Are S&W Canted Barrel Problems Getting Less Frequent

[slabside2]

No one‘s been harder on Smith and Wesson‘s quality control then me. People say you never hear the good things about Smith & Wesson only the bad. Well I finally got one that I didn’t have to send back. A performance center J frame with no defects...so far. I’m very pleased with it. With that said Smith and Wesson quality control still sucks as do most of the other manufacturers these days and I don’t see it getting any better. No matter what product you buy a lemon get through now and then but now and then turns into common place. Guess it’s the time we live in today.

 

[American1776]

I've seen my share of canted barrels. I've inspected a dozen new J-frames and could find only one that had a straight barrel and decent lock up and forcing cone.

My thoughts are this: back when the revolver was the only show in town, and all LEO's carried them, the wheel gun market was very competitive. Colt and S&W and Ruger all had to have their stuff together, lest the other company get a little ahead the others. Market competition bred excellence.

Today, *everyone* (except a few older gun collectors) get a polymer striker gun. All LEO'S are issued the polymer striker guns. That means, zero market pressures on any large scale. Prices can rise while quality falls.

That said, I've found that Ruger GP100's tend to be pretty well clocked at 12, and their cylinder lockup is consistently tighter than the new S&W L-frames.

I did manage to find a new 649 J-frame magnum with a perfectly 12 o clock barrel and decent lockup. I will never sell it.

 

[epj]

While the canted barrels are a definite problem, poorly cut forcing cones and barrel crowns seem to be current issues as well. I don’t have either, but have observed those on this forum that did.

 

[American1776]

While the canted barrels are a definite problem, poorly cut forcing cones and barrel crowns seem to be current issues as well. I don’t have either, but have observed those on this forum that did.

I recently passed on a 686 4" due to a forcing cone that was not cut concentric. Viewed from the side, the f/c was clearly cut at an angle, leaving more material on the top than the bottom. I also saw a brand new 640 with a sliver of metal inside the forcing cone, blocking the bore.