New 617 with issues

[brif]

I went and got the mail today and seen my DS-10 stuff had arrived. While I was opening the box, I got a call from my dealer saying my 617 had just come in. I felt I got a really good deal at $638 on the revolver. The dealer had ordered it in for me. The front sight seemed to be a bit crooked, but I was planning on replacing it with a fiber optic anyway. So I took the gun and hurried home.

I have to say the DS-10 speedloaders and block are really nice stuff and would recommend them to others.

I cleaned the bore and proceeded to do some plinking at a swinging target initially. I couldn't hit the thing to save my life. I went and got a paper target and found the gun was about 6 inches left. After closer examination of the gun, the barrel/ shrould doesn't seem to be on straight. It looks twisted/ crooked. So now my minty new 617 will have to go back to smith. I am really disappointed as I have been working (7) 12hr nite shift days in a row and get only 1 or 2 days off inbetween. I had tomorrow off. I was going to order a 625 as well today, but I think I will wait and see how this plays out first. How is smith and wesson's customer service and I am curious how long it will take to get this straightened out.

 

[DS-10-SPEED]

I sent my 617-2 back to S&W several years ago for a timing issue and the service was great, sent it out and got it back in about 10 days with no cost to me, they even paid for shipping. I don't know if it's still the same way today since I haven't sent anything to them since. Good luck with your repair, let us know how it goes.

 

[fyimo]

I'm sorry to hear about your problems with the 617 as they are great revolvers and usually very accurate. S&W will make the situation right but it's still a pain to have to have work done on a brand new revolver.

 

[Stainz]

I was sorry to read about this on rimfire... still sorry! How'd they let that get out the door? Did they think they had made a Ruger Vaquero?? (Everyone knows 'Vaquero' means 'hits low and way left'!)

S&W will send you a prepaid label after you call CS on their 800# (1-800-331-0852) - and get it back to you right in short order... they just shouldn't have to! I am sorry for your troubles... glad you like the DS-10's, however. This little 'bump' in the road will soon be a distant memory - you'll love that 617!

Hang in there!!

Stainz

 

[Wayne M]

Yours is not the only recent S&W revolver with barrel index problems. The factory will make it right but at this particular point in history they've got some real yahoos working in assembly or QC or where ever it is this problem should not have happened.

Valuable lesson: don't order a gun(from ANY manufacturer, not just S&W because QC on all of them is at a low point right now). When you find what you want take about an hour going over it in the shop to be as certain as possible it's right. You could still get snookered but it's less likely.

 

[one eye joe]

Gotta agree with Wayne M----QC seems to be a thing of the past, along with pride in workmanship.......

 

[SW357Addict]

I would definitely send it back to S&W for fixing. I would also include copies of the pictures you took of the 617 to point out the problem.

While I have bought modern S&W revolvers in the past (including a 617 with the IL), I will no longer purchase them.

I am now only purchasing older, non-IL, non-MIM S&W revolvers as the previous era S&W's overall have much higher quality in their assembly and finish.

 

[jmark1651]

I tend to favor the older smith 22's,early 90's and before. They just seem to look and feel better. Good luck on the repairs. I know the factory strives to please customers.

 

[carbofan21]

I would definitely send it back to S&W for fixing. I would also include copies of the pictures you took of the 617 to point out the problem.

While I have bought modern S&W revolvers in the past (including a 617 with the IL), I will no longer purchase them.

I am now only purchasing older, non-IL, non-MIM S&W revolvers as the previous era S&W's overall have much higher quality in their assembly and finish.

QC problems at s&w isn't a recent issue. i've seen an awful lot of lemons in older models as well - 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's production era guns.

 

[carbofan21]

brif,

very sorry to hear about (and see) the problem with your 617. that barrel fit is ridiculous. a blind man could see it isn't right. i'm sure s&w will fix the problem, but agree with everyone else in that your gun never should have left the factory that way.

 

[brif]

I didn't get a response from my email, so I called them. Granted the gentleman I talked to didn't see my pics and was friendly, but he tried to tell me this was perfectly normal! I really hope not. They are going to send me a shipping label to look it over because it isn't normal for it to be shooting 6" left. So I guess we shall see. I hope once they see the problem in person they deem it "not normal". I guess I'm stuck shooting my smith and wesson mod. 41 for now.

 

[S&W WHEELNUT]

617

That rear sight looks like it's to the right??? Did you have to move it that fare over to get center ??? I would sand bag it and reset that rear sight to center , and try again. Shot it in SA went tasting it.

 

[beach elvis]

According to my gunsmith buddy, the good news is that while she's back at S&W, they'll go over it once again COMPLETELY. This means that it will have been checked TWICE as much as a normal ship from the factory.

I'm willing to wager that once you get 'er back, she'll be better than right.

