Bought my LAST new S&W revolver

[Greyman50]

Pete if you think the revolver addiction is bad wait til you get into 1911s, LOL!

 

[Tabby Lynn]

Talked to 3 different " customer support" guys and none could explain the problem. I asked them why the small part could not be taped to a sheet of paper and mailed in a business envelope, no response. Go figure but I call BS, IMHO the truth is no one at S&W gives a rat azz. Sadly typical of far to many businesses in the US.

I have no idea who you were talking to but I have not had any issues with S&W sending small parts to my via US Mail, in the three times that I had talked to them they put the part in an envelope and sent it out the same day, free of charge. A lot of how things go has a lot to do with attitude. There are a lot of attitude issues here on the forum and if you talk to the customer service specialist like you talk here I can understand why you have issues. How would you like to be a customer support person and have to deal with people like yourself all day?

Being nice, and being friendly goes a long way toward getting help. As for S&W turn around time, I have had issues with S&W products over the years. Not often but when I call to send the firearm in for warranty repair the same goes, be nice and be friendly. The longest turn around time I have ever had was 4 weeks, 3 is the usual and most of that is the time it takes to get there and back.

In a forum like this, I find it not uncommon to have a lot of people complaining about this or that. I also see that the thousands of people who have bought the flawless firearms, have no reason to come here, only those who like to complain. So keep in mind, be nice and friendly when you call for warranty or repair work, and think about how you would feel if you were the product support specialist and had to deal with you.

 

[Max123]

Bought a new 610 mountain gun and first time shooting it the gold bead front sight went flying. Called S&W 3 times and they say they have the order " but shipping has a problem". and they have no idea when it will be shipped. I may have been born at night but not last night and for a $1200 revolver just unacceptable. Gold bead insert could be put in a first class envelope with sheet of paper folded over and in the mail. They also said they do not accept returned firearms so I'm done with S&W.

BTW bought a 70s Mdl. 63 yesterday and it was rough as a cob. Today removed side plate and Ray Charles could see the problems. After a hour with several stones and small fine cratex wheel its very nice and going to range tomorrow.

Such a minute problem but aggravating I'm sure . How did the piece preform other than that? I was looking at the .357 mountain gun and liked the feel of it.
I sent a 19-3 back to S&W performance shop a few years ago and had a fantastic experience with the tech even calling me to go over the service. I'm sure that the majority of their team wether in manufacturing or service work are very proud of the work they do and the company itself so it's just sad to hear you had so much anguish over that little plastic insert. Good luck and be patient, it does take a while .

 

[gk9344]

Warranty work door to door on my 617 was less than 4 weeks after dropping it off at FedEx. Have yet to get it to the range to see if they fixed all the issues.
Long rant coming..........
If not, it will go back again with a testy letter to some of the S&W executives. In many instances, the pen can be mightier than the sword.
I'm suspect there is some 'bean counter' somewhere in the bowels of S&W who is measuring % of warranty returns against units manufactured. I also suspect S&W executives have determined an acceptable failure rate.
The MSRP on my 617 is $979.00. It took me close to a year to find one from my local dealer at $679.00. I'm sure he did not sell it at a loss & I suspect the distributor he got it from didn't either. If one goes a little further you can probably drill down and guesstimate that it costs S&W a little over $400.00 to manufacture the item (amount extrapolated based on information available in AI).
Taking this a step further, shipping & insurance by FedEx was around $120.00 (based on information on shipping label). According to AI, the average wage for a blue collar worker in MA is around $37.00/hr. I suspect y'all can see where I'm going with this.
The point I'm trying to make, each time an item goes back for warranty work, the profit is diminished for that unit. While it's commendable there are those who fix their issues. I would submit you are doing both S&W and your selves a disservice by not forcing S&W to improve their out the door quality control.
At least they have not off shored their customer service & manufacturing....... so far.
Just my opinion.

 

[Greyman50]

Such a minute problem but aggravating I'm sure . How did the piece preform other than that? I was looking at the .357 mountain gun and liked the feel of it.
I sent a 19-3 back to S&W performance shop a few years ago and had a fantastic experience with the tech even calling me to go over the service. I'm sure that the majority of their team wether in manufacturing or service work are very proud of the work they do and the company itself so it's just sad to hear you had so much anguish over that little plastic insert. Good luck and be patient, it does take a while .

