No replacement barrels for M&P 10
I purchased a new M&P 10 .308 rifle last fall. A friend of mine and I took it to the firing range to sight in a scope for hunting season. Due to a miscommunication between my friend and I, we left the bore sighter in the barrel. Naturally, when I fired the first shot, the barrel blew out. I completely own the error and expected to pay the cost of barrel replacement parts and gunsmith service. When I contacted S&W customer service the agent very nicely emailed me a FedEx pickup tag and instructions to ship the firearm to them. I was pleased with the quick response and the ease with which I was able to return the item for repair. 20 days later I received in the mail a letter stating the following:
"We have received your Smith & Wesson model M&P 10 rifle, S/N KN***** in our Service Department. After a thorough review, we have determined that the damage to this weapon was not the result of a defect in the materials or workmanship of the gun. We do not recommend firing this firearm as it is not in a safe condition to shoot. Because we value you as a Smith & Wesson customer, we would like to extend a replacement gun to you at a reduced cost. A new M&P 10 would be $1,160.00 plus $14.00 for S&H."
I called customer service and spoke to the representative referenced on my letter and asked if they could just sell me the replacement barrel. His answer was no - S&W was not making replacement barrels for sale.
I asked if I could purchase a complete upper for the rifle. The answer was no.
He offered to send the gun to the gunsmithing department for a quote on repair but as it was the holidays, the answer would not be quick. I agreed. I followed up on January 9 and was told that no replacement barrels were being allocated to repair my rifle and my options were to accept their offer to buy a new rifle at $1,160.00 or they would return my broken rifle to me. As this was very nearly what I paid for the rifle "New in the box." I opted to have them return my rifle.
This was the first S&W rifle I have ever owned. I was impressed by owning a firearm with the storied history of Smith & Wesson. I was very disappointed that this rifle was so proprietary that repair parts were not available - even from the original manufacturer. I am sorry to report that I now have an S&W paper weight until such time as replacement parts can be made available. I am now looking for a new rifle to purchase in place of this one.
Hope this helps someone who is considering spending their money on the S&W M&P 10.
