Performance Center Quality

[500SNW]

How much does a replacement firing pin cost and can I do it myself? Had the 627 out last weekend. Fired one cylinder full through it...that's all. Looking at the spent cartridges, I noticed that all 8 had an awkward appearing primer indentation. Not the smooth bowl shape...but rather a bowl shape with a little bump in the bottom...as if there was a concavity in the firing pin face. Later I looked at it with a 60X pocket microscope and the firing pin is definitely missing a chunk. The fracture lines are linear, blocky as if the steel were very brittle. Grrr I'll try not to violate the "crying, bashing, whining" rule here...but there's no excuse for that in an almost $1000 revolver that's had less than 100 rounds through it. Lesson learned (and advice being offered) - if you ever buy a new production S&W...take it to the range immediately and run a few hundred rounds through it to ensure that any problems surface. Don't wait a few years until you have less ground to stand on when complaining to S&W. Not that they appear to care. I guess that all that negative stuff I read online might be true.

 

[Bakebfr480]

Not hard to replace the firing pib but.........I doubt S&W will sell you one. Check Numrich Arms.

 

[Cal44]

I'd send it back, on S&W's dime, and let them fix it.

I don't believe in fixing stuff myself to save them money.

The more new guns we send back to the mother ship, the sooner they will clean up their QA act when a gun is first manufactured.

 

[500SNW]

I'd send it back, on S&W's dime, and let them fix it.I don't believe in fixing stuff myself to save them money.The more new guns we send back to the mother ship, the sooner they will clean up their QA act when a gun is first manufactured.

The problem is...I don't know if they'll do that. I've had the gun a few years now...IIRC I got it around 2014 or 2015 ....carried it some, shot it very little, sat around the house the rest of the time. I'm not sure it is covered by any warranty at this point. I am definitely going to tell them about it. Thankfully, as of a few minutes ago, their site is inaccessible to me at least...so maybe I'll cool off before getting rude right off the bat. I don't like to do that, but as I said before...brand new gun, hardly used and things are breaking after only a few dozens of rounds?

 

[Cal44]

Well being polite always helps.

But I think they have a lifetime warranty -- so you should be OK there.

 

[bigwheelzip]

I'd send it back, on S&W's dime, and let them fix it.

I don't believe in fixing stuff myself to save them money.

The more new guns we send back to the mother ship, the sooner they will clean up their QA act when a gun is first manufactured.

This is my feeling exactly.

My PC 686 had a forcing cone finish so awful, it scratched the cylinder. Disappointing but shooting smoothed it out. You've got a lifetime warranty. I'd use it, if it bothers you, but it sounds like the firearm functions perfectly. Good luck.

 

[Scorpion520AZ]

Disappointing to hear that, especially in a PC piece where expectations are high. Call SW customer service. Explain your situation and let us know their response.

 

[500SNW]

Disappointing to hear that, especially in a PC piece where expectations are high. Call SW customer service. Explain your situation and let us know their response.

Will do...and will post the results here. I agree with the poster above who said politeness helps...but TBH sometimes the only satisfaction you get out of these types of situations is to give them an earful. I am in no way coming out ahead if S&W graciously fixes it. It is still an inconvenience....time, gas money, shipping hassle, out of my EDC for who knows how long. Further, I now question the quality and reliability of the rest of the revolver and its parts. Never had any problems like this back in the days when I carried a Glock.

 

[bigwheelzip]

…. gas money, shipping hassle...

Unless they changed something, the twice I sent back S&W revolvers lately under warranty, I printed a label from e-mail they sent me, then contacted the shipper who came to my door a few hours later and picked it up. Easy as pie.

 

[Tom S.]

The gun is covered by S&W's lifetime warranty. Period.


Anything man made can break. Chances are very good if you call S&W, they will simply send out a new pin and you can install it in a matter of minutes. Worst case scenario is they will send out a prepaid box (or label if you still have the original shipping container) for you to return it in, fix it and send it back to you.


Yes, it can be aggravating but the 500 is a beast of gun and well, stuff happens. Of all the things in life to get upset about, this is w-a-y down on my list.

 

[Pizza Bob]

It is still an inconvenience....time, gas money, shipping hassle, out of my EDC for who knows how long.

