200 rounds before trusting a Smith revolver

[Robert B]

Had 100 rounds through my new 640 Pro. I thought it was reliable for CCW. Twenty rounds later at the range, the cylinder would turn but no bang. This is the current state of Smith quality. I guess you have to break in their revolvers like an auto. This is sad.

 

[VictorLouis]

ANY revo can tie-up right quickly with a fleck or two of unburned powder lodged under the ejector. That's my quick gut reaction.

Too little information for me to disparage the product at this point.
WHAT ammo, from where? Shot on a dirty gun, or cleaned before the range-outing?

 

[Robert B]

Immaculately cleaned after the last range session. Instead of primer strikes, it left horizontal scratches on the primers.

 

[one eye joe]

IT CERTAINLY IS SAD. I WOULD NOT BE BUYING A NEW S&W FIREARM, EVEN IF IT DID NOT HAVE THE IL, UNLESS THERE WAS NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE. I HAVE PURCHASED 2 NEW REVOLVERS, SINCE THE IL ERA BEGAN. MY 642-1 (NO-DASH) HAS NOT EXHIBITED ANY PROBLEMS, SO FAR. I WAS FORCED TO BUY A NEW 4" 617, AFTER A NEAR 2 YEAR SEARCH FOR A NICE USED ONE W/O A LOCK. IT HAD TO BE RETURNED FOR A TIMING PROBLEM. I'M A SHOOTER, NOT A COLLECTOR. MERCIFULLY, I HAVE ALL OF THE FIREARMS THAT I "NEED" OR CARE TO SHOOT………...

 

[629shooter]

I'd be calling S&W. Your not the first person to have this issue with a new J-frame. They will make it right.

 

[Wyatt p. Tato]

My first centerfire revolver, a S&W mdl.19 broke a trigger return spring after about 300 rounds. My model 64 had tite chambers and would not fire the first range trip. So for me anyway, revolvers have not been 100% reliable. You just never know.

 

[Dale53]

This is not a brand problem. It is a possible problem with ANY auto or revolver. It is just common sense to shoot a defense weapon several hundred times before entrusting you life with it. If it IS a Smith and there is a problem, they WILL make it right.

Nothing is life is certain or sure. However, YOU can improve the odds on any mechanical device by YOUR actions.

Just a thought or two...

Dale53

 

[John R]

Isn't it a shame a bran new gun from a reputable manufacture right out of the box won't work right.

Smith has let their quality slip bad.

 

[b_san]

Isn't it a shame a bran new gun from a reputable manufacture right out of the box won't work right.

But the same thing happens with Sigs, Glocks, Rugers, Les Baers, Springfields... etc. It's not a S&W problem, it's a common manufacturing problem. If you have an expensive jam-o-matic Baer they'll tell you to shoot another 500 rounds through the gun before they'll even take it back to look at it and Ruger may or may not decide to actually fix their gun after you pay to ship it to them. S&W at least pays for your shipping both ways and fixes it without any complaints.

 

[John R]

But the same thing happens with Sigs, Glocks, Rugers, Les Baers, Springfields... etc. It's not a S&W problem, it's a common manufacturing problem. If you have an expensive jam-o-matic Baer they'll tell you to shoot another 500 rounds through the gun before they'll even take it back to look at it, S&W at least pays for your shipping both ways and fixes it without any complaints.

Your right they will take care of it, but there is no reason that it should have to go back other than very poor workmanship.
Smith will learn their lesson when their in the same boat as Colt, let's hope it doesn't take that long.

 

[Arik]

Isn't it a shame a bran new gun from a reputable manufacture right out of the box won't work right.

Smith has let their quality slip bad.

Had 100 rounds through my new 640 Pro. I thought it was reliable for CCW. Twenty rounds later at the range, the cylinder would turn but no bang. This is the current state of Smith quality. I guess you have to break in their revolvers like an auto. This is sad.

Same thing was said 40 years ago.

It's impossible to make hundreds of thousands of products a year and not have some with problems.

