My novice take on current production S&W revolvers

[StakeOut]

I've bought and sold a lot of S&W handguns over past 50 years and never once need factory service to fix a manufacturing issue.Lucky I guess.

I have a weak spot right now with my fondness for the 44 caliber S&W revolvers and have 2 four hole turrets loaded with Lee 4 die sets to load 44 magnum and 44spl.The number of 44s keeps going up while my 1st generation autos have been reduced to 1.

On a recent Texas road trip I had some spare time so I stopped at a big box store in that area.

I was very interested in getting one of the new 2.75" Model 69 with intent to shoot it often.

They would do a price match from grab-a-gun($683).

They had only 1 in stock that that was brought out from the stockroom still in a sealed case.The clerk cut open the tape seal,checked over the gun and handed it to me.

It looked really nice at first and felt good in my hand but right away I saw a few scratches,rub marks and an obvious canted barrel.The trigger was like rough sandpaper(easily fixed).

I pointed out the barrel and the biggest scratch that was on the trigger guard.The reply was not to worry,it has a lifetime warranty and Smith would fix any defects free of charge.

I did not buy it.

 

[dogdoc]

I have been buying smiths since the early 1980s and I saw saw many problems with those although most minor. I think they may be more consistent now than ever. I just purchased a new classic and for the most part like it . The crown was not so my liking so I fixed it myself. It did not affect shooting but I like it better with a 45 degree crown. Timing,fit,and specs are better than ever in my opinion. I imagine if you are a shooter, the newer n frames are also more durable. I hate the lock but it is not a deal breaker for me. I have several with and without.

 

[iPac]

"Bangor Punta"! Oh yes, I remember those. I had a Model 27 from those days. It was one of the worst revolvers I have ever owned. I had a Model 41 also. It needed a gunsmith's help just to feed .22s. I had a .22/32 kit gun that you had to beat the ejector rod to get the empties out of it. I would infinitely prefer an newer manufactured gun to those of that era.

Nothing has really changed except instant communication cross country. The quality issues have been present dating back decades, and not just with S&W but pretty much all other manufacturers including Colt. You always have to examine each gun on its own merits.

I don't consider any gun made in the late '60s and newer "safe" from modern day manufacturing shortcuts.

 

[gman51]

HMMMM! Funny my new 627-5 pro shoots better than my 1968 Python. New junk.....that's hardly applicable across the table. But like was said this topic is just another broken record.

I do see the OP's point in find three guns at three different LGS having flaws is not a positive for S&W. At the same time though many gun makers are letting bad apples to get put in the basket instead of catching the worm holes.

 

[olivehead1]

Just a minute ago I checked to see if The Yankee Marshal had posted any video since yesterday. He had, and it's a comparison of old vs new Smith revolvers. Just an interesting coincidence with my post.

 

[StakeOut]

If you were at a gun show and on the table were a 686-4,686-5 and a 686-6 with the same barrel length,in the same condition and close to the same asking price which of the 3 would you choose if interested in buying a 686 in that barrel length?

I'd be walking out with the 686-4 each and every time.

 

[llowry61]

I like the analogy of the car with a dent in it. I think that the publics buying standards are not what they once were and I think it crosses many product lines, not just firearms.

BTW technology is a good thing. Yes, I do remember bias ply tires, and drum brakes, not fondly I might add as the prior poster suggests.

It is all a tradeoff, what price point will the market support. The company meets that price point or the product doesn't sell, period. So, I don't fault the manufacturers for producing a gun using technology that meets the publics price point even if that price point doesn't allow for perfection in fit and finish.

If the market was such that guns with MIM parts didn't sell then they wouldn't make them. Look at Mil Surp guns - they don't look pretty but they work.

I personally like guns with nice fit, finish AND work. If I have 6 or 8 to spend, I will buy the one with that meets my criteria. BTW I hate the lock. More for what it represents than any material shortcoming.

I remember when they came out with synthetic stocks for shotguns. I had a hard time with the look of them, but man are they nice when hunting in harsh conditions. So, I have my wood and steel for nice weather and synthetic for foul weather.

I know I am rambling, but the point is buy what you like and can afford and screw everybody else !

 

[DonD]

Out of curiosity, would you buy a new car with a huge dent in the door, even though said dent wouldn't affect how the car ran? Like the OP and most others, if I put down my money I want my stuff to be unblemished...unless I am knowingly buying damaged goods and being charged according.

A "huge dent" is far more obvious and unacceptable than the often minor blemishes that get complaints on this forum.

