My 669 failed the decock test I read about in this site. I couldn't find the original thread so here's my querry......
WHAT NOW DOES THAT MEAN??
Will my gun function as it always did or will it catastrophically fail on me one day?
You know the test......
Half cock the pistol and engage the safety/decocker lever.
If the hammer drops, you're ok. If it doesn't, then I need to send it to S&W and they will gladly fix it for free.

Honestly, I've never half cocked my 669 nor do I plan to in the future. I didn't even know you could do that with it! What's the reasoning behind that?
I know I can send it in to get rectified, but is it necessary? I've had the gun over 15 years and 2100+ rounds later....no issues. If I don't ever get that fixed, would I be looking at a potential problem down the road even without ever performing that half cock function? Someone enlighten me please. So far my 669 has functioned flawlessly even if it qualifies for the recall for a function that I've never used. What's the skinny??

469 recall notice:

SMITH & WESSON
MODEL 439, 459, 469, 539, 559, 639, 659 & 669,
9MM CALIBER, PISTOLS

RECALL: This warning is issued for Smith & Wesson 9mm Semiautomatic Pistols which were shipped from the factory between May 1, 1983 and February 26, 1986. Included are Models 439, 459, 469, 539, 559, 639, 659 and 669 but only with serial numbers in the following ranges:

A745000-A865000 and TAA0001-TAL9999

The pistols within the serial number ranges listed above must be inspected for function from the half-cock notch. The safety mechanism will function in a perfectly satisfactory manner in many of these pistols, as well as in all pistols with serial numbers outside these ranges and in all pistols shipped from the factory after February 26, 1986.

Every one of these models bearing a serial number within the ranges listed above should be carefully inspected by the owner for this special condition. To determine if your pistol has this condition, do the following:

1. Point the muzzle in a safe direction.
2. Completely unload the pistol. Check both the magazine and chamber to assure they are empty of live rounds.
3. With your finger off the trigger, operate the manual safety with the unloaded pistol fully cocked and fully uncocked so that you can recognize how the manual safety looks and feels when it is fully in the safe position. The hammer will fall from the fully cocked position into the "at rest" position when the manual safety is moved down toward a safe position. When you are thoroughly familiar with placing the manual safety fully in the safe position, place it up in the fire position.
4. With the manual safety in the fire position, place the hammer in the half-cock notch:

For the Model 439, 459, 539, 559, 639 and 659, put the hammer of your pistol in the half-cock notch by pulling the hammer to the rear slowly until you hear the first click and then releasing the hammer so that it catches between the full cock and the "at rest" position.

For the Model 469 and 669, put the hammer of your pistol in the half-cock notch by inserting an empty magazine and slowly pulling the trigger until you hear the first click and then releasing the trigger so that the hammer catches between the full cock and the "at rest" position.

5. With the hammer in the half-cock notch, push the manual safety down toward the safe position. If you can push the manual safety fully into the safe position and the hammer falls into the "at rest" position, your pistol does not require modification. If you cannot push the manual safety fully into the safe position or the hammer does not fall into the "at rest" position, your pistol is being recalled for modification free of charge.

Recalled pistols should be sent promptly to a Smith & Wesson Warranty Service Center for modification. Call 1-800-633-0164 for the name and location of the one nearest you or for answers to nay questions you may have. Law enforcement departments who have pistols, which exhibit this condition, should contact the Smith & Wesson Service Department to arrange for modifying the pistols.

.......................................................................................................................................................
I'm assuming your pistol falls within the serial number ranges given in the recall. If you have doubts about the integrity of the manual safety, sear release lever or hammer, have the gun evaluated by a S&W pistol armorer or contact S&W Customer Service, 1-800-331-0852.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

I have a 639 that is at the factory having the same recall work performed on it. Honestly, I asked myself the same questions before I sent my pistol back. In the end, I figured that if it was important enough to issue a recall then I should probably have the work done. I did have to call 3 times before I found someone who was willing to send me a shipping label so I could get the recall work done.

