The 25-5 reblue blues, and what do I do? Part 1 of 2

[ameridaddy]

A few years a go, I sent my Model 25-5 shotgun with .457 throats back to S&W for a replacement cylinder and an action job. The new cylinder had perfect .4525 throats, but the bluing was blacker than the original and I learned here that it also was apt to be damaged by ammonia based powder solvents like Hoppes #9.
Besides that relatively minor issue that I knew about in advance, they put a screwdriver slip gouge (Pic A) in the side plate by the yoke screw, scraped the edge of the sideplate above the trigger with a file? and slicked up the action by simply shoving the hammer and trigger into a buffing wheel to the point it removed the color case from the hammer and trigger. It does not show on the assembled gun, but it resulted in changing the formerly crisp break into a mushy, creepy "maybe it'll break someday."
The gun shot way high, yet some fool at S&W filed .025" off the front sight, (pic B) raising POI even more.

Fast forward - Last year I got in the 6 month queue for a reblue at a supposedly reputable as yet unnamed bluing company who assured me face-to face that they had many years of experience and would make that scratch go away, and make the entire gun all one polish and color.
A month ago, I got my gun back, and it is a disaster.
1. They sanded/buffed the side plate separate from the frame. It is a different surface finish and color from the rest of the gun. It is .006" to .008" lower than the frame edge it mates to. The S&W logo is nearly sanded off.
2. There are heavy sandpaper scratches above the side plate on the frame just under the rear sight mount.
3. Apparently the side opposite the side plate was not polished at all, but reblued right over the existing bluing, fine scratches and cylinder release scratches. Note the blotchy finish. This is not oil.
4. The barrel was buffed perpendicular to the bore rather than as Smith does it, axially. The result is difficult to photograph but there are visible vertical striations on the barrel just forward of the frame.
5. The cylinder was not touched, so it is still the new S&W ammonia sensitive black bluing, confirmed by S&W's still visible action job speed loader machining.
6. The extractor and extractor rod were not touched - wear and speed loader machining are evident, and likewise, the cylinder latch thumbpiece was not touched.

Thinking about what to do, I'm inclined to tell the company to buy the gun from me for $1,388, the average completed auction sale prices from March and April on a major auction site, they can keep their fee that was supposed to make my gun into a $1,388 gun, or else I will inform the world, with pictures and receipts, what they've done. I'm sure they haven't the skill to repair/restore the gun, so I see no other option to be made whole.
What say you good people out there? I sure would value your input.

 

[ameridaddy]

The 25-5 reblue blues, and what do I do? part 2

Here are the rest of the pics.

 

[Laketime]

Why didn't you have Smith make things right from the beginning?

 

[series guy]

Wow what a shame that they were that rough on such a nice gun. I think you are on the right track as far as options go. If they don't feel inclined to purchase the gun from you then I guess selling it at a loss is about the only option. Much sympathy here.

 

[stansdds]

Wow! What a shame, really did go from bad to worse and fixing it now... good luck.

 

[Baxter6551]

That's a tragedy …. Times 2

 

[murphydog]

They did a really bad job, but I seriously doubt they will pay you the full cost of a replacement gun. The best case scenario might be to get an estimate to have it refinished correctly (if that is possible) and ask them to pay for it. If they refuse, small claims court (and the attendant hassles) may be your only recourse. Sorry for your troubles.

 

[ameridaddy]

Why didn't you have Smith make things right from the beginning?

1. It was a 40 year old gun that shot 6" groups, 6" high at 25 yards, and S&W told me they would not warranty guns from that time frame, even though I was the original owner, so after waiting years and years for a replacement cylinder to come available from S&W, I paid S&W for the replacement cylinder, its installation and ordered a "Master Action Job" while it was there at S&W.
2. After getting the gun back and complaining about the scratches, S&W told me they could not replace the scratched side plate, and they could not match the original bluing on the gun, because they changed their bluing process, and I did not want the ammonia sensitive black bluing.
3. I didn't mention that their "trigger over travel stop" part of their "Master Action Job" consisted of a filed off roll pin pressed into the back of the trigger, with a very rough, way out of perpendicular filed face.
4. All this just turned me off, and there was no way I was going through that butchery again.
5. About two years ago, I managed to acquire an NOS N frame hammer and trigger, and decided to put the gun back in service.
Part of that was to have the gun made pretty again. I also had a smith lined up to install a proper height pinned front sight like I did on my 25-9.
6. And that's how I got where I am now.

 

[pantannojack]

I would not be ashamed to tell the whole truth, if any body cared; But as i was onced warned by a game butcher, I would be put on a professional black list.

 

[ladder13]

To save the world from this butcher, if Lee would allow it, please let us know who it was.

 

[ameridaddy]

To save the world from this butcher, if Lee would allow it, please let us know who it was.

I've waited to go back to the company until after I hear what your thoughts are here.
If they will not somehow make me whole, and Lee will allow it, then I will publish their information here. For all I know, some apprentice did the job without training or supervision. I would think a shop foreman or owner would have certainly inspected the job before shipment, but maybe not in my case, and it slipped out unknown to them.
I have to give them a chance to make good. Thanks for your concern. I would not want this to happen to anyone else here.

 

[NY-1]

With a gun butchered this much I'd have quite an interest in knowing the name of the outfit responsible. Sorry you had to go through this, twice no less.

 

[chief38]

WOW! Can't think of ANY period of time when their Customer Service, quality and work ethic has been worse! No longer deniable or even a question - it's pathetic! Sad!!

 

[steelslaver]

Wow, that is some bad luck in the fix it department. That gun will never be whole again. In another thread I mentioned just keep working on something and having things worse. That describes your gun. It is forever just a shooter no matter who tried to fix it at this point. Get as much as you can from the would be refinisher, sell it and buy another gun.

The way to get a correct throat 45 colt cylinder with an old school blue job is to find a 44 mag cylinder of the correct era and have it reamed to 45 colt. You would need to find a 29-3 cylinder. 29-2 cylinders are recessed and if you use those the frame lug on a model 25 need set back for the recess. I now have 8 45 colts, only 1 of the cylinders left the factory as a 45 colt.