S&W sent a new replacement for my 686+ 3"

[Jalopiejoe]

I just returned my 686+ 3" for poor fit and finish problems plus
a .012 cylinder gap. S&W must have agreed it was bad and
replaced it right off!
I received my new replacement yesterday and looked over the previous problem spots and it looked great!
Until I took a close look at the barrel/frame fit, it's canted left
just past center. It is very slight and the sights seem to line up
fine so I don't know if I will seed it back partially because of
some of the rudeness I encountered during the process.
I think they are frustrated as I that they can't get it right!
I am somewhat disappointed but I will live with it a while to see if it's a problem and maybe return for repair at a latter date!
I'll try to post pictures later.
Joe

 

[JAREDSHS]

put away your microscope and start shooting your guns!!

 

[Jalopiejoe]

put away your microscope and start shooting your guns!!

(Sorry my camera sucks!)

You're probably right! I tried to figure out how far off the barrel is off center at the top. Around .008 to .010 I figure.

If I send it back it probably return worse with my luck!

Looked at a new Model 60 3" today.....barrel canted way left!

What's the deal with their barrel alighnment?

 

[shawn mccarver]

(Sorry my camera sucks!)

You're probably right! I tried to figure out how far off the barrel is off center at the top. Around .008 to .010 I figure.

If I send it back it probably return worse with my luck!

Looked at a new Model 60 3" today.....barrel canted way left!

What's the deal with their barrel alighnment?

I am sorry, but there is nothing wrong with that revolver. I see what you see, but it is barely noticeable and, depending on angle, might be seen differently at different angles. I agree with the previous post. Put away your microscope and start shooting.

 

[tc215]

It's come up pretty frequently on the forum that S&W is sending out a lot of guns with canted barrels. I had a badly canted barrel on a 686SSR. I sent it back, and they had it fixed and back to me in about 2 weeks.

 

[crofoot629]

Dang tough crowd.
I'd want it right.

Emory

 

[qrachel]

Dear J-Joe:

I am sorry to hear about your 686. I'm not sure what I would do, but for the life of me why S&W can't this barrel cant thing handled is just amazing and not in a good way.

You are buying a precision product, an expensive one, and the expectation it will be perfect is reasonable. I'd say being able to see the defect with normal vision is unreasonable as a QA standard for precision machined pieces of steel and assembled in today's modern mfg. world - heck for the last 60-70 years.

Take good care and great shooting,

R

 

[DonD]

(Sorry my camera sucks!)

You're probably right! I tried to figure out how far off the barrel is off center at the top. Around .008 to .010 I figure.

If you're right about the misalignment, there are probably about 5 revolver shooters in the nation that could discern the difference in shooting between perfect and .008" off. Don

 

[sac-gunslinger]

70's guns are such a good buy....

 

[Jalopiejoe]

I decided "She's a keeper"

If you're right about the misalignment, there are probably about 5 revolver shooters in the nation that could discern the difference in shooting between perfect and .008" off. Don

I decided "She's a keeper"


S&W replaced my previous 686Plus because of fit and finish flaws. They sent me this gun that is very nicely finished but
I noticed that the barrel was just barely over-clocked, .008-
.010". I talked to my LGS and Larry @ S&W. They convinced
me to keep it. S&W specs are + or - 2 degrees and most guns leave the factory with the barrel over-clocked according to
Larry, who used to work in the plant. Since I received my new gun, I've looked at several LGS and most S&W barrels are over
or under clocked!
Anyway, I took the gun out today, sighted it in and shot about
150 rounds of .38 Special through it. I wish I was as accurate
as it is! "She's a keeper!"
Joe

 

[milkthe23]

For the money you pay for a new Smith it should be perfect. But I guess you needed to use those Adj. sights. I'll have to look at my new 686P a little closer. I sent older 686 back and they still didn't get it right. So I sold it.

 

[jdh]

Man being an imperfect creation cannot, therefore, create perfection, contrary to Glock's claims.

 

[qrachel]

Canted ±2° Tolerance . . . Hmmm

Man being an imperfect creation cannot, therefore, create perfection, contrary to Glock's claims.

