Disappointed in S&W

[Fuzzy Sights]

I am not a S&W hater.  Own several S&W revolvers and they have been shot frequently over the decades.  This past Feb. I purchased a 3inch Mod 63 22lr as a training gun to teach double action revolver skills to older firearms owners who have chosen revolvers.  Many of them S&W J-Frames like the 63.  Took the 63 out for some break-in in early March and I could not get 20 rounds before the whole thing locked up.  Sent it back with some of the fired cases, which showed a significant bulge at the base of the case. Also asked to have a trigger job done. Just got this back from S&W and fired it yesterday.  Once again it took less than 16 shots and it locked up again.  Now it is even harder to open the action than before and the sticky extraction now requires a mallet to get the ejector to work.

From the looks of the returned revolver it appears to have a new ejector.  No explanation was provided as to the work done.  At the time of sending the pistol back I included a letter with it explaining that the issued will not present itself unless it is being fired.  I was only using SV ammo.  If I had fired higher velocity stuff I am sure the cases would have ruptured.  Will now send it back again.

[bonj]

S&W has a pretty good Customer Service from what I have experienced, they also state their guns have a lifetime warranty. Hope the issue gets resolved for you.

[M1A4ME]

How's the cylinder face to forcing cone gap?

I bought a new 586 back in 81 or 82 and it would lock up on me after less than a box of ammo.  The gap was about 1/3 of what was recommended (nope, 40 plus years ago, I don't remember the measurements I got with a set of spark plug blade feeler gauges).  I fixed it myself with a file and knife sharpening stones.  Zero issues since.

Not saying you should fix it yourself, just asking if you can measure that gap and when you call S&W give them the number you get from the measurement.

I can't be getting dirt inside the frame, not from a few shots.  it's got to be cylinder to forcing cone clearance or alignment.  But if it was alignment I'd think the damage to the bullets would result in lousy groups and some spitting of lead particles to the sides of the revolver when you fire it.

One other issue might be the cases moving back when they fire.  Never heard of it on a .22 but on some high pressure rounds (bottlenecked, too) it was an issue.

Can you turn the cylinder with your fingers when it does that?  It's crazy how little leverage pulling the trigger really transfers to the cylinder.

Saw a stainless steel S&W revolver lock up (back in the mid 80's again) due to galling of the crane against the cylinder.  Lack of lube over the years really screwed it up.  On that one (fixed sight .38 or .357, don't remember the model number) you couldn't get the cylinder to turn with even two fingers pulling the trigger.  But you could turn the cylinder with your fingers while pulling the trigger.  Probably not your issue if it'll go 3 cylinders of ammo before locking up.

Good luck with it.  Sorry to hear S&W can't/won't diagnose/repeat the problem when they've got it in their hands.

[solidmatter]

Going through it right now. My SD9VE developed some trigger problems. Started a chat with their CS, one sentence into the conversation I had a prepaid shipping label on the way. Shipped it off, got to them on Friday. Was told there was a 3-5 week turnaround currently.

[JamesCC]

3-5 weeks seems excessive for an issue on their end to fix

[Roscoe2212]

SW is not alone in QC problems. I have had issues with Tanfoglio and CGW as well. None are perfect, although SW did fix my problem with a new 41 performance center, only took a month.

[kefefs]

Unfortunately that sounds about right to me. I'm holding onto an S&W M&P9 EZ for a friend who doesn't want it in her home until she knows how to use it. What's hindering her from doing so is the pistol's refusal to function properly. I've taken it to the range a bunch of times, tries all sorts of different ammo and three different magazines, and the pistol fails to feed constantly. I'm an experienced shooter, it's not a limp wrist issue or user error. It seems the gun is sprung too light in comparison to the magazine springs, which puts too much tension on the slide when reciprocating forward, causing it to fail to feed. I've sent it to S&W three times now and each time they just polish the feed ramp and send it back. The last two times I wrote a short but detailed note of the problems I was having, they just refuse to address them. The gun has sat in my safe for almost two years now because it will not function and S&W either can't or won't fix it.