Not a plastic insert. Actual gold plated pin simple inserted into hole in rear face of front sight, pic I posted shows the empty hole.
You say minute problem , well after paying $1200.oo any Reasonable Man would surely not expect something so simple to fail. The blatant failure of design, engineering and assembly is dang gone obvious and totally Unacceptable. By chance those in design, engineering and assembly do not know how to do their jobs then here we are with such issues….

 

[Jerry in SC]

I had warranty issue with a Colt King Cobra Target .22. It was from the first run, excess endshake, they sent me a new gun six months later. That one broke the hammer hook, they repaired it in four weeks. It broke again, this time they offered me a full refund without me even asking, the check came in two weeks. I have two from 2024 and 2025 that have been perfect so far. I may have had a problem, but you can't fault service like that.

 

[Greyman50]

I have no idea who you were talking to but I have not had any issues with S&W sending small parts to my via US Mail, in the three times that I had talked to them they put the part in an envelope and sent it out the same day, free of charge. A lot of how things go has a lot to do with attitude. There are a lot of attitude issues here on the forum and if you talk to the customer service specialist like you talk here I can understand why you have issues. How would you like to be a customer support person and have to deal with people like yourself all day?

Being nice, and being friendly goes a long way toward getting help. As for S&W turn around time, I have had issues with S&W products over the years. Not often but when I call to send the firearm in for warranty repair the same goes, be nice and be friendly. The longest turn around time I have ever had was 4 weeks, 3 is the usual and most of that is the time it takes to get there and back.

In a forum like this, I find it not uncommon to have a lot of people complaining about this or that. I also see that the thousands of people who have bought the flawless firearms, have no reason to come here, only those who like to complain. So keep in mind, be nice and friendly when you call for warranty or repair work, and think about how you would feel if you were the product support specialist and had to deal with you.

Unsure where you got that I was rude??? I merely asked for a replacement gold dot insert to be mailed to me. Those I spoke to gave me LAME excuses. Was in charge of plant maintenance for the 3 rd largest Corp. in the world many years ago. Have dealt with every type in business good, bad and horrible.

 

[Dan5809]

A box of candy for $1200.00…This 610 is a box of s-+t. If the gun shop I bought it from wasn't 200 miles away I'd take it back. Have a friend thats a jeweler and will him to gold plate the head of a small nail and replace it. Oh did I mention it had no forcing cone? Another screw up but a small stone on my dremil followed by a fine polishing wheel fixed that. Just finished trigger job on my Colt Delta Elite and think I'll stick to 1911 types and OLDER S&Ws. Also finished " tuning up" the Mdl 63 bought last week, mfg'ed in 1977 and have read thay were " rough". This one had so many issues from lousy machining that was easy to fix.
Have started telling gun buddies to Avoid new S&Ws, couple gun shows coming up and a table to " display" this POS might be a very good idea…..

I've been an S&W customer since around 1980. In recent years the price has exceeded the quality. I've purchased other brands, Sig, Ruger, and Taurus. I am convinced that Taurus has greatly improved the quality while holding prices at affordable levels. My last three purchases were Taurus.

 

[Dave Haynes]

I was friends with several Sonoma County sheriffs, one was the firearms guy. When S&W was sold to Bangor Punta the Mod 19 pistols were so bad that entire shipments would arrive with almost 100% failure rates. This is nothing new to S&W. So 1965 to 1984 they were making junk too? I suspect that they survived using a 100 years of good history which has been long gone now.

 

[Law-dog]

Bought a new 610 mountain gun and first time shooting it the gold bead front sight went flying. Called S&W 3 times and they say they have the order " but shipping has a problem". and they have no idea when it will be shipped. I may have been born at night but not last night and for a $1200 revolver just unacceptable. Gold bead insert could be put in a first class envelope with sheet of paper folded over and in the mail. They also said they do not accept returned firearms so I'm done with S&W.

BTW bought a 70s Mdl. 63 yesterday and it was rough as a cob. Today removed side plate and Ray Charles could see the problems. After a hour with several stones and small fine cratex wheel its very nice and going to range tomorrow.

Not trashing the complaint you have or the comments anyone else has made, just chiming in from a legal angle and a longer term collector who buys one or two per year for 5 decades, I have a pile.

You complaint is not well described in terms of how the world works today in manufacturing and distribution. The earth is no longer flat and the term common sense has changed in meaning, we all need to keep up.

