Are you sure its "lead"??? WARNING!!!

[flat top]

JD500; Please keep us posted!!! Also, Frank told me that some Smith barrels have a very rough finish that will cause extreme copper or lead fouling, and the Smith has replaced those as well. One good thing, Smith "is" standing behind its product, so, we cant complain about that!

 

[model10]

Thanks for the heads up on this , One question was your 629 a dash or not ?? or just a plain 629 , Reason i ask is i have a - 3 that so far i havent seen any thing in it like yours , Hopely that S&W figgers out what is causeing this .I do wonder if some of the bullets had some zink in them just a off hand thought is all , zink is hard to clean up or off !

 

[JD 500]

my 629 is a 629-6.

 

[Schofieldkid81]

Hey, I have 2 newer Smiths that both have this type of defect(like in the picture), a 24-6 lew horton and a 610-3. The 24-6's "defects" showed up about a year ago, and I have shot 1000 rounds through it since then. They haven't gotten any worse, and the gun is extremly accurate. The 610-3 i got last month, showed this defect after my last trip to the range. I agree with s&wchad on this.

 

[flat top]

Just an update on this issue! The saga continues! This gun is going to see more of the country than I have! LSG finally recieved the new barrel that Smith said I needed to replace the barrel that had the flaws........only one problem.....the new barrel is in worse shape than the original, and, this is a newly manufactured barrel!!! So, what LSG and Smith have decided to do is to have my gun, and both barrels go to the Smith Engineering Department for inspection and disposition of the problem. In the meantime, I sit here "snubbieless"...and its just killing me!!! I will keep you all posted on what transpires!

 

[flat top]

Another update!!! Now, I have recieved an email from S&W Customer Service. They said they are going to make me an entirely new gun to replace mine!!!! Something is going on here. Some on here say this issue is not an issue, and Smith wants to replace the gun. The way I look at it, the only thing that needs to be replaced is the barrel...unless, Smith knows something and just aint tellin'!!!! Anyway, I asked the Customer Service rep if the replacement was going to be "identical" to the one I had, and, how long "this" was going to take (to make me a new gun)...I am awaiting a reply form Smith. It has been about 6 weeks now, since I sent the gun off for warranty repair...at this rate, I think I am going to demand a "loaner"!!!!

More to come...I am sure!!!!

 

[devildog66]

Would a magnaflux provide more answers?

 

[flat top]

I am sure it would. I am not concerned about the cause, as much as I am in getting my gun back. The gun went to Smith Engineering, and "if" they are interested, I am sure they will test the parts, but, I have a sneaking suspicion that they already know what the problem is. This seems to be a frequent issue with late model big bore Smiths.

 

[Dregg]

Wow, informative thread. Will keep my eyes on it.

 

[Nightowl]

I wonder if the new one will have the lock?

 

[flat top]

Nightowl...........it will probably come back to me with TWO locks!!!!

 

[flat top]

Update...yes again! Smith has now decided NOT to make me a new replacement for my gun!!! They offered me a replacement from their current catalog....for an equal price. Problem is, they have no snubbie of equal price in their catalog, and I was under the impression that I would have to pay up to get a replacement gun...that was totally unacceptable, and on top of that, and my main problem with that scenario is, their new catalog has nothing that I want that has the traits of my current gun. Then, I get an email from customer service, stating that they are going to replace the barrel on my current gun, and if everything else is correct (which it was), they are going to test the gun and if it is good to go, will go back to LSG, and then to me! I recieved word Friday, that the barrel has been replaced, and that the gun has checked out and passed inspection on the range, and is going back to LSG on Monday. Also, the email stated that Smiths ECR process (Electrochemical Rifling), causes this issue, but it is only a side effect of that process and is no cause for concern...which leads me to this question: If it is not a concern, why did Smith replace the barrel? Again, I will keep you informed of what transpires............

 

[Nightowl]

At least you got your gun back, fixed and no lock!!

 

[flat top]

Nightowl; Yup, finally going to get the gun back, but, unfortunately it is a -6...it does have a lock (another one of Smiths bright ideas!!!!) I am anxious to "see" this "new" barrel when it comes back. I found out that Smith still "broach" rifles thier 22lr and ported gun barrels....Maybe I could have talked them into broaching my replacement barrel, but, I was pretty hard on those folks, and they were scrambling to satisfy thier customer.. Oh well, its a done deal now...we shall see what transpires!