And.... with very modest cars starting at $16,000 and rapidly increasing, they're a far bigger investment. Don

 

[joe44va]

The best part about the "good old days" is that they are over.

 

[OLDSTER]

S&W revolvers

I purchased my first "new" S&W in 20 years, a 642-1, three years ago. Until the 642 purchase, the "newest" revolver I owned is a 686-4. This 642 is flawless; fit and finish superb, action/timing and trigger are great, POA to POI at 7 yards spot on. I hope this is the norm and not the exception

 

[StakeOut]

The best part about the "good old days" is that they are over.

There was no good old days,just a different era with problems related to that time in history.

In the 60s and 70s I thought the Model 19-2 was the cat's meow.

These days I'd prefer a 686-4

Loved my pre 25 1955 and pre 14 K38 revolvers back then but they would not be my top choices today.

The last engineer change before MIM is my #1 look fors.

 

[JH1951]

The best part about the "good old days" is that they are over.

Only in a sense.... Today will be 'the good old days' for the next generation..... The 1950's are my good old days.... what are yours? The young adults of today will look back on 2017 as a good old day, and I shudder to think what things will be like in 2055.....

 

[S&W Rover]

I recently bought a 586-5 and was immensely relieved when I found out it was pre-lock (I bought it from a friend who offered it to me a good price, sight unseen). This is an amazing revolver and the trigger is fantastic.

Well, contrary to my lucky experience in that case, I think it is absolutely necessary to really inspect any revolver before buying. Old or new. That's my take-away from this thread. There are different potential problems -- wear and damage in the older revolver, and fit and finish in the new revolver -- but if you check it out and it is in acceptable condition, you should have no reason to complain! The S&W revolvers I've purchased new in the past several years have all been wonderfully made -- so there is no reason to fear or avoid new ones -- just check them out first to make sure you didn't get some sloppy work that occasionally slips through in the modern era.

 

[Chipperxd]

I don't recall the OP saying anything about how the newer S&Ws are junk. I don't think he really said anything negative except he wasn't impressed.

This might be "another" of those threads, but your just "another" of those who prefer to defend it. Opinions differ, so keep enjoying you new revolvers. One less person to compete with.

He may not have typed out "they are junk" but when someone says "they don't make them like they used to" means that the newer production is junk and not worth the money. at least that is how I perceive it.

 

[olivehead1]

I almost forgot one other defect I saw in my looking over about 5 brand new 686s: The very first one I looked at that day, and the one with the best OTD price, was a 686 Plus with a very noticeable "dent" on the sideplate. The counter guy could see it from 6 feet away. It was as though, if this were possible, someone took a finger and pressed it into the steel of the sideplate and left this impression. No damage to the finish, just a smooth dent in the sideplate, like it was there before the final finishing was done. Don't really know how that might have gotten there.

 

[Old cop]

I've shot some of the newer S&W revolvers and have no beef w/their quality. I just cannot get past that ugly lock as it takes away from the pride of ownership I normally get w/a new gun.

 

[CH4]

A "huge dent" is far more obvious and unacceptable than the often minor blemishes that get complaints on this forum.

And.... with very modest cars starting at $16,000 and rapidly increasing, they're a far bigger investment. Don

It was merely an analogy about paying good money for aesthetically defective products irrespective of performance, not proportionality.

 

[StakeOut]

To me previously owned is the way to go but it does present more dangers than buying new.

Bad action jobs are often encountered and usually a stay away signal when found.

Worst was a revolver I bought with all the screws cemented in with JB Weld.A real tough job to free them up without damaging the gun.

Almost every used revolver pur4chased has had aftermarket reduced weight springs.Some are OK while a small amount are much too light for my liking.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Hmmmmm.....well, I can only relate my own experiences....

A few years ago I bought a Model 27 Classic. Okay, it has an IL (yawn) and the internal firing pin (yawn) and maybe the bluing can't match a Model 27 from 30 years ago, I dunno, I don't have one of those! My other recently acquired, NEW, S&W guns were a 3" and 4" 686+ and they're not blue so that doesn't matter and they look great and shoot great - I'm sure someone else won't like them but, then again, someone else don' own'em!

Here's those three and two older guns - what am I missing here, why are the news ones so terrible?

 

[ladder13]

but I would rather have seen the return of a new Model 12, with a one-piece barrel and forged steel internals.

Me too, but skip the cracked frames of the ones made in " the good ol'days".