Just for general information the phone number listed in that recall notice is no longer Smith & Wesson. How do I know this? I called it this week about my newly-purchased 469 failing the test. It's some security company, not S&W. I went to the S&W website to get a contact number.

Oh, and even though my pistol did not pass the test outlined by step 5, I was told on a pistol that has no hammer to cock they don't do anything to it since you can't manually half-cock it. In fact mine had been back in 1992 for the recall, and it's deemed good to go by them.

Send it back. Although you probably have no intentions of ever getting rid of it, selling, trading or even giving away a pistol with a known safety defect could get you in a mess you won't want to be in.

Recalls are a PITA, but they can prevent an even bigger PITA.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

I would think it would be MORE important that the decocker would operate from half-cock on a gun with a bobbed hammer. Think about it, if you have a round chambered and pull the trigger slightly and the hammer will go to the half-cock position. On a gun with a regular hammer, you could just fully cock the hammer and then use the decocker but with a bobbed hammer the solution is not so easy. Does Smith and Wesson really want someone to potentially be fumbling around with a bobbed hammer hovering above a live round on a gun with an open recall? Talk about liability.

Personally it seems that some of the people that answer the phone at S&W are not interested in these recalls on these older pistols. If it were my pistol, I would probably call again and hope a different person answered the phone.

Upon reflection that was what I came up with too - I was very disappointed in their response. I was specifically told that they had already done what was needed for recall purposes and that if they found any non-stock parts inside the pistol I'd be charged for their work. I am also thinking they'd send me a bill for the shipping in that instance as well.

I think I'll be making another call next week, and hopefully it won't be "Joe" that answers the phone this time. And this time I'm not taking "no" for an answer.

It is funny, the first two guys that I talked to were adamant that they were not going to perform the recall (one actually said that the recall never existed and I had "bad information" while the other said "we aren't doing that half-cock stuff anymore"). The third simply asked for the model number and serial number, entered the info into the computer and said "yep, there it is".

It is somewhat disappointing that one's customer service experience is so arbitrarily dependent on who answers the phone. I called customer service a week later for the recall on my 5906 grip and the experience was excellent so i guess, in my case, they are about 50% helpful.

You will find that true of any organization that has two or more people answering the phone. That's what makes dealing with larger organizations frustrating. You can probably call SS or IRS a hundred times and get a nearly equal number of answers, even about mundane, simple questions. Just chose the answer you like best and make sure to get the person's name who gave it to you.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

When I was the person answering the phone in customer service, there was a field on the computer screen for me to make notes about the call. Customer could call back three years later and I'd know what they called about the last time. You can bet your last dollar that when I call customer service of any company for any reason, I make notes myself about the discussion, to whom I spoke and what, if any, resolution was achieved.

And yes, just like when an automaker says "your mileage may vary" that same rule applies to customer service agents. Remember, they're human. They have bad days just like the rest of us. You could get one who has only been there for a week, or the 10-15 year veteran. Your experience will be vastly different depending on who you get.

To a certain extent, I agree. On the other hand we are not dealing with a phone bill or a pair of shoes that you aren't happy with. We are dealing with firearms with potentially deadly consequences and in my opinion they have a responsibility to take safety recalls seriously.

And, we are dealing with a recall that was issued by their employer. I'd think it shouldn't be so much trouble to get them to honor it.

Just wait until they farm all of their CS jobs out to India.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

Oh wow, I really hope this never happens.

It's the modern business model.
It would suck for us.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

My decocker quit working after I had some problems taking the slide off and putting it back together after cleaning it. I took it to a local gunsmith who thought he had fixed the problem, but the decocker would not drop the hammer. I contacted S & W by phone, told the man the whole story and he told me to send it in. 21 days later, yesterday to be exact, I received it Fed Ex. No charge.