NEW 617 3 steps away from perfect

[Mulefoot]

I just dont get how they could call that good,within spec,etc..come on..its Smith & Wesson..Thats why i bought my 686over the GP100..
Just curious,did you send the 625 back for repairs & it still didnt come back right? How about the 627? Those are nice,pricey firearms,a good friend of mine wants the 627 & beleive he is saving for one,i was hoping the performance center guns had more attention paid to them,thats why i decided to ask if i could have the performance center barrel & action package installed onto my 686-6 while it was there.

also when i asked my local gun shop what they would give me for it on trade in on another gun its half what i paid($400)..thats a big hit on 3 month old gun!

 

[ohnas]

I picked up a new 310 Night guard a couple months ago at a local shop and didn't give it the anal probe inspection because it was new and unopened and put in the safe when I got home. A few days later I had it out and whoever installed the little pin on the front of the barrel shroud missed a couple times and there are circular outlines of the punch on the barrel near the pin. Contacted s&w and got a prompt response to fill out a form on the web and have heard nothing from them since.

Also got a 325 night guard and one of the chambers wasn't bored to the correct diameter and the round wouldn't fit. Took back to the shop and it was fixed in a couple weeks.

Seems like amazingly poor quality control given the cost of these things.

 

[Maximumbob54]

I have recently learned that I have to stop being excited and full of joy when I go to buy a new or used S&W. I have to step aside from the joy of the occasion, let go of the giddy feeling, and leave behind the feeling of excitement that I usually have. Instead, I have to put on my eye for the critical, become all anal retentive, question and examine everything, and generally expect to find some problem so that I will keep looking until I find something. Thankfully, most of the time all I will find is a scrape or scuff here and there. But lately, its all cracked frames, worn stop notches, canted barrels, gritty actions, ill fitting stocks, something wrong in the bore, and on used guns there is wear like I have never seen before on a gun. It's getting to where there are times I leave sad I found things instead of disappointing I didn't find anything I couldn't live without. And prices are getting goofy to just laugh in your face stupid. I found two Ruger Security Sixes for sale today. I had no idea the going rate for a SS could be $599. Guess I better start collecting old Rugers now... Really. They had an older model Charter with the unshrouded extractor rod for over $300. Heck, an older model Taurus 85 that was loose as a goose was a $280 gun. I'm sitting on a fortune!!!

 

[Stang Nut]

Wow, this thread is kind of disheartening. I'm currently on a .22 kick and was drawn to this forum due in part to the sweet little M&P 15-22 I picked up awhile back. I've been considering picking up a .22 wheel gun and from what I have researched from various sources, it appears the 617 is the holy grail of .22 wheel guns. But for the coin they are asking for one, I would expect near perfection. Please tell me these samples that are being described are exceptions and not the norm for what S&W is producing.

 

[stantheman86]

For $650+ I would not accept that gun. No way, no how.

My 617-7 came to me with sluggish timing on two chambers, S&W said this was "normal" when cocked within normal ranges.

I also have a top strap that has a "ridge" that wasn't polished off, so that any scope mount doesn't sit quite right, but will still mount, and work.

All in all, I still like my 617, it's a tackdriver and I have many 1,000's of round through it.

 

[pctech]

stashu,
Just wondering if you've had a chance to take your 617 to the range yet? I'm curious how you've found the accuracy to be..

 

[Titan]

Perhaps I have OCD or something, but there's no way I'd accept that level of workmanship for a gun costing 600-700 dollars.

I agree with the points made, that in 2011, enough progress has occurred in CNC machinery, and similar mechanical processes, that this level of final product is absurd.

What ever happened to 'zero defects', 'quality is job one', etc.?

I'd keep sending it back, up to three times total to get it right, or until they refunded my money until they can produce a proper end product.

Drop a few hundred off the price, and we could agree on different expectations of what a finished product should be.

 

[586nickel]

Wow, this thread is kind of disheartening. I'm currently on a .22 kick and was drawn to this forum due in part to the sweet little M&P 15-22 I picked up awhile back. I've been considering picking up a .22 wheel gun and from what I have researched from various sources, it appears the 617 is the holy grail of .22 wheel guns. But for the coin they are asking for one, I would expect near perfection. Please tell me these samples that are being described are exceptions and not the norm for what S&W is producing.

Ditto what Stang Nut said. I'm in the market for a .22 revolver and am very concerned having read this thread. Frankly, I was shocked at the pics in original post. No way I'd not send that back.