When an issue comes before any CS group, the issue of shipping relies on many things. Of course with your background as the head guy of the third largest company of it's kind you know that CS people are not located in the supply or parts house and often not in the same state. An electronic communication goes into a first come first served pile of digital orders, you know that.

The CS guys would not likely have any idea how many spare parts of that kind are in storage for some future complaint, especially if that is a part that never or seldom fails. When a product is that good, they do not order or store a lot of those parts, so factually and practically, when those guns are that good, you would normally expect delays, and perhaps until a new production run of that part is ordered. That being said, where do they source small gold bead pieces that are used to enhance visibility for shooting handguns. The CS people would not likely know where those little gold beads come from, because Smith and Wesson produces or has produced many different guns with many different sighting options, perhaps in the thousands.

I assume the gun still shot just fine, but the gold bead might have aided the sight picture?

Personally, I buy one Smith and Wesson handgun per year, sometimes 2 and in recent years only buy new ones. I have had exactly one problem, and that was the cheap little fibre optic piece in the front sight of the 5.7 x 28 handgun. Like yours it just went flying off at the range. Apparently they have a front sight problem. Superglue or epoxy likely would have prevented that. I will be calling them next week and see how my complaint compares with yours.

Historically, I have never ever had a problem with them. I was asked to evaluate a SW AR 10 and we found the rifle was shipped with no rifling in the barrel whatsoever. They made it good immediately.

As to your comment about them not accepting used guns. From a legal standpoint AND from a practical standpoint it is not just a business decision. Once a gun enters private hands, it is a product of unknown damage and there is no idea of whether the gun has fired ammo above the proof testing protocols. It would be legally insane for any company to take a gun back after ownership has changed.

Why? because people who buy things and damage them lie about them and try to return them for a full refund. When a person like yourself, suddenly wants a new gun because the front bead on the front sight fell off, you suddenly become a common sense suspect case.

I once bought a used rifle for a fraction of the cost, the local dealer refunded the full price of the gun and took it back. I was offered the gun cheap with the understanding in writing that it was suspect and I waived all liability. The facts were the guy bought it a week before deer gun season, kept it 3 weeks and brought it back claiming it was not accurate. That was lie, I killed a huge buck with it later and it shoots just fine. People do that.

Keep in mind that Walmart is an easy company to sue, because they have lots of money. Monsanto the company that makes Round Up week killer is an easy company to sue, and Smith and Wesson is easy to sue because they have lots of money. Juries almost always buy into the lies of individuals suing big companies. Did I mention that I am a retired attorney?

Smith and Wesson would put their company at risk for every gun that they accept back as they could not sell it without risk. And the cost of proof testing all such returned guns would destroy any profit margin built into the gun.

Practically speaking, I understand your frustration. I have plenty of money and would like to add a 610, but am not willing to part with $1,200 for one, and probably never will, I have lots others, including vintage that perform very well, and certainly much more powerful than the nice little 10mm, I have them in 1911s and like the round a lot. Milder that 357 wheel guns and just a pleasure for an old guy to shoot all day.

I am curious why you just did not shoot it as is, until the new bead comes in the mail, eventually, their data base will find one and be shipped to you. Then you can epoxy it or superglue or whatever. So, did you try shooting it like I did with my fiber optic insert removed? It does make a difference in daylight, but I noticed it did not matter much when I was shooting in a dark range.

As to never buying that brand again, there is always an issue of the competition. I am well aware that Taurus is getting very , very few complaints about their wheel guns. That is when you look at the number they market and the number that actually have problems, the number is statistically insignificant. I am neither a Taurus fan or do I trash them, I have their Rossi lever guns in 454 and 357 and one of their 357 wheel guns, and a couple others, all are perfect in every way. I did send a used Rossi wheel gun back a couple years ago to replace a missing sight, they did, even though I was the second owner, they cleaned and polished the gun, test fired it and had it back in 2 weeks, and it never cost me a dime. Taurus? Who knew. The little 9 shot ultralight is now my tackle box gun, loaded with snake shot for fishing. It replaces my vintage SW model 63, a collectors item that lives in the safe.

You just bought model 63, so your know, mine was made in 1980, barely got the pinned barrel one. You are lucky to find one of that vintage, most folks hang onto them, mine is extremely accurate and I cherish that one.

Just saying, no company should replace or buy back a used gun, one that has legally changed ownership, that is not even a close question. And in my view, there is a logical reason why they cannot immediately tell you when that small part might be found at the supplier and when it could be shipped directly from the source to you, or to Smith and Wesson and then on to you.

