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if the grips were taken off the 629 and the strain screw tightened...i suspect that one would not even be here on the board
S&W made a believer out of me, about thier lack ofquality control!!!
- Thread starter GetSmith
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lhump1961
US Veteran
if the grips were taken off the 629 and the strain screw tightened...i suspect that one would not even be here on the board
That would require some knowledge of that to which you speak.
Oops!! I posted again!
That would require some knowledge of that to which you speak.
Oops!! I posted again!
Personally, I wouldn't own anything Smith & Wesson has made since the early 1990s...
HotRoderX
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One thing to keep in mind everyone is this is a Smith and Wesson forum and its most likely the Number 1 Smith and Wesson forum on the internet.
I think it be a given people would come on here when they have a issue. With there Smith and Wesson Firearm. I bet if we compared the number of post with people having issues vs how many guns Smith and Wesson has sold over the past 5 years, it would come out to less then 1%.
The other thing to keep in mind is we don't have any idea of what condition these guns where in. Personally until I know more I couldn't judge if its a QC issue our perhaps something else. Most we know both guns where left in a Garage in a toolbox for the past year.
I think it be a given people would come on here when they have a issue. With there Smith and Wesson Firearm. I bet if we compared the number of post with people having issues vs how many guns Smith and Wesson has sold over the past 5 years, it would come out to less then 1%.
The other thing to keep in mind is we don't have any idea of what condition these guns where in. Personally until I know more I couldn't judge if its a QC issue our perhaps something else. Most we know both guns where left in a Garage in a toolbox for the past year.
Cruiser RN
Member
I am of the belief it is better to buy the older S+W Revolvers.I had 2 Model 640 357 Magnums turn into frame cracking barrel launchers and neither saw a single round of 357 Mag ammo.It happened with factory 38 Special ammo.After Launcher #2 went to Smith I got a NEW Classic Model 36 with a barrel canted to the right.Off it went to Smith and it came back with vice marks and a note it was to factory specs.After 25 rounds of test firing the barrel recanted so far to the right I couldn't engage the ejector rod into the frame.Off it went again to Smith and came back a few weeks latter with this same note.I called and asked exactly what was done.The response was "This time we changed the barrel." Finally things are right but my experiences are not the best testament to "Quality Control" or more accurately total lack thereof.
Over the past couple of years I purchased a Springfield 1911, went back 2x before being sold, Ruger LCP went back 3x before Ruger replaced it, and a S&W M&P 340 went back once for repair. In the late '70's our department replaced our dated M15's w/the new stainless .38 (forgot the model number) and many had to go back for repairs our range folks could not fix. I don't believe this is new, only the internet is.
All that said I still prefer the older revolvers for a variety of reasons, but don't really believe QC has suffered any more than the older models.
All that said I still prefer the older revolvers for a variety of reasons, but don't really believe QC has suffered any more than the older models.
Joewisc
US Veteran
You want perfection? How about 99.9 percent perfection? If that's good enough, then...You will find that 99.9 percent would leave a lot to be desired. At 99.9 percent accuracy you could expect:
• 810 commercial airline flights to crash every month.
• 1,314 phone calls to be misplaced by telecommunications services every minute.
• 107 incorrect medical procedures to be performed today.
• 18,322 pieces of mail to be mishandled in the next hour.
• 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions to be written in the next 12 months.
• 22,000 checks to be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the next 60 minutes.
• 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.
• 315 entries in Webster's dictionary will be misspelled.
• 291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly.
• 810 commercial airline flights to crash every month.
• 1,314 phone calls to be misplaced by telecommunications services every minute.
• 107 incorrect medical procedures to be performed today.
• 18,322 pieces of mail to be mishandled in the next hour.
• 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions to be written in the next 12 months.
• 22,000 checks to be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the next 60 minutes.
• 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.
• 315 entries in Webster's dictionary will be misspelled.
• 291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly.
slabside2
Member
Until you buy a S&W it happens to you can't understand all the negative talk here. If your lucky it won't. But luck shouldn't play into it. We work dam hard for our money and the boys and girls at S&W should work just at hard getting a good product out the door.
Although I haven't had any mechanical issues with my Smith, I thinks its a disgrace they would allow the trigger on my new 642 to leave the factory looking like it had been lying amonst the ashes in the bottom of a campfire. 
C'mon S&W! I'll gladly pay a little more for a polished, smooth trigger!
C'mon S&W! I'll gladly pay a little more for a polished, smooth trigger!
StatesRightist
Member
I recently bought a new 3" 686 that would hang up once in a while, sent it back, it got fixed, no further issues. It happens, you send it in, if it's new S&W gives it express service, they send Fed Ex out to pick it up etc. It's not the end of the world, no tears needed.
No company is perfect.
No company is perfect.
