How common is it For newer Smith Revolvers to have canted barrels?

[armorer951]

As luck would have it, after a hiatus of 40 years from purchasing a "new in box" S&W revolver, (because of lack of funds, not desire) I was fortunate enough to receive a fine example of this barrel issue, or "calamity", in 2016. The brand new jewel came in the form of the 442-1, which because of the barrel's position, shoots 3" left at 7 yards. (barrel canted not so slightly to the right)

Since the purchase date, I've politely asked the fine people at Customer Service to fix the problem, and patiently waited for the gun's return....twice. Sadly, it arrived back home after both long trips in the same condition as when it left on the FedEx truck. Suffice it to say it still shoots 3" left at 7 yards, and probably always will. Sad.

 

[growr]

The canted barrels are a special order item for all of the gangstas with their special gangsta grip and hold. They did not come and pick all of them up (something about a decline on 4473) so Smith sold the remaining supply to us non-gangstas......

Randy

PS. Just being a little sarcastic here.....

 

[shocker]

I suspect this is one of the major reasons for the two-piece barrel design.

To be more specific, the skilled labor required to install a barrel correctly was the reason; the two-piece design is the solution.

"Every undertaking involving the expenditure of human energy is worthy of study with a view of making that expenditure more effective"
If you eliminate the possibility of a barrel cant due to human limitations, that's making the human more effective.

I'm a bit surprised the 2 piece barrel and ball detent lockup hasn't migrated to the standard L frames by now. 357s that is.

 

[Muley Gil]

Yes. I got a new 686 - 6 in Jan , 2018. I noticed the front sight was a little off and slanted down slightly on the left side. The dealer said I must be seeing things when he looked at it. Shortly after that I noticed the canted barrel. I showed it to and after trying to bull**** me said that yes I was right but it doesn't affect the accuracy. As a first time gun owner I just let it slide but , I did pay $745.00 for it.I expect better. Suggestions?
Never been fired.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[stansdds]

Nothing is perfect, including barrel position. So long as it does not adversely affect point of aim or is so obvious that it completely detracts from the appearance of the revolver, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

 

[Sodacracker]

Cross-section drawing of two-piece barrel design

Where can I see a cross-section drawing of the two-piece barrel design? If it is put together in the manner I envision, thereby creating tension in the barrel itself, it makes me wonder what happens to the barrel when it expands due to heat? Obviously it doesn’t appear to be a problem - but it is a curious design fact that I’m sure was given consideration. Long barrels would, perhaps, be more problematic than short, snub-nose barrels. In addition, I’m even more curious about the design of my new Model 19 Carry Comp. The end of the actual barrel is obviously behind the compensator port and the piece at the end of the barrel shroud is nothing more than a cap? There is a fine separation between this “cap” and the shroud - as though it wasn’t fully screwed down. Looking at the inside of the cap, there are no visible tool marks to indicate that the cap was installed with any significant torque applied. As the annulus space between the cap and the barrel is somewhat difficult to clean, that brings up another question. Is there a simple tool available that would permit removal and re-installation of the cap?

 

[colt_saa]

I have been reading that it's not that uncommon with the newer S&W revolvers to find examples with barrels that are canted IE not in perfect aligment with the flat top of the frame. This causing the front sight to not be in proper alignment with the rear sight.
I serm to remember that the ribbing across the top of the M29's reciever was carried all the way down to where it was joined withe the barrel thus making it easy to see if the barrel to frame allignment was correct. I was examining my new 629-6 and realized it's not an easy task to determine if the alignment is perfect.
Has anyone else seen this issue with the newer S&W revolvers?

Of the close to one and a half million firearms that Smith and Wesson has been shipping for most of the past 4 or 5 years, there are easily many dozens of examples that show up on this Forum annually.

If as you say "it's not an easy task to determine if the alignment is perfect." Then the alignment is fine.

For the front sight to cause a problem, any canting for the barrel would be very obvious to the naked eye

 

[labworm]

MY 60-15 had a canted barrel.
Did S&W satisfy my request? Of course they did.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge...vice-canted-barrel.html?408326=#post138278328

 

[armorer951]

MY 60-15 had a canted barrel.
Did S&W satisfy my request? Of course they did.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge...vice-canted-barrel.html?408326=#post138278328

Perhaps you could send mine back for me? Maybe I shouldn't have told them I was a S&W armorer.

 

[notsofast]

Not whining it is what it is, my 8x 627 pro came to me New with an over clocked barrel sleeve not a heck of a lot but it is definitely noticeable. The muzzle crown is pretty scary, honestly it looks like it was done with a chisel (wish I knew how to post pics). And of course one more thing the ejector rod isn’t straight, oddly enough it hasn’t caused any function issues. I like the gun use it a lot and don’t think about the issues much, but they surely could have done better. I have no plans to sell it but I also don’t see myself buying any new Smiths.
For those who do have new S&W revolvers and are satisfied I am definitely glad for them.

 

[stansdds]

Where can I see a cross-section drawing of the two-piece barrel design? If it is put together in the manner I envision, thereby creating tension in the barrel itself, it makes me wonder what happens to the barrel when it expands due to heat? Obviously it doesn’t appear to be a problem - but it is a curious design fact that I’m sure was given consideration. Long barrels would, perhaps, be more problematic than short, snub-nose barrels. In addition, I’m even more curious about the design of my new Model 19 Carry Comp. The end of the actual barrel is obviously behind the compensator port and the piece at the end of the barrel shroud is nothing more than a cap? There is a fine separation between this “cap” and the shroud - as though it wasn’t fully screwed down. Looking at the inside of the cap, there are no visible tool marks to indicate that the cap was installed with any significant torque applied. As the annulus space between the cap and the barrel is somewhat difficult to clean, that brings up another question. Is there a simple tool available that would permit removal and re-installation of the cap?

Dan Wesson Firearms pioneered the tensioned barrel revolver back in the 1970's. I do not recall anyone mentioning a shift in point of impact or a change in accuracy as those barrels heated. The tensioned barrel system actually dampens harmonic barrel vibrations and contributes to improved accuracy.

 

[ladder13]

All my guns are pre 2000 so they’re all perfect in every respect.

I’ve seen barrels canted to the left, have any been canted to the right?

 

[ron85305]

I don't own any new Smiths (newest one is from 1994) but I have sure seen a lot here complaining about canted barrels on new production guns. The only thing I can say from my experience is that it seems to be a more common place problem these days.

Time to start buying Rugers.

 

[Imissedagain]

If a 6 degree cant is okay, how about a 6 percent cut in salary for all employees, each week, until they do it right?
After 4 weeks they bee gettin' a 24 percent cut etc etc.
No reason for shoddy work.

 

[Dziadzi#1]

I bought a 1960- made model 28 a few years ago, and had trouble sighting it in. I thought that I was doing something wrong but realized that the barrel was canted to the left. A trip to the gunsmith took care of that.

 

[murphydog]

A five year old thread with the last revival 3 1/2 years ago.