Then again, the gun should be just fine, but that the bead would enhance your sight picture during shooting sessions with good light. I am reminded that I have several dozen guns with plain front sights. All of them would be better with gold beads or maybe fibre sights, but they work pretty good without that addition. I carried handguns with plain black front sights in harms way outside the US and at 4 different law enforcement agencies for half a century, and they worked OK. Not trashing your choice, just mentioning an option.

An maybe Taurus would be a better place for your new acquisitions. I love my Rugers, but not very impressed with their customer service at all. That said I will probably keep buying Rugers anyway. And I have some Colts, they have lost their appeal to many, but mine are just fine. None of those companies are perfect, just saying.

I am just suggesting that marketing in the modern world is different and maybe there is a better way that taking a loss on a gun when the proper part will get here eventully.

 

[DKM]

I also have no intentions of ever buying a new S&W revolver.

I bought one of the new green no lock comp model 19 revolvers. The ejector rod was not straight. It looked like someone had straighted it enough to worked, but really looked cheep. But the killer was the sights could not adjust enough to get the gun on target. Shot nice groups, but a foot low and left, at 15 yards.

It is such a piece of junk. After having older S&W revolvers, S&W for me no longer exist !

It's just such a poor example of a revolver I have no desire to have it fixed, and too much respect to dump it on another person.

I will enjoy the older, real ones, not the make believe fake one's.

 

[Greyman50]

Not trashing the complaint you have or the comments anyone else has made, just chiming in from a legal angle and a longer term collector who buys one or two per year for 5 decades, I have a pile.

You complaint is not well described in terms of how the world works today in manufacturing and distribution. The earth is no longer flat and the term common sense has changed in meaning, we all need to keep up.

When an issue comes before any CS group, the issue of shipping relies on many things. Of course with your background as the head guy of the third largest company of it's kind you know that CS people are not located in the supply or parts house and often not in the same state. An electronic communication goes into a first come first served pile of digital orders, you know that.

The CS guys would not likely have any idea how many spare parts of that kind are in storage for some future complaint, especially if that is a part that never or seldom fails. When a product is that good, they do not order or store a lot of those parts, so factually and practically, when those guns are that good, you would normally expect delays, and perhaps until a new production run of that part is ordered. That being said, where do they source small gold bead pieces that are used to enhance visibility for shooting handguns. The CS people would not likely know where those little gold beads come from, because Smith and Wesson produces or has produced many different guns with many different sighting options, perhaps in the thousands.

I assume the gun still shot just fine, but the gold bead might have aided the sight picture?

Personally, I buy one Smith and Wesson handgun per year, sometimes 2 and in recent years only buy new ones. I have had exactly one problem, and that was the cheap little fibre optic piece in the front sight of the 5.7 x 28 handgun. Like yours it just went flying off at the range. Apparently they have a front sight problem. Superglue or epoxy likely would have prevented that. I will be calling them next week and see how my complaint compares with yours.

Historically, I have never ever had a problem with them. I was asked to evaluate a SW AR 10 and we found the rifle was shipped with no rifling in the barrel whatsoever. They made it good immediately.

As to your comment about them not accepting used guns. From a legal standpoint AND from a practical standpoint it is not just a business decision. Once a gun enters private hands, it is a product of unknown damage and there is no idea of whether the gun has fired ammo above the proof testing protocols. It would be legally insane for any company to take a gun back after ownership has changed.

Why? because people who buy things and damage them lie about them and try to return them for a full refund. When a person like yourself, suddenly wants a new gun because the front bead on the front sight fell off, you suddenly become a common sense suspect case.

I once bought a used rifle for a fraction of the cost, the local dealer refunded the full price of the gun and took it back. I was offered the gun cheap with the understanding in writing that it was suspect and I waived all liability. The facts were the guy bought it a week before deer gun season, kept it 3 weeks and brought it back claiming it was not accurate. That was lie, I killed a huge buck with it later and it shoots just fine. People do that.

Keep in mind that Walmart is an easy company to sue, because they have lots of money. Monsanto the company that makes Round Up week killer is an easy company to sue, and Smith and Wesson is easy to sue because they have lots of money. Juries almost always buy into the lies of individuals suing big companies. Did I mention that I am a retired attorney?

Smith and Wesson would put their company at risk for every gun that they accept back as they could not sell it without risk. And the cost of proof testing all such returned guns would destroy any profit margin built into the gun.

