Broken 28-2

[dnonac]

Did a little dry fire last night with my favorite 28-2 4" and after a few pulls, the action locked up. Only thing I could tell was that the trigger felt out of alignment.

I pulled the sideplate to investigate and found that the trigger stud had broken loose from the frame....allowing the trigger to move around and locking up the action.

I called S&W today and they told me to ship it (which I just did). Paul, at S&W indicated that the repair would involve replacing the trigger stud (crown stud) which would run under $100 including return shipping. He also asked if I wanted a re-finish job which would have been $200 including the stud repair. Since the gun is a shooter and I didn't pay much for it, I opted to only have the stud repaired. But.....I may change my mind in a few days. Shipping and insurance with UPS was $58.

I presume they'll need to drill through the sideplate and re-weld a new stud. Since it's such a small diameter stud, I am hopeful that there won't be a huge unsightly mark on the frame. They indicated they would polish the work out as good as possible. I'll keep you posted and send pics when I get it back.

Anybody else ever had this happen?

 

[ken158]

It happens on occassion but not much choice about getting it fixed... I would want the factory to do the work. You may get off cheaper than quoted. You sure got hosed on shipping though... FedEx "saver" is the way to go and costs me under $25

 

[dnonac]

It happens on occassion but not much choice about getting it fixed... I would want the factory to do the work. You may get off cheaper than quoted. You sure got hosed on shipping though... FedEx "saver" is the way to go and costs me under $25

I agree. There was not a question of fixing it or not for sure.

I'll check into the FedEx saver next time. S&W told me to ship either UPS Nextday Air or FedEx Priority. This morning, FedEx quoted me $89 (including $300 insurance coverage). That's what prompted me to go to UPS.

 

[Boxhead]

I am surprised they are charging you for the work. Seems to me it should be warranty work.

 

[VM]

I am surprised they are charging you for the work. Seems to me it should be warranty work.

I'm pretty sure that warranty work is only covered back to 1989

 

[dnonac]

I'm pretty sure that warranty work is only covered back to 1989

I was hoping it was covered.....but they were pretty clear that it wasn't.

I just hope they can get it back together OK without requiring a complete refinish.

 

[Boxhead]

They just did a fine job on a M25-5 of mine I reported below. Paul emailed me advising progress as it was being worked. Very fair price for repairs and they "fixed" about everything needing it well beyond the original repair.

 

[madmikeb]

I had the trigger stud break on one of my 29-2's years ago, shipped it back to the factory and they repaired it and refinished the gun free of charge. This was in my younger days and the gun had been fed a steady diet of the Lyman cast Keith bullet #429421 with 21.5 grains of 2400. I used think anything less was a "wimp load"! It was my first 29, and at the time it was the only .44 I had so it saw a lot of use. Not to long after that I shipped the gun to Andy Cannon and had him to his deluxe action and accuracy job, but these days I keep the gun for primarily light and mid-range loads. I guess you could say it semi-retired!

 

[Hyperion]

The same thing happened on my 686 no dash in September of 2008. I was firing my reloads when the cylinder wouldn't turn. It looked to me like the primer had flowed back into the firing pin hole. I couldn't understand that since there were no indications of over pressure so I took it home and disassembled it. That was when I found the broken stud.

I got it new in 12/82 so there was no warranty coverage and I paid Smith for the repair (and paid the shipping, too). Even paying for the stud and refinishing, they did other work on it (for free). I remember they even recut the forcing cone (I'd shot a zillion 125 grain magnums through it). They also "updated" the trigger by removing my Fred Sadowski (300 Gunsmithing) contoured trigger and action job. They did return those parts to me, though I have not tried to replace them.

They had two different pin replacement processes and two different prices. One would be where they just bored a hole through the frame and then screwed the new pin in. The pin base would show from the outside. The other was supposed to be invisible from the outside. I paid for the higher priced repair. They also charged me for "refinishing" it. That surprised me because it was stainless but I said to do it. It came back with the stud clearly showing and a lousy "refinish." They had "polished" it to the point that the logo (on the right side) was partially polished out. I called them and complained. They sent me a postage paid envelope to return it, and I decided it wasn't worth another trip out to I-70 to ship it, and I didn't want to do without it any longer.

I still have it and it still shoots fine. It did take some time for the trigger to slick up though.

 

[OLDFED]

My 28

is now at the factory for 'end-shake'. They paid for my shipping back there and will charge "under $100" for the repairs and mailing back to me. I agree you got hosed on the $58.00. Sumpin ain't right!

 

[AZretired]

I recently had a new hand installed and the action inspected for other problems on a 65-1 and it only cost about $100.00 , including shipping both ways. Very happy with the work, the action is slicker than ever.

 

[GRIM REAPER]

broken hammer stud

Back in the seventy's I had a pre 36 break the hammer stud. I could not fix it. I called Smith and they told me to send it to them. I did. They repaired the stud and reblued the gun for nothing. They shipped it back to me and all it cost me was the shipping to them. I guess times have changed.