Which is exactly why you should just purchase a new FP & spring from the likes of Apex or Cylinder & Slide. Whats it worth to you not to be without your EDC for 2 - 4 weeks, plus the hassle of shipping and the chance the gun goes missing in the process. Sit at your keyboard, press a few keys and days (not weeks) later your new FP & spring are delivered directly to your door. Fifteen minutes worth of work and you're GTG again.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

 

[reddog81]

The firing pin costs around me $15. They can be found easily enough using google. They are easy to replace if you know how to disassemble the gun. You have to take apart most of he innards to get at it but it's nothing difficult.

 

[Pizza Bob]

This should help...

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwhGQ3bSL4E[/ame]

 

[500SNW]

You have to take apart most of he innards to get at it but it's nothing difficult.

LOL that sounds scary. I tried to remove the IL once and only got as far as removing the side plate before I gave up I do have a 586 I can carry while the 627 PC is out for repair....not ideal with a 4" barrel, but it'll suffice. I'd prefer not to have to send it in, though. I'm a stickler for keeping my guns pristine and I fully expect it to come back dirtier, or with more "dings" than it had when I sent it off. It's been my experience that mass-repair lines aren't as careful with stuff as I am. Thanks everyone for the info. I've never done this before so it's good to know they have a door-to-door shipping process. I though I was going to have to travel all the way across town to ship a handgun from the local UPS main hub.

Tom S. - I agree with you that "stuff happens" with anything newly manufactured. BUT what concerns me is the apparently poor quality of the steel used for the firing pin. IDK metallurgy, but the polygonal fracture pattern tells me that the steel is very brittle. I've only fired 100 or less normal pressure loads to arrive at this point. IDK exactly when it started, but this last 8 round clip I fired was where I noticed it. Earlier firings did not produce the same effect. It still fires, but a donut shaped firing pin surface cannot be good.

 

[Popeye77]

The gun is covered by S&W's lifetime warranty. Period.


Anything man made can break. Chances are very good if you call S&W, they will simply send out a new pin and you can install it in a matter of minutes. Worst case scenario is they will send out a prepaid box (or label if you still have the original shipping container) for you to return it in, fix it and send it back to you.


Yes, it can be aggravating but the 500 is a beast of gun and well, stuff happens. Of all the things in life to get upset about, this is w-a-y down on my list.

All they sent me was a prepaid label course I just got it the day before....Shield .45 scheduled to get there Monday

 

[500SNW]

UPDATE: I phoned them today. Felt like I was talking to a truck driver on the other end, but we managed to work out the issue. They are supposed to mail me a replacement firing pin in "7-10 days." Looks like I will be learning how to change the firing pin on a revolver...but I don't mind. That's cheaper and less time consuming for both parties IMHO. Thanks to all who offered advice above. I'll report back on how quickly the FP arrives.

P.S. LOL at the jazzy background music while S&W CS has you on hold. It sounds a lot like the kind of music you hear on a Dirty Harry soundtrack

 

[greenmachine]

It sounds a lot like the kind of music you hear on a Dirty Harry soundtrack


HA-HA. I might call them just to listen to that!

 

[Toby_H]

It sounds a lot like the kind of music you hear on a Dirty Harry soundtrack


HA-HA. I might call them just to listen to that!

LOL...

"Smith & Wesson customer service how can I help you?"
"Umm, can I hold please..."

 

[kwesi]

Glad to hear you are getting it resolved. I just purchased my first S&W PC revolver. They told me it had a lifetime warranty BUT only to the original owner.

 

[dr. mordo]

I have a 686 PC I got used but unfired that wouldn't reliably ignite bullets. 1-2 from each cylinder would fail to fire but would ignite when restruck. I replaced the cursed internal firing pin with an Apex and it has been perfect ever since.

So, personally, while I had it apart I'd upgrade to an Apex.

I don't blame this problem on PC quality so much as the cursed internal firing pin which is a bad idea in the first place.

 

[M3Stuart]

Hope you get it put on without any trouble.

From my experience; they would have definitely handled it under warranty, emailed you a label, yada yada...

If it's something I'm not comfortable messing with, I always send it back.

Plus, in my case, I can always manage to find a couple other things that aren't quite perfect for them to fix, you know, while their at it...

 

[500SNW]

Thanks everyone. I received the firing pin in the mail on Friday. At least I think I did...I haven't even opened the package yet. Going to install it and test it out for a handful of rounds. Then I will examine the primers under magnification. Dr. Mordo, I'll consider that advice if I start getting weird looking indentations again.