Practically speaking, I understand your frustration. I have plenty of money and would like to add a 610, but am not willing to part with $1,200 for one, and probably never will, I have lots others, including vintage that perform very well, and certainly much more powerful than the nice little 10mm, I have them in 1911s and like the round a lot. Milder that 357 wheel guns and just a pleasure for an old guy to shoot all day.

I am curious why you just did not shoot it as is, until the new bead comes in the mail, eventually, their data base will find one and be shipped to you. Then you can epoxy it or superglue or whatever. So, did you try shooting it like I did with my fiber optic insert removed? It does make a difference in daylight, but I noticed it did not matter much when I was shooting in a dark range.

As to never buying that brand again, there is always an issue of the competition. I am well aware that Taurus is getting very , very few complaints about their wheel guns. That is when you look at the number they market and the number that actually have problems, the number is statistically insignificant. I am neither a Taurus fan or do I trash them, I have their Rossi lever guns in 454 and 357 and one of their 357 wheel guns, and a couple others, all are perfect in every way. I did send a used Rossi wheel gun back a couple years ago to replace a missing sight, they did, even though I was the second owner, they cleaned and polished the gun, test fired it and had it back in 2 weeks, and it never cost me a dime. Taurus? Who knew. The little 9 shot ultralight is now my tackle box gun, loaded with snake shot for fishing. It replaces my vintage SW model 63, a collectors item that lives in the safe.

You just bought model 63, so your know, mine was made in 1980, barely got the pinned barrel one. You are lucky to find one of that vintage, most folks hang onto them, mine is extremely accurate and I cherish that one.

Just saying, no company should replace or buy back a used gun, one that has legally changed ownership, that is not even a close question. And in my view, there is a logical reason why they cannot immediately tell you when that small part might be found at the supplier and when it could be shipped directly from the source to you, or to Smith and Wesson and then on to you.

Then again, the gun should be just fine, but that the bead would enhance your sight picture during shooting sessions with good light. I am reminded that I have several dozen guns with plain front sights. All of them would be better with gold beads or maybe fibre sights, but they work pretty good without that addition. I carried handguns with plain black front sights in harms way outside the US and at 4 different law enforcement agencies for half a century, and they worked OK. Not trashing your choice, just mentioning an option.

An maybe Taurus would be a better place for your new acquisitions. I love my Rugers, but not very impressed with their customer service at all. That said I will probably keep buying Rugers anyway. And I have some Colts, they have lost their appeal to many, but mine are just fine. None of those companies are perfect, just saying.

I am just suggesting that marketing in the modern world is different and maybe there is a better way that taking a loss on a gun when the proper part will get here eventully.

Gee , guess thats what one gets in new 610 mountain gun, PP quality. Never mentioned suing anyone as have seen enough of such. Fact it didn't have a forcing cone was a " fixable" problem . Another foul up by S&W. Fired it one time and after the results why would I want to keep shooting? Really turned me off. BTW have about 30+ other S&W revolvers and the ones I shoot have been fine. Maybe I'll stick to 1911s…..

 

[DCameron]

Talked to 3 different " customer support" guys and none could explain the problem. I asked them why the small part could not be taped to a sheet of paper and mailed in a business envelope, no response. Go figure but I call BS, IMHO the truth is no one at S&W gives a rat azz. Sadly typical of far to many businesses in the US.

I had a problem with the de-cocker on my model 669. Took it to a gunsmith and he could not fix it, but said it was fixed. Sent it to Smith & Wesson because I saw where the 669 had a recall on the de-cocker. It was fixed for free and returned within 14 days even though I was told it might take months.

 

[Law-dog]

I also have no intentions of ever buying a new S&W revolver.

I bought one of the new green no lock comp model 19 revolvers. The ejector rod was not straight. It looked like someone had straighted it enough to worked, but really looked cheep. But the killer was the sights could not adjust enough to get the gun on target. Shot nice groups, but a foot low and left, at 15 yards.

It is such a piece of junk. After having older S&W revolvers, S&W for me no longer exist !

It's just such a poor example of a revolver I have no desire to have it fixed, and too much respect to dump it on another person.

I will enjoy the older, real ones, not the make believe fake one's.

Could you post a picture of your rear sight blade? I have a problem in my mind imagining an adjustable rear sight blade that would be so far to one side as to not allow the gun to shoot forward and only still shoot to one side.