 

[theoneff]

Sounds like a firing pin or pin spring. Check that before you send it off. They are easy to replace, I hear

 

[Voyager28]

I don't get it. I bought my first S&W (Model 19) new in 1969. That was when I went into the Academy. After that, 15 years on the force, owned numerous S&Ws, hunting, shooting, target practicing, plinking, thousands of rounds and not once, ever, had a S&W revolver fail to fire when I hit the bang switch.

Yet, thread after thread, I read about QC issues and failures to fire. Admittedly, I have not bought a "brand new" S&W revolver since 1985. But still, with the number of them I have owned and shot you'd think the law of averages would catch up with me and I would have a failure.

But, went to the range yesterday and shot a total of 4 boxes of ammo from three of my revolvers. Not even the hint of a failure.

Like I said, I just don't get it.

Bob

 

[nipperdog]

People seldom post about how well their S&W works, but they sure do when they get a Lemon. I'm pretty sure that for every Lemon reported here, there are hundreds if not Thousands of the same model, that are working fine.

 

[Arik]

I don't get it. I bought my first S&W (Model 19) new in 1969. That was when I went into the Academy. After that, 15 years on the force, owned numerous S&Ws, hunting, shooting, target practicing, plinking, thousands of rounds and not once, ever, had a S&W revolver fail to fire when I hit the bang switch.

Yet, thread after thread, I read about QC issues and failures to fire. Admittedly, I have not bought a "brand new" S&W revolver since 1985. But still, with the number of them I have owned and shot you'd think the law of averages would catch up with me and I would have a failure.

But, went to the range yesterday and shot a total of 4 boxes of ammo from three of my revolvers. Not even the hint of a failure.

Like I said, I just don't get it.

Bob

You are an example of one. How many revolvers failed to function in 1985? No one knows, there was no Internet to complain on. You only knew what was in your area but as a whole there could have been hundreds, maybe thousands. Warranties existed back then too..... for a reason.

Here's my experience. I bought a model 12 and the gun would not rotate on 2 of the holes. If you pulled the trigger a 2nd or 3rd time eventually it would rotate but never on the 1st try. By your experience this gun shouldn't exist

 

[H Richard]

I use 500 rounds as the yardstick for ANY handgun for reliability. Go to the Ruger forum sometime and hear them discuss the crappy actions and the work they go to to remove the grit and machine filings from the actions on a brand new gun. I've done trigger jobs on Tarus also, and the coarseness of the action is unbelievable. S&W shine above most all handguns, even though a few do need to go back for problems.

 

[Invictus357]

I use 500 rounds as the yardstick for ANY handgun for reliability. Go to the Ruger forum sometime and hear them discuss the crappy actions and the work they go to to remove the grit and machine filings from the actions on a brand new gun. I've done trigger jobs on Tarus also, and the coarseness of the action is unbelievable. S&W shine above most all handguns, even though a few do need to go back for problems.

I have never seen that on both Ruger forums.

Would you link me a thread? I'd like to read it.

 

[BigBill]

S&W will fix it. They stand behind there products. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another new s&w product.
Revolvers I shoot it for 100 rounds of flawless operation. The 1911 I fire 500 rounds of flawless operation. The 1911 was designed for FMJ round nose bullets. Not all 1911's can handle JHP bullets. It's not always the guns fault.

I'm my new 1973 Chevy k10 4x4 truck I found machining steel chips in the rear end axle tubes. Does that make every Chevy truck bad?

 

[Batts]

Had 100 rounds through my new 640 Pro. I thought it was reliable for CCW. Twenty rounds later at the range, the cylinder would turn but no bang. This is the current state of Smith quality. I guess you have to break in their revolvers like an auto. This is sad.

Had a problem and had to complain ... first.

Don't get it looked at to discover the probably simple cause.

After all, it was working great until you used it.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B72fbXDQ7Lg[/ame]

Some people.

Batts

 

[Rick_A]

Because internet.

Before people would write about such things and I'm sure most such sentiments to anyone that mattered hit the circular file.

Stuff happens.