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bpeddicord
Member
Currently I own 30 S&W revolvers. Very few of them are older guns. Most have been manufactured in the past 10 years or so. Many have the dreadful lock. I would carry any of them as a defensive gun. I've only had one issue with a fairly new gun. I bought a new model 64 with the two piece barrel and the lock. It continually would misfire on at least one round every cylinder full. I took out the lock, put in a new extended Brownell's firing pin and since then, I have put about 5000 rounds through it with no more mishaps. I can't say the same for some of the other gun manufacturers' revolvers. One certain brand is so bad that I wouldn't take one if it was given to me. I owned 4 and broke all 4 in less than 50 rounds. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I have never bought a new S&W revolver that was bad.
Nlmadog
US Veteran
Well I have to jump in too !!! I have 29-2/25-5/27-2 and a 559. I say that because I am a steel and wood guy. I think the new S & W's are fantastic,I want a new 1911 SE , friends have had great shooting with theirs. S & W is an iconic brand for a reason. Roll Royces come with warranties too!!! Love your guns who knows what the future will bring !
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On the other hand, we tend to hear from the people who have had a bad experience, while the people who have no complaints rarely post a good review. Plus, the "all access" nature of the internet allows all of us to hear about all complaints, whereas such was just not available widely before the internet. I remember in the 80s when I had to send guns back before ever even putting them out for sale because of issues like failure to carry up, triggers that would not return forward because the hand would bind against the ratchets of the extractor star, and other stuff that was hard to imagine how it made it past quality control. I do not really believe the incidence of problems is any greater now. I think we just hear about it more.
if the grips were taken off the 629 and the strain screw tightened...i suspect that one would not even be here on the board
That would require some knowledge of that to which you speak.
Oops!! I posted again!
I sorry to have bothered this illustrious forum full of knowledge. Obviously I'm new to guns and not worthy of your time.
To those of that that offered help it was appreaciated. My brother will probably let a local smith look at the revolvers, hopefully its a quick, cheap fix.
I will give smith another shot but am done with this forum. I frequent other sites that aren't full of gun snobs. Sorry to waste your time with my accusations about S&W. Obviously my brothers $2000 in revolvers aren't working due to operator error.
I wont bother to post back, don't see the need.
StatesRightist
Member
The guns are under warranty, taking them to a local gunsmith is not the brightest idea, it will void the warranty. Call S&W, let them fix it and let it go. If you are really that freaked, sell them after you have them repaired.
For what it's worth, you are taking this way too personally. You are the victim of people whining all the time on here over a small percentage of issues. No one's doubting your tale, just your conclusion. It's a frequent argument on here about whether S&W quality is down, you unknowingly walked into a mine field.
Well, that speaks volumes about this fellow's and probably his brother's view on things. Most of the folk on this thread seem to have been on his side, and he focuses in on the few that might not see the situation quite the same given the small amount of info available.
Very sad. And $2000? good grief. That doesn't even cover some folks' ammo costs per year...
Delos
Member
Sounds like you got a little gravel or sticks in it over the last year. I am a little concerned about rapid firing a revolver that only fired once in six hammer strikes. Light imprints on primer indicates time to get off the range and check it out.
You do not want to void your warranty so do i right and send it back. If it was me I would remove the grips and side plate and clean out the garbage causing your 30 pound trigger pull. But you would need supervision because the hammer block easily falls out and anyone familiar with them can show you how easy it is to drop it back in the groove. I have not had any new ones apart so can only say that you should find a gunsmith that will show you how easy it is to take off the side plate, loosen the hammer spring (if it's a leaf spring) and watch it work as you pull trigger and lower hammer. A little oil can work out dirt without getting over your head trying to remove any parts. I love smith&wesson because they are so easy to diagnose or clean. But watch someone else who knows how do it first on his own revolver.
Delos
Member
You also stated
"Only when loaded when you pull the hammer back it will get stuck before it locks. I had to use both thumbs to lock the hammer"
As one person said before that can be a high primer or dirt under extractor. It can also be thick rims on the shells perhaps. It can also be that your cylinder is a poor fit. But if it was working well on any previous occasion it is not the cylinder head spacing.
I have only had that problem twice. Once is was a new colt detective special, and I did not know enough about the issue to try other ammunition. The second time it was range reloads with a large bur under the lip of one shell.
Once I had cheap foreign made shells and one had a shell casing about one eight inch longer than others. I did not try it in my pistol but it probably would have jammed it up.
Hang in there and it will all make sense. Like your first bicycle and having a loose chain. Really simple after someone shows you the cure.
"Only when loaded when you pull the hammer back it will get stuck before it locks. I had to use both thumbs to lock the hammer"
As one person said before that can be a high primer or dirt under extractor. It can also be thick rims on the shells perhaps. It can also be that your cylinder is a poor fit. But if it was working well on any previous occasion it is not the cylinder head spacing.
I have only had that problem twice. Once is was a new colt detective special, and I did not know enough about the issue to try other ammunition. The second time it was range reloads with a large bur under the lip of one shell.
Once I had cheap foreign made shells and one had a shell casing about one eight inch longer than others. I did not try it in my pistol but it probably would have jammed it up.
Hang in there and it will all make sense. Like your first bicycle and having a loose chain. Really simple after someone shows you the cure.
