simply like to stir the pot by making some snarky comment about a very simple subject. To me its just a conversation but if my words were offensive, then herein lies another problem with our society. I believe that if you're going to dish out that kind of attitude, you should be able to take it being thrown back at you. I was making a simple post to share my experiences with others and then responding to statements that really had no place in this subject other than to stir up testosterone. This forum has kind of always been that way with people trolling and then not being able to handle a response. Don't worry, I won't be coming back here either. I just wanted to post my experience so other smith and wesson owners can use it or not.

This conversation: BORING.

For sure. I have definitely seen their quality go way down over the years. But the prices still go up! They gotta pay for that fancy new facility in Tennessee. I was thinking hard about one of their new lever guns but not anymore!

Oh good, I'm glad you came by to contribute. Troll

It's not just S&W, Ruger is no different. We (Society) created this Sue Happy- I'm not responsible for my own action's world, which forces these company to simply adapt to survive.

I'm sure you're a good guy and just want a barrel, but it's your neighbor, or the guy in another state, who has the gun blow up because he put the new barrel in his out of Spec handgun and now got himself a "Better call Saul" lawyer to assist in the 20Million dollar negligent lawsuit.

It's the world we made, now we have to deal with it. And keep in mind, this is a company that got bullied into adding a built-in lock for no good reason, just to deflect some political heat to stay solvent.

Same reason the slides have a wall of text engraved on them telling you how not to shoot yourself.

Freedom is scary, that why it's hard to hold onto... People scare easily.

He could do that, but then he'd have a 4.25" barrel in a slide designed for a 5.0" barrel.

S&W has quietly discontinued 5.0" 40 S&W models due to low sales. There's a reason that CDNN has been selling FDE 5" slides for $50-60 on ebay for the past several months. They clearly bought up S&W's excess inventory. I bought one of the slides for under $50 with an eBay coupon, then realized that 5" 40 S&W barrels were unobtanium.

40 S&W has become a niche caliber. It still outsells .38 Special in the US, but 9x19 outsells it by over 25 to 1. That steady demand for ammunition is not indictative of new pistol sales; one of the big problems for new .40 S&W pistol sales is that LE agencies have rapidly switched back to 9mm over the past decade. This means that new pistols are competing with lightly-used LE trade-ins.

Glock and CZ aren't going to solve any theoretical parts issues for you. Glock has announced to dealers that everything in .40 S&W is getting discontinued, and it remains to be seen if there will be any replacement models.

Even before then, .40 S&W Glocks were down to batch production when enough LE agencies made orders for them. Some Illinois State Police officers commissioned 100 year anniversary commemorative Glock 17s, which is somewhat humorous because the ISP has never issued a Glock in 9mm. However, there wasn't going to be a .40 S&W batch anytime soon, so they settled for G17s.

As for CZ... there are legions of Shadow 2 OR owners who can tell you just how non-existent extended safeties can be for months at a time. IIRC, the only current production 40 S&W CZ is the TS2, which clearly isn't designed for carry at 48.5 oz unloaded and a <2 lb trigger.

The best outcome that S&W could plausibly make for you is replace the pistol with a current production pistol in a different caliber, or a different 40 S&W in 4.25". I've met a police officer who shot his 45xx enough to crack the frame; S&W replaced it with an M&P 2.0 in 45 ACP, as 45xx production had stopped ~20 years earlier.

Take advantage of the warranty and send it in. If it is indeed a barrel issue, they will replace it and it wont cost you a dime.

__________________
S&W factory revolver armorer

Oh, I don't think you're inappropriate: I'm just surprised you're letting something so minor get under your skin to such an extent. Anyhow, I hope other good things more than make up for your disappointment in this matter and supercede the irritation.

__________________
How God has blessed us!

I've been jaded by too many years of doing things "the right way" and getting nowhere. I used to do things like that and never got any reaults except canned responses and zero action. I suppose I could do like you did but I don't have a serious warranty issue or anything that could affect safety, I don't think they would care about my issue. I wouldn't know how to find that person's info but I have contacted them in the past about other things and never impressed. Didn't think they would leave all of us high and dry though.

I'll take a closer look at what I can find and see if there's any other contacts I can find, it's worth a shot. But honestly I don't think it would change my mind, because you shouldn't need to write a letter to the CEO or jum through a bunch of hoops to get the company to do the right thing. Like I said, it's the integrity part that bothers me most. Thanks for the idea

I thought you were leaving and not coming back?

Sounds like you are the one that cannot take it. You make political comments that have nothing to do with Smith and Wesson not replacing your barrel. Someone flips that back at you and you double down.

Insults and curse words are usually used when we can't formulate a good argument.

I am sorry for your situation but if you use the same problem solving skills and charm you used here I don't see the situation getting resolved.

Good luck.

