Is the frequency of lemons increasing?

[peterthefish]

Picked up a new 6 1/2" 629 today. By my records, this is the 9th new S&W wheel gun I've bought in the last 3 years. I had hoped that now that the panic had died down, QC would have improved, but when I went to check it out at the LGC, the cylinder was intermittently sticking on opening / closing. Turns out the center pin is long and filed at an angle.




No worries I thought - I'll fit it right when O get home, or fit a new pin to it. So I pick it up today, head home, and take a closer look at the job ahead. Now for the first time taking a closer look at the side plate I see there's more;





It's not flush anywhere but near the grips and has a nice screwdriver gouge on it. Now I'm thinking I have to take a closer look.

 

[peterthefish]

Going over the rest of the gun, I find;




A fair bit of rust under the crane on the frame. Never seen that before. And some dings on the cylinder to round things out;




Now I took this home prepared to manage the center pin issue on my own, but this is just a bridge too far for my patience.

Give that demand has slowed, how in the heck does this make it out of the factory. Wheel gun buyers these days are fewer and further between, and if the modern MIM guns weren't so easy to tune up for competition I'd be looking for options at this point. I'm sure once I get it back, and then get the cylinder cut for moonclips, it'll make a decent pin gun. I hope so at least...

 

[6ForSure]

Oy... Is this gun brand new, or just new to you? I think I know the answer, but I have to make sure.

 

[Pef]

I'm usually not one to quibble if a NIB gun from the factory has a minor ding, as they will soon be obscured by the ones I make, but that would consume my patience. Time for a warranty trip back to S&W.

 

[Bob1943]

Well, I have been looking for a new 686 for a year. Have looked at 26 of them during that period. All 26 either had a canted barrel or a scratched frame.

 

[bigggbbruce]

What's the problem. Looks like you bought yourself a fine firearm there.

 

[John R]

Should have looked closer before you turned loose of your money.

 

[6ForSure]

Should have looked closer before you turned loose of your money.

In my opinion we're here seeking advice and to help each other. How does that help anything?

 

[bigggbbruce]

In my opinion we're here seeking advice and to help each other. How does that help anything?

The OP was not seeking advice or help.

He was showing us the New fine gun he bought.

Sad new S&W revolvers are shipping this way.

 

[PR24]

Unacceptable!

 

[PR24]

I checked out a 66-8 today @ the shop. Nice action, well made; buuuut, the barrel was canted to the left. It was so apparent that the post was clearly listing to port & the serrations on the barrel weren't lining up with frame. What a DEAL BREAKER! I want one but not with that crappy QC!! Must have been made on a Monday.

The other glaringly obvious issue was the ball wasn't sitting in the notch on ejector rod shroud.....because of the cant of the barrel. Grrrrrrgh

 

[chief38]

S&W QC has gone down the tubes over the last few years and for some reason I actually see a disproportionate amount of defects on Performance Center guns that sell for higher prices. - what up with that? I always thought the higher the price the better the quality. Guess not!

 

[John R]

In my opinion we're here seeking advice and to help each other. How does that help anything?

I guess your opinion was wrong here, guy was showing us the gun he just bought, and all the problems he found.

 

[ccjcc81]

My ejector rod was cut at an angle. So the cylinder wouldn't open on 2 chambers, it would be stuck, and I'd have to cycle the cylinder to get it to a low side so it would open. I had to file it flat. before I filed it, it looked like they used a 50 grit grinding wheel to cut it at that angle. It looks better now, and works. I also had rust under the crane. I noticed that at the shop, the salesman said that "They're all like that!" I bit. The gun had to go back to S&W for other issues. It should arrive back tomorrow, I'm very anxious about it; I hope they fixed it.

 

[peterthefish]

Oy... Is this gun brand new, or just new to you? I think I know the answer, but I have to make sure.

Brand new. Still only has powder marks on 3 cylinders from factory test firing.

Should have looked closer before you turned loose of your money.

Perhaps. But I spent some time looking for one. This was the best price I found on one, and they only had one left in stock. the price was good enough that I was prepared to fit a new center pin if the one in it was too short. I also have enough experience with their warranty department to know they'll make it right, even if they don't get it right the first time, so I'm not too worried. I'd take the ugliest, most dinged up new S&W on the shelf if it saved me a hundred bucks confident I'd get back a nice new one.

I'm fortunate enough to get an opportunity to shoot with some of their engineers, who encourage sending them back. It's the only way to get feedback to the production line.

And for competition shooting, S&W is the only game in town. What, are you gonna buy a Ruger?!

My ejector rod was cut at an angle. So the cylinder wouldn't open on 2 chambers, it would be stuck, and I'd have to cycle the cylinder to get it to a low side so it would open. I had to file it flat. before I filed it, it looked like they used a 50 grit grinding wheel to cut it at that angle. It looks better now, and works. I also had rust under the crane. I noticed that at the shop, the salesman said that "They're all like that!" I bit. The gun had to go back to S&W for other issues. It should arrive back tomorrow, I'm very anxious about it; I hope they fixed it.

Have to wonder if we had the same gentleman put our guns together. My 5" 629, one of the last S&Ws I bought before this, had to go back as well...

Please. . . are we going to have yet another one of these threads?



To name a few.

Why not? I think it's useful to continue to add data points on the condition of what is making it out of the factory. Moreover, the type of issues is interesting to see. It's one thing for a gun to make it out with the center pin cut at an angle. It's not readily visible when the gun is open or closed. It's another thing for the gun to make it out with the side plate not properly attached!

 

[slabside2]

I switched over a year ago to Ruger revolvers thinking it was just S&W turning out **** not so I'm sending back a brand new LCR today because of issues.

 

[nipperdog]

This year I have Purchased a new M69,M629,M617,and a M63. Thankfully all of my new Revolvers were received in perfect condition. For every problem gun posted here, there are probably many more that leave the Factory defect free. Granted quality control is not what it was years ago, and some Employees are not as dedicated to producing a product rivaling the Older ones, but most other manufactured goods are not what they used to be either. Look at all the recalls GM is currently Experiencing.

 

[CajunBass]

Should have looked closer before you turned loose of your money.

In my opinion we're here seeking advice and to help each other. How does that help anything?

In my opinion, that's the best advice that's been given in the entire thread. If you look it over closely before you buy, you might just catch these problems before you spend your money.

Seems simple to me.

 

[Comrad]

There's a lack of quality in many things these days. It's no longer about making a quality product at a reasonable profit. It's all about pumping out as many as cheaply as possible and making a killing.

 

[peterthefish]

There's a lack of quality in many things these days. It's no longer about making a quality product at a reasonable profit. It's all about pumping out as many as cheaply as possible and making a killing.

I've got to think S&Ws shift in focus probably doesn't help. When all you make are metal guns, that's one thing. Now they've invested in the M&P and AR lines, as well as shooting and reloading accessories with the purchase of Battenfeld.

At the price I paid, don't mind sending it in for warranty work (although I would have preferred to use it for Sunday's pin shoot). But frankly just surprised it came out the door.