You do know that a replacement sight blade would probably be an ez fix for that correct. As a young cop in the 70s, we often had to adjust both fixed and adjustable sights, as many of the fixed sight Smith and Wessons simply did not come from the factory to shoot to point of aim, but once adjusted they were good for life, so if you ever buy a used cop SW gun, they should have been corrected early on.

For those not familiar, you can just enlarge one side of the rear sight a tiny about and that will correct the problem. Same thing with fixed sights. Here is a blurb from Gun Digest, anybody can fiz them.

----

Adjust Iron Sights On A Fixed-Sight Semi-Auto Pistol

To make horizontal adjustments on most pistols, you move the rear sight. Use a brass or copper punch and a hammer, or an adjustment fixture. To move the bullet impact to the right, move the rear sight to the right. Move the sight to the left to move the bullet to the left. Many modern pistols will have a front sight that is installed in the slide by means of a dovetail. Just like the rear, the front sight is pressed into the dovetail and left centered on the slide.

If you have a pistol that strikes right or left of your aiming point, look first at the front sight as a check. Measure it. Is it centered? If it is, then you can proceed to make your corrections on the rear. If it is not, plot the front sight offset, and how it affects your problem. If you find that you have a pistol that hits to the right, and curiously enough your front sight is left of center, perhaps the front is more of your problem than the rear? Center the front sight, test-shoot again, and see what happens.

Unlike barrel turning, you can calculate the exact amount you have to move your pistol sight without trekking back and forth to the range. The ratio of the sight radius to the correction needed is the same as the ratio of the distance to the target and correction on the target. This is the same formula in Chapter 3, using a mill to adjust your sights. The sight correction divided by the sight radius equals the target error divided by the target distance.
-----------------------------------
here i
This is often a problem with Glocks, but easily fixed in about 5 minutes, same with wheel guns like the model 19, 66, etc. I have several.

Shooting a foot low at 15 yards sounds a bit strange. He you fired more than one brand of ammo from a rest?

Shooting low is not a problem, like shooting high can be. Why? Because once you decide on the perfect groups and perfect round for that ammo, if you do not have enough elevation adjustment, You just take off tiny, tiny, tiny amounts of the front sight to get to Point of Aim. It is simple, as cops we were doing that in 1970 that I recall, same with every wheel gun. Of course you can twist the barrel sometimes, but why bother when there is an ez fix anyone can do. Turning a barrel is gunsmith work, adjust sights is an operator activity for gun owners.

So, take a picture and post it, any old wheel gun guy can tell you how to fix it, in minutes.

 

[Law-dog]

Gee , guess thats what one gets in new 610 mountain gun, PP quality. Never mentioned suing anyone as have seen enough of such. Fact it didn't have a forcing cone was a " fixable" problem . Another foul up by S&W. Fired it one time and after the results why would I want to keep shooting? Really turned me off. BTW have about 30+ other S&W revolvers and the ones I shoot have been fine. Maybe I'll stick to 1911s…..

I build 1911s and love them. Not sure what the forcing cone issue is, but send it back. It might take months, but you are going to be months older anyway. Make them make it right, you paid for it, do not let them get away with it, that is how we make companies make better products.

And those of us who do have 30 other handguns, have plenty to shoot while it is being repaired. Just saying, do not let them beat you down, their problem, their nickel, they can fix it.

 

[Greyman50]

Doubt the trouble will be worth it, I'll just go to my jeweler friend and get him to gold plate the head of the right size nail/ tac and loc-tite it and most likely sell it. Really Po'ed as been looking for a 610 for several years. Just finished a Colt 1911A-1 match pistol. 2 slides, one traditional and one with a green dot. To range tomorrow before dentist. Most likely fire another 50 rounds with my Delta Elite to satisfy the 10 mm itch, lol.

 

[RMS272829]

my brother and I recently each purchased new 686's. Neither would fire a full cylinder full of 357 rounds before the cylinder would lock up. Call CS and they immediately gave me RA for both guns and instructions on how to return them. Received them back in less than 4 weeks. Due to my brother having neck/spine surgery and waiting for the new Range USA facility to open neither has been fired with live rounds. They both have worked when using snap-caps and used brass. I had excellent service from the warranty customer service folks.

 

[DarryH]

a box of chocolates causing tooth decay can easily cost over $1200!!!