[Roscoe2212]

how about getting in touch with a supervisor at SW?

[kefefs]

I did. I spoke to two people last time before I sent it in, they assured me my issue would be properly addresses and apologized that it wasn't the first couple times. I sent it in, with a detailed note about the issues and specifically asked them to NOT just polish the ramp and send it back... But that's exactly what the tech did. I more or less gave up after that. The woman who owns it keeps waffling on whether she wants to sell it or "try to fix it one more time" and I'm over having any personal investment in the thing.

[crosstimbers]

I cut my career teeth on S&W K frames, carried them for years until the L frames came out, then carried one of those for a time. Went back to my nickled 19....Thing is I do think quality took a dive at that point.
After that I carried semi-autos, all of which is another tale, but point being if I had to assign a high water mark for S&W quality- it would be sometime prior to the 1980s.
I no longer have an L frame. But do own a no dash 19 that I found at a show. It's funny how something so similar, can yet be so different...and you learn things that go past your preferences, even in the face of them.

I'd trust that 19 over just about everything else I own. And i am a Govt Model man.

[Fuzzy Sights]

Update.  Received the revolver back last week and took it to the range the next day.  Within 4 shots it was locked up again, with same bulges at the base of the cartridge.  Contacted the S&W repair department again.  They tell me a supervisor will now look at my issue.  So now I am sending it back for repair for a 3rd time.  Not pleased.

JW

[Tanners Owner]

Sorry to hear your troubles, Fuzzy.  I recently sent a 581 no dash in for the “M” recall, took about 2 months, which included their 2 week “maintenance “ break.  I hope to take it to the range tomorrow and confirm all is GTG.

Good luck & keep us informed

[M1A4ME]

Sorry to hear your troubles, Fuzzy.  I recently sent a 581 no dash in for the “M” recall, took about 2 months, which included their 2 week “maintenance “ break.  I hope to take it to the range tomorrow and confirm all is GTG.

Good luck & keep us informed

We only had trouble with about half of the new ones bought by our small department.  And only with the 125 grain hollow point ammo.  Back then, only the ones having issues were sent to the repair shop in OH.  My 586 never had the issue and never got the new firing pin nose bushing installed.  Trying to remember, I think the 686 did get the modification.  The department had 686s and I may have thought, at the time, that only the stainless guns had the problem.

[WW Martin]

I bought a 686 no- when  they first were available. The locking bolt would drop and then reenter the slot in the cylinder gust as the hand engaged. It would start back down but wouldn't clear the slot before locking things up. That's the best I can describe what was going on. The local Smith at Gandor mountain sent it someplace and it came back working. I don't know where it was sent and was 30+ years ago.
I have a number of S&W and other than a broken spring in the slide release on a PPKS i've had no problems with them. That was fixed under a hammer drop safety recall.

Bill

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

They seem to only get it right at S&W on the 3rd attempt. I sent a 640 Pro in several years ago because the barrel/cylinder gap was too large 0.014 and the gun would spatter gas and burned powder back in the shooters face. The first attempt they sent it back with the B/C gap at 0.010 and the barrel torqued down and canted with the front sight off to the left. I didn't even bother shooting and it was on it's way back to S&W the same day. I told them the barrel was canted and the gap was still too large. The second attempt got the gun back with the barrel straight and a B/C gap at 0.008. Everything looked right with the world till I shot the gun and when I popped the cylinder out to load up for 5 more rounds the barrel also turned and was in fact loose. I was able to unscrew it right out of the frame. I called S&W again fairly well po'ed at this point and told them what had happened. They informed me at this point the gun would go to the Pro Shop this time to be fixed. They did get it right on the third trip back and the gun came back with the barrel straight, tight and a nice snug 0.007 B/C gap.