 

[flat top]

This will be my last post on this thread. I recieved my gun back today, and the problem has NOT been solved!

The "new" barrel bore looks just like the original barrel (the defects are still present), the fit and finish of the new barrel is very poor, and the new barrel was not even crowned!

Evidently, Smith does not want me as a customer, so I am going to honor thier wishes! I will NEVER buy a new Smith again, and I sure as heck will never send any of my older guns to Smith for any kind of repair work.

Smith has proven to me that they do not care about this problem, the quality of their new guns, or satisfying a customer! This whole situation has been an exersize in futility, and a waste of time and effort.

Smith and Wesson "used" to be the premier manufacturer of handguns, and the older Smiths that I own are "jewels". Unfortunately times have evidently changed, and Smith is now satisfied turning out mass produce handguns in record numbers to appease sales, with very little regard to quality. Customer service and satisfaction seems to be a thing of the past as well.

As far as I am concerned, this gun has become worthless! Just try selling a gun with a bore in this condition (regardless of the fact that Smith says it is "supposed to be that way", and meets their "standards").....No potential buyer of the gun would accept a gun like this with a bore exhibiting the flaws that this barrel has.

So, here I am, stuck with this gun, and my only alternative to make it viable for resale is to rebarrel the gun, with a "non-Smith" aftermarket product, at a cost that I would probably never recoup if the gun was sold.

I guess its time to "move up" to Taurus or Rossi for all my new gun needs!

 

[RDak]

Wow! I'm sorry to hear all about this flat top.

Do NOT give up on this gun. You get ahold of Frank and tell him this is unacceptable. Do NOT give up.

You tell them the new barrel is exhibiting the same problem and is not crowned properly, etc.

You paid good money for that gun and it should be fixed by S&W.

 

[flat top]

RDak; Frank at LSG was not the problem.... they (LSG) treated me very well, and I was very satisfied with the way that they handled everything. When Smith told LSG they wanted the gun back, thats where everything fell apart. I really feel like they (Smith) were just trying to B.S. me, and get me out of their hair! I have a call in to the head of customer service, and have not recieved a call back. "If" I do, I will report on what transpires, but, up to this point, Smith has shown me that they are better at making excuses, than they are at making guns! I am almost afraid to send the gun back to Smith for fear of what other issues may arise.........Right now, I am researching an aftermarket replacement barrel or a rebarreling by someone like Magnaport. I really like this gun, and maybe its worth saving if the cost of rebarreling wont exceed the future resale value of the gun with that type of modification. I guess I just expected the "new" Smith to be the same as the original, and evidently they are not, be it quality, or, customer service.

 

[raypsi]

WARNING: NEVER LOCK A LOADED FIREARM AND
NEVER LOAD A LOCKED FIREARM!

is the warning in my SD40 manual, that comes with a cable lock, the paradox goes on. I wonder how they figure that out, for an SD40, surely I must have sum pixie dust to do it, else, not possible in my book.

 

[Justjim]

Same condition

I purchased a Model 629-6 In April. When it arrived the barrel was over clocked (Turned past where it should have been.) I returned it to S & W. They replaced the frame. The old barrel was returned on the new frame. This barrel exhibited the same condition as described above. S & W is not what it was.

 

[PhilOhio]

Justjim says, "I purchased a Model 629-6 In April. When it arrived the barrel was over clocked (Turned past where it should have been.) I returned it to S & W. They replaced the frame. The old barrel was returned on the new frame. This barrel exhibited the same condition as described above. S & W is not what it was."

Apparently not. A couple months ago, I bought a new 649, the J frame .357 snubby. With a 2 1/8" barrel, you need all the oomph you can get from the burning powder to do any good.

I measured the cylinder gap at .009"! No revolver should be much more than .004", and all Smiths used to be about that.

Now I hear that Smith's new "specification" for acceptable cylinder gap is .010", which is absurd. There goes all the gas. It's like trying to race a 2000 H.P. dragster with a slipping clutch.

So, no need to complain and send the gun back. It isn't worth my time. I'd be told, "It's in spec" ...just the new spec.

Unfortunately, the laws of physics have not changed along with the spec.

But it looks neat and makes a very big bang. Maybe I could down a bad guy with the shock wave from a full steam .357 load that doesn't push a bullet very fast, because all the gas goes out the cylinder gap. With the cylinder gap side blast, I could nail his two buddies on either side of me, too. Three with one shot.