 

[dbcolts]

Bought a new 610 mountain gun and first time shooting it the gold bead front sight went flying. Called S&W 3 times and they say they have the order " but shipping has a problem". and they have no idea when it will be shipped. I may have been born at night but not last night and for a $1200 revolver just unacceptable. Gold bead insert could be put in a first class envelope with sheet of paper folded over and in the mail. They also said they do not accept returned firearms so I'm done with S&W.

BTW bought a 70s Mdl. 63 yesterday and it was rough as a cob. Today removed side plate and Ray Charles could see the problems. After a hour with several stones and small fine cratex wheel its very nice and going to range tomorrow.

Unbelievable!.....terrible customer service.
In the 1980's...I was a Smith & Wesson law enforcement distributor. And their customer service...especially with police....was impeccable and prompt. I had bought a damaged S&W Model 15 at a gun show that had obviously had an over-pressure round fired in it. And 1/2 the cylinder was gone and the top-strap broken. I sent it to S&W for repair and they sent me a new Model 15 with the same serial number. So....I started buying damaged S&W pistols (usually for $5 to $10) and sent them to S&W....and I'd get a new gun replacing it. The factory representative said that they didn't want anyone to see the damaged S&W's.

 

[Thaddeus Beauregard]

Gold dot insert for front sight. Like a small flat head tack with the head gold plated. Small hole in rear face of front sight blade. Minute spot of loc-tite would have fixed it but as I posted they dont use loc-tite, give me a break….

Just FYI, S&W doesn't stock the little gold beads as a separate replacement part. They would replace the whole gold bead front sight. They also don't manufacture those gold bead sights, they buy them from a supplier.

 

[Greyman50]

Just FYI, S&W doesn't stock the little gold beads as a separate replacement part. They would replace the whole gold bead front sight. They also don't manufacture those gold bead sights, they buy them from a supplier.

So a logical question, S&W can not order a few gold dot inserts from the mfg??? S&W does not have the business standing to do such?
Guess I'm very happy not to be in the system there is today with businesses and manufactures with operations that totally ignore customers. All I can say is ,"See ya, hate to be ya.

 

[bobsguns]

I have all the revolvers I want,

I hope I never enter that nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bobsguns]

So a logical question, S&W can not order a few gold dot inserts from the mfg??? S&W does not have the business standing to do such?
Guess I'm very happy not to be in the system there is today with businesses and manufactures with operations that totally ignore customers. All I can say is ,"See ya, hate to be ya.

"Can" doesn't mean they either "want to" or "will", sadly.

To be fair, Smith is not alone in this practice, guns or otherwise. Sad.

 

[lkabug]

Count me in on the satisfied column.

I can report several interactions with S&W Customer Service.
Things like the magazine release button on a new E Series 1911 flying across the range, to incorrect barrel alignment. In every case the service has been better than expected.
I can't say I was really pleased with having to wait to get my guns back, but they did so without hassle.

 

[Thaddeus Beauregard]

So a logical question, S&W can not order a few gold dot inserts from the mfg??? S&W does not have the business standing to do such?
Guess I'm very happy not to be in the system there is today with businesses and manufactures with operations that totally ignore customers. All I can say is ,"See ya, hate to be ya.

No idea. But even if they could, this is kind of a rare thing to happen, so it really doesn't make sense to send you just the bead itself since they don't normally buy them that way, and it isn't that costly to begin with. So why would they send the customer something they have to assemble when they can just send you a whole new front sight? I bet it's no more expensive to buy and stock more assembled gold dot front sights than separate stocking numbers for the sight bodies and beads.

My 627 came with a smashed DX sight roll pin, and I called them for a replacement roll pin. They sent me a new gold bead front sight along with the plunger, spring, and pin when all I needed was a replacement roll pin. It took them 2 weeks to send me the replacement parts. Not fast by any means, but not too unreasonable given the extra parts they sent me as well.

I mean, sure, S&W could certainly react to your request more promptly and all, but the point is, S&W didn't make the front sight, they buy them, so the bead coming out of the sight blade is the fault of their supplier who made them. If they send you a new front sight just not as promtly as you would prefer, is that a terrible thing? I've seen some pretty poor examples of customer service, and this one just doesn't seem to quite rise to that level just yet. I would certainly be firm with them, but polite. You can still shoot and enjoy the gun just fine as-is until you get the new sight. Anytime a manufacturer makes thousands of something, there will be defects of some kind, especially when they don't make all parts in-house.