Not sure if leading is the norm or not. Mine had a carry-up and shaving problem. A trip back to S&W fixed the carry-up, but it is still a bit of a 'lead accumulator'. In addition, it is not the most accurate thing, although it does pretty well with Federal match. My clapped out Ruger MKII is more accurate with most loads.
Maybe it is just the 'attention to quality' they are putting into the new ones.