Also, my 17-8 is fabulously accurate so I'm sure yours'll be even moreso.

Please keep us posted.

 

[brif]

That rear sight looks like it's to the right??? Did you have to move it that fare over to get center ??? I would sand bag it and reset that rear sight to center , and try again. Shot it in SA went tasting it.

Yup, I had to move it over that far to get it to shoot to center.

 

[Wayne M]

I didn't get a response from my email, so I called them. Granted the gentleman I talked to didn't see my pics and was friendly, but he tried to tell me this was perfectly normal! I really hope not. They are going to send me a shipping label to look it over because it isn't normal for it to be shooting 6" left. So I guess we shall see. I hope once they see the problem in person they deem it "not normal". I guess I'm stuck shooting my smith and wesson mod. 41 for now.

If that's what they consider normal I'm gonna go look for the RG Forum. Oh my!

 

[scooter123]

I have a 610-3 that has the barrel just lightly tipped and I would consider that normal, however it's only about 1/64 inch or less. From your pics, the amount of rotation is beyond normal and once S&W sees the gun I expect they will agree.

Good news is that it's about a 5 minute fix once it hits the shop. Bad news is that you do have to send it in.

 

[Robinett_11B]

That's really unfortunate. I know...I'm sitting in my apartment right now eagerly awaiting the return of my brand new no-lock 442, that I had to send back because the barrel was put into the frame at a downward angle. But S&W has been pretty quick with everything. They emailed me a 2-day shipping label, I shipped it. They got it last friday, fixed it this monday, and I ~should~ have it any minute now. So, approximately 8 days from start to finish seems good to me. At least you still have another S&W to play with while you wait...too bad I can't say the same :/ Good luck...

 

[DanWales]

I have a new 625-8 that would make you cry looking at all the machining burrs left on this weapon.

I have been and still a staunch S & W lover.

But my older 60 and 70's SW's make this pistol look sick. I think the machinist in that era would be really upset to see this kind of craftsmanship.

Dan

 

[pea shooter]

Mine was turned to far (overtourqed) I sent it back and they replaced the frame.When I got it back the action was wery smooth in both double and single action only problem I have now is the barrel leads up very quickly and wont shoot better than 2 1/2-3" groups at 25 yds clamped in a vise,needless to say it is back at S&W right now.I really like the gun and I am sure the will fix it.But I think their quality control needs a little work if they let something this noticable out the door.

 

[shootinghoosier]

Hi all...this is my first post to the forum, but I'm not new to pistols & revolvers. Just got back from a large gun show in Indianapolis where I purchased a Model 617-6 and thought I would look around on this forum to read up on the gun. Although I have not shot it yet, I notice now after reading brif's post and looking at his photos that my new toy appears to have very similar issues. Didn't notice them in the dim light at the gun show, but now that I can study it, the problems are visible. They are not as bad as brif's gun, but the barrel is definitely not aligned properly. I will be very interested in how this thing shoots.

Realizing that I may need to send it back before it has even been shot really frosts my butt because this is not the first S&W that I've had to send back. The first one was a Model 28-2 that I purchased in 1979. The ejector was so out of alignment that I could not even put a cartridge in the cylinder. S&W took care of it (and I still have it), but I clearly remember how disappointed I was at the time.

I also have a Walther PPK that has FTE issues and light firing pin strikes. The guys over on the Walther forum say the problems are common and just send it back to S&W for repairs.

Geez, the more I write, the more irritated I become. Grrrr....

 

[Stainz]

I guess I am the inverse of everyone else. My older S&W experiences, all thankfully someone else's problems now, were beset with QC issues. My recently made purchases, over a dozen bought new since '02, have been fine - save a scrunched ejector spring in my 696 and a poorly fitted grip set on my latest - a 2 5/8" PC627. They sent replacements for both. Nothing to deter from the proper operation in any of them, although the front sight and rear sight on that PC627 were at opposite extremes (I always set my sights for my loads anyhow!).

Now - don't get me started on Rugers... Of necessity, I became quite a Ruger 'smith! They are gone - I live in S&W-only land now.

Stainz

 

[shootinghoosier]

Question for you guys...I took my brand new model 617 to the range yesterday and it seemed to shoot straight, but as I mentioned in my earlier post, the barrel is not properly aligned with the frame. When I put the target in my sights, the front sight is canted to the left by a few degrees. The pictures that brif posted originally look very similar to my gun. Would you guys send it back to S&W and have them correct it? What's the risk of them screwing it up? It ticks me off that I paid $670 for it and it's not perfect.

 

[SW357Addict]

Question for you guys...I took my brand new model 617 to the range yesterday and it seemed to shoot straight, but as I mentioned in my earlier post, the barrel is not properly aligned with the frame. When I put the target in my sights, the front sight is canted to the left by a few degrees. The pictures that brif posted originally look very similar to my gun. Would you guys send it back to S&W and have them correct it? What's the risk of them screwing it up? It ticks me off that I paid $670 for it and it's not perfect.