Hi JDH: I get your point. If the specs say that a ±2° (provided from an earlier post in this thread) is in spec, then make that known and walk away from all the CS requests - the gun is in spec. There's probably a reason why they don't do this - a 4° swing from "+ to -" in the tolerance range is tough to justify. That's potentially 0.0125 inches between one gun build to another and still have both guns be in spec. If their CNC and torquing tools can't handle an overall "+ to -" tolerance less than a 0.01 range, then Huston . . .

Imagine comparing two such guns side x side. You wouldn't want to shoot them and neither would I. Whether ±2° is the tolerance, I can't say. But such a tolerance spread would permit lots of folks to notice barrel canting and create the kind of noise we see here on the forum.

I love my 3 S&W revolvers (617, 686, 629), all bought new this year and with straight barrels. They shoot straight and have great actions with crisp/smooth triggers.

Sooo, that's the + and the - of it as I see it. S&W still produces a great many revolvers that are excellent in every way. Here's to doing better and my continued support of S&W.

Take care all,

R

 

[BLUEDOT37]

It's hard to understand why S&W can't consistently align the barrels/frame. The last two new guns I bought are off. The 686 I got was the least "off" of the three guns the dealer had that I looked at. They can manufacture the rest of the gun to thousands of an inch tolerances, why is the barrel/frame alignment so much harder?

 

[jdh]

All of which is why I prefer to buy an in stock item from a local dealer, I get to inspect it first.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Pick thru the pile

All of which is why I prefer to buy an in stock item from a local dealer, I get to inspect it first.

Someone here on the forum (sorry don't remember your name) said it best: Choosing a gun is like buying produce at the supermarket, you pick thru the pile & look each over carefully until you find the best one, and only then do you buy it.

 

[Jalopiejoe]

It's hard to understand why S&W can't consistently align the barrels/frame. The last two new guns I bought are off. The 686 I got was the least "off" of the three guns the dealer had that I looked at. They can manufacture the rest of the gun to thousands of an inch tolerances, why is the barrel/frame alignment so much harder?

Bluedot37
Just curious, Did you keep your guns as is with a slight cant or did you send them back? I guess mine is off so little (.015" at most) I'm afraid it might come back worse or with another problem!
Joe

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Not perfect but I can overlook it...but why?

Bluedot37
Just curious, Did you keep your guns as is with a slight cant or did you send them back? I guess mine is off so little (.015" at most) I'm afraid it might come back worse or with another problem!
Joe

No, I didn't send it back. The 686-6 I "chose", from the three they had, was the least off. I usually don't notice it unless I think about, but my feelings are they should be able to assemble these "not so cheap" guns where it doesn't matter how hard I look at. (Can you imagine if the steering wheel on your new car was not centered & you had to see that eveytime you drove?) My original 686-0 was very noticeably off. I ended up trading it but not because of the cant, I tired of the 8-3/8" bbl. My son's 686-0, 2-1/2" bbl., is perfect. My old 29-2 is perfect. The 657-5 I just got is about like the 686-6, not perfect but I can overlook it.

My only experience with sending my gun back to S&W was not as good as I wanted.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...97893-s-w-customer-service.html#post137052704

 

[66snub]

I have a M10-6 that has the same degree of being off in barrel cant. The only thing I do to correct for this during shooting is, when I align the sight for shooting, I leave daylight on the left and "touch" the rear sight to the front sight. With that method, it shoots ragged holes all day long. Adjust those sights to zero it and get to work!

 

[Jalopiejoe]

No, I didn't send it back. The 686-6 I "chose", from the three they had, was the least off. I usually don't notice it unless I think about, but my feelings are they should be able to assemble these "not so cheap" guns where it doesn't matter how hard I look at. (Can you imagine if the steering wheel on your new car was not centered & you had to see that eveytime you drove?) My original 686-0 was very noticeably off. I ended up trading it but not because of the cant, I tired of the 8-3/8" bbl. My son's 686-0, 2-1/2" bbl., is perfect. My old 29-2 is perfect. The 657-5 I just got is about like the 686-6, not perfect but I can overlook it.

My only experience with sending my gun back to S&W was not as good as I wanted.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...97893-s-w-customer-service.html#post137052704

BLUEDOT37,
Thanks for your reply! My 686+ barrel is probably only off by
.015" but it still bugs me. People say it's just cosmetic but
isn't that part of the reason you buy S&W is perfection?
If I don't expect perfection I could have saved a bunch of money and bought a Taurus.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I am afraid if I send it back for repair it will come back worse!
Joe