New S & W PC Model 41 22 Disaster!!!

[AC Man]

I bought a new S&W Performance Center model 41 from a dealer. The trigger guard would not budge for break down, the safety was stuck, the slide would not budge, the only thing that worked was the mag release. Obviously was never able to fire it. Smith was very nice and said send it back which I did.

Got it back and everything worked, I was thrilled. Fired one magazine and now everything is locked up again like before. I'm soured to say the least. I want them to replace it it, is that fair? How does a gun that will not function get out the door of the Performance Center? I own dozens of older Smith revolvers they are flawless. What say you?

 

[bobsguns]

Stories like yours horrify me whenever I look at NIB Smiths.

I agree it should've NEVER have gotten past QC in the first place, much less the second time around. *I* would be PO'd were it me.

A polite suggestion to other future, potential buyers: have the counter guys field strip it for you right in front of you. That way, if something goes sideways it's NOT your fault; & you haven't taken possession of it yet. That way the dealer can send it back & YOU can get a new, fresh one in its place.

My .o2

 

[AC Man]

Unfortunately I live in a small town that don't carry them. Bought it on line 90 miles away that is a dealer. The dealer and Smith & Wesson could not have been nicer, bottom line it still doesn't work.

 

[Rick H.]

You really only have one of two options at this point, send it back to Smith and Wesson or take it to a local gunsmith and have them look at it and possibly repair it. Unfortunately, the second option will no doubt be at your expense. If it were mine I would send it back to the Mothership along with a detailed letter explaining what is wrong with the pistol. Naturally this is going to require you call Smith and Wesson and get approval to return it, but during that conversation I would ask to speak with a supervisor and explain your frustration with the pistol and get the persons name for future reference.

All of this is time consuming and frustrating, but getting angry won't help anything at all. After one shot at an initial repair things change and you need to be more direct, but not angry. My new PC M-41 had to go back to S&W the day after I bought it too. Long story short, the slide stop was messed up and locked up the pistol. They installed a new one that they properly fitted and all has been well ever since. The saving grace is you have a warranty on the pistol so don't be afraid to use it.

In most cases none of the manufacturers like to just replace a firearm, they would rather repair it if possible. The are there rare times when a firearm just can't be fixed though and replacement is the only option. You paid good money for a pistol you expected to be functional so put the ball in their court, but get names of people you talk to for further communication if needed but try to get to a supervisor with a name.

I do have a question for you though, when you received the pistol back from the factory the first time did you field strip it to examine or clean it, or did you just try to shoot it straight out of the box? Good luck on getting it fixed.

Rick H.

 

[gr8guns]

wowser ! This one, and two more doa .........High dollar pistols...... OH MY !! I am beginning to see why the 41 has been discontinued.

 

[malph]

wowser ! This one, and two more doa .........High dollar pistols...... OH MY !! I am beginning to see why the 41 has been discontinued.

I own three 41s of different vintages.

The last one I bought (about two years ago) could not be field stripped for cleaning.

I sent it to a gunsmith well known for working on 41s.

He told me Smith only had one guy still assigned to making/fixing 41s and that guy was still coming up to speed. Asembly/fitment issues with the new 41s were not uncommon. I believed him.

It is not surprising Smith is discontinuing the gun. They weren't exactly pouring resources into it the last few years.

When set up correctly though, they are truly great target pistols.

Get yours squared away and you are sure to enjoy it as will your children and grandkids.

 

[zodraz]

wowser ! This one, and two more doa .........High dollar pistols...... OH MY !! I am beginning to see why the 41 has been discontinued.

It's too late for ACman, but anyone considering the purchase of one of the remaining "new" model 41's, might choose to buy a previously owned specimen instead. I love MY 41,so don't ask! I have had it for 40 years, my son is guaranteed a trouble free 41 that will keep ticking for another 40 years.

 

[65-2x2]

Stories like yours horrify me whenever I look at NIB Smiths.

I agree it should've NEVER have gotten past QC in the first place, much less the second time around. *I* would be PO'd were it me.

A polite suggestion to other future, potential buyers: have the counter guys field strip it for you right in front of you. That way, if something goes sideways it's NOT your fault; & you haven't taken possession of it yet. That way the dealer can send it back & YOU can get a new, fresh one in its place.

My .o2

I don't trust many of the gun shop employees in the shops that I visit to even handle a firearm. I have witnessed many cases of shop hands mishandling firearms to the point that I have called them out on it. I do not like guns pointing at me.

While gun makers have moved away from employing skilled craftsmen to build guns, and employ parts assemblers, many gun shops have moved away from having experienced gunsmiths in house. (at least in my area) To ask them to field strip a piece would get many a blank stare, and plenty of reasons to say no. Besides that, while it may disclose some problems, it probably wouldn't assure that the piece was correct.

Is is just me or does the current production of many gun companies include sending out a lot of bad firearms? Since I generally buy used handguns, I don't seem to have nearly the problems that new buyers are experiencing. Of couse, I realize that we only hear the bad experiences, which certainly skews the suggestion that the gun makers are turning out junk. So I guess the real question is are gun makers turning out more bad pieces than in the past? I don't know, maybe, maybe not, but I would be seriously pissed to spend my hard found money on a new gun, and get home and find it to be a paperweight. Dealing with customer service, shipping and receiving a replacement or a repaired piece, that may or may not work, would not go far to mitigate that feeling.