Because of liability concerns more and more gun makers aren't selling parts directly anymore...if they don't install the parts themselves they cannot accept liability for what someone else does that may be unsafe.

Whether that's what's behind S&W's decision on this I can't say...but it seems in line with other makers.

Oh, sir, you're very kind, thank you. There's really not anything getting under my skin, I'm already a bitter, jaded, a-hole so nothing here is gonna make that worse. I honestly just hope seeing my experience can help someone, in either direction really... we all need stepping stones for our paths from time to time what that may be. That's what sharing info is all about. You have a great day and keep being positive, I have yet to figure out that part of myself.

Just buy a replacement gun, they are cheap enough.

Ok, yes, I totally agree that our self inflicted litigious society can create problems like this and I can stand on a soap box for a long time on that issue alone but, here's the deal.... they sell barrels on their retail site. They sell optic capable slides so you can upgrade your older slide to a CORE slide. They just don't offer MY barrel. That's not a problem with legality issues. They even used to sell very select small parts like trigger bars and recoil springs and stuff before this last website overhaul. So this is just them being very inconsistent with their policies and then defending bad policy with "because I said so". See what I mean?

I can appreciate a policy like that if they weren't blatantly selling another version on their website. Also the barrels they are selling are all 9mm threaded models or comped barrels so the people who have to live in states that don't allow those are totally screwed.

Done with Smith and wesson. Still here. Goodbye sir.

I was going to say because it is involved in everything too, but you summed it up better...

If S&W did offer an OEM replacement, I doubt it would be cheaper, or enough cheaper, to make a difference.

Your fight is with market realities and S&W responding to them. They're in business to make money at the end of the day.

5" 40 S&W M&Ps have been discontinued.

40 S&W has been rapidly declining in popularity since the FBI switched to 9mm in 2016, and longslide models have become more niche as optics have reduced the benefit of long sight radiuses.

People generally don't buy OEM replacement barrels because less than 1% of handgun buyers will ever shoot out their barrels, and the vast majority that do will replace it with a tighter fitting barrel. Thus, most of the people replacing their barrels with an OEM fit barrel want threaded barrels (for comps and suppressors) or ported barrels.

You might say, 'why not sell caliber exchange kits like SIG does?' Turns out, those don't sell either. SIG discontinued their P320 caliber X Change kits because they sold terribly.

Totally understand that .40 isn't popular anymore and like I said, I won't be buying any new .40's. But to have parts on hand and say we won't sell you a critical part for a pistol in a now unpopular caliber while they WILL sell you another one is ludicrous. They were still introducing .40 chambered pistols as late as the beginning of this year, now suddenly its dead. I feel bad for all those people who bought the brand new .40's and this is basically it.

At least glock has huge aftermarket support which drives down cost of parts.

Workers arise, peasants revolt !!

__________________
Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

Unfortunately, long past warranty.

Ha! Thanks, I tend to get a little wordy.

$70-$100 usually for an oem nitride black, $185 for a KKM stainless steel or $225 for black nitride.

I must have missed the reason that you couldn't contact Customer Service and tell them that your gun has become inaccurate. They'd likely send you a shipping label and you could send it back to the factory.

They might tell you it's a none warranty repair, but it's likely that they'd drop a new barrel in and send it back to you no charge.

__________________
Can open, worms everywhere.

The thing with that, is that S&W has current production .40 S&W M&P pistols, but only in 4.25". There are still enough LE agencies ordering 40 S&W pistols to justify occasional batches, but again, only in 4.25". ~5" guns simply haven't been popular with LE agencies since the heyday of the Beretta 92.

I'll probably break down and buy a KKM barrel for the 5" M&P40 slide that I have.

Well, thanks for taking the time. Hang in there, amigo.

__________________
How God has blessed us!

I'm confused...which is it? From your hypothetical, "maybe you drop it on gravel and mess up the crown" comment, it's clear you haven't actually worn out your barrel, so in other words, you're choosing to get fired up about a hypothetical issue. And in the case of dropping it on the ground, you don't need a new barrel; there are plenty of folks around who can recrown it for you.

So back to the original issue, eb07's point is valid: Who on Earth would be unable to afford a $185 replacement barrel but have plenty of money for the $20,000 in ammo or $15,000 in reload components needed to shoot out a 40 S&W barrel?

Your comment about your M&P being a "disposable gun" just because you can't buy an OEM replacement barrel is silly, considering about 99.9999% of handguns ever made in history only had one barrel, and never needed more than one. It sounds like you just badly want something to be angry about, and your follow-up posts say the same. Maybe take up yoga, cut back on coffee?...I'm just spitballing here.

I know a guy who shot out a 5" 9mm M&P 2.0 barrel, but he's a police range instructor who also puts on classes on the side as well.

It took about 40,000 rounds (some of which of dubious quality) and he got it hot enough to melt the front sight fiber optic on more than one occasion.