I would send it back and have them fix it. They will do a good job and if not, keep sending it back.

 

[tquieng]

My 617 I got 4 years ago had to go to factory 3x---the gun just frozen up --cylinder will not open, hammer will not cock, and the gun was shooting too high.

 

[zombie44]

Would certain models have better QC than others, say the Performance Center line or their 500 S&W models or have there been issues pretty much across the board?

 

[brif]

Just wanted to give an update on this. After waiting nearly 2 weeks to receive my shipping label; I received it. Smith has had my revolver for over 3 weeks now. They sent me a letter saying the repair would take 2-3 weeks. I figured since they had the firearm, why not have a fiber optic site installed while it was there? I called today and talked to a very rude lady. She tried to tell me they had the revolver less time than they actually did, luckily I wrote down the date it was delivered, who signed for it, and the time. I was told it will take them 3 weeks to get an estimate on how much it will cost to install the site, then they will be able to do the work. To be quite honest with ya, I find this unacceptable. The lady told me how many firearms go through there each week, blah, blah, but in the end I don't really care. I work in a manufacturing environment. If something like this got through, someone would be getting written up. I probably sound like a prick here, but if the gun would have showed up in good condition initially like it should have; this all would have been avoided. I'll call back next monday and if they don't have an estimate for me; I'll just have them send it back.

 

[Wayne M]

Would certain models have better QC than others, say the Performance Center line or their 500 S&W models or have there been issues pretty much across the board?

Have no fear: the PC models have there share of QC problems too. I've seen several Thunder Ranch 45 revolvers with the two piece barrels have loose shrouds right out of the box(two years ago now I think). Just carefully inspect the gun prior to purchase, you may still need to send it back but that inspection might just save you the trouble too!

 

[avery53]

Just wanted to give an update on this. After waiting nearly 2 weeks to receive my shipping label; I received it. Smith has had my revolver for over 3 weeks now. They sent me a letter saying the repair would take 2-3 weeks. I figured since they had the firearm, why not have a fiber optic site installed while it was there? I called today and talked to a very rude lady. She tried to tell me they had the revolver less time than they actually did, luckily I wrote down the date it was delivered, who signed for it, and the time. I was told it will take them 3 weeks to get an estimate on how much it will cost to install the site, then they will be able to do the work. To be quite honest with ya, I find this unacceptable. The lady told me how many firearms go through there each week, blah, blah, but in the end I don't really care. I work in a manufacturing environment. If something like this got through, someone would be getting written up. I probably sound like a prick here, but if the gun would have showed up in good condition initially like it should have; this all would have been avoided. I'll call back next monday and if they don't have an estimate for me; I'll just have them send it back.

They must have a pile of them being sent back for that kind of backlog.
Hope they get it right the first time, so you don't have to deal with the old bag again. lol
Good luck

 

[stevieboy]

I'll be a contrarian just to add a tiny bit of balance to this. My little collection of S & W handguns goes back to 1965. Very few of them have had issues. I purchased a 686SSR with a defective return spring. Smith fixed that in a matter of a few days. I also purchased a Smith 1911 that would not take down, even after pounding on the slide stop with a rubber mallet. Smith replaced the slide stop and the gun shoots like a dream.

My interactions with Smith's warranty service folks have always been courteous and they have dealt with my problems efficiently.

My take on all of this is that Smith, like every mass producer, occasionally issues a lemon. So does Ford, Toyota, and GM, btw. It's a function of trying to turn out a product as cheaply and efficiently as possible. Sometimes -- and inevitably -- quality gets sacrificed for speed of production. A sign of the times, perhaps.

 

[stantheman86]

Don't feel bad, I have a 581 made in 1983 with a canted barrel. It was an ex-LEO gun, apparently it works well enough to have been used by a cop for a decade or so.

It irks me to look down the sights and see the front sight canted to the left, but if it works it works I guess......For $330 I ain't complaining too much, I bought it as a range blaster anyway. The Ghost of Bangor Punta comes back to haunt me 27 years after it rolled off the line.......this was one of the last guns in the last year of BP ownership too, back when they were really cranking out some turds.

Either way it's a nice looking 4" 617 and they are probably lacking on QC because the demand for these is sky-high and they are trying to get more of them out the door......I had to search high and low to find my 6" 617 and it's now one of my favorite guns of all time. A 4" is high on my list, dealers at gun shows are getting $800+ in NIB condition for these right now, people just want 'em!

I would also not accept a .22 capable of match grade accuracy like a 617 with a canted barrel.......I mean, what's the point? It's a target gun, not a snub nose .38 where the sights are kind of an afterthought.