Declining Quality and Craftsmanship is VERY Frustrating!!!

[DasFriek]

I can honestly say i feel Taurus has went in the opposite direction as thier QC has been going up and so has the CS experiances from what ive been reading.
Kinda hard to go down much more in quality when they was at the bottom anyhow,only way is up! lol
But serously ive been nothing but impressed with thier recent products,especially for the price.
With that going on,and many of the mid range priced companies having so many QC issues themselves i didnt feel safe until i hit the $1000 price range and could afford DW or HK.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

I bought a M70 coyote in .223 WSSM just weeks before or after the factory closed. First thing I notice on firing[after the horrible did I leave the safety on trigger pull] was a heavy bolt lift. I extract the case, and sure enough, there is noticeable swelling ahead of the soild web. A oversized chamber, on a BN factory rife? Is it more expensive to cut a proper chamber then a bad one? "Groups" were all over the road. So thinking it's my fault because of the heavy pull,quit shooting to see if I do something with the trigger.
Go to pull the BA out to get at the trigger, and discover BOTH action screws are at best hand tight. Was able to take em out with no tools.
This is not cost cutting,it's a get it done and out the door so we can go home attitude.

Like the old saying never buy a car made on Monday or Friday.
Well with some manufacturers it ALWAYS seems to be Monday or Friday.

 

[woad_yurt]

In a philosophical sense, slipping quality does get me down. It's just sad to see company, any company, with a long history of quality, turn out sloppy stuff. It's kinda depressing.

But, in my personal life, it doesn't affect me at all. I always buy used. Call me crazy but I like the older ones because they were made with more TLC, better materials and (usually) cost less. Why buy new (and pay more) when one can get a better-made older more cheaply?

I had a '61 Single Six and it was way nicer than the new ones, really smooth and polished and uncluttered.

The only new stuff I would buy would be things that didn't exist not too long ago. Like, if I wanted a Scandium gun or something, I'd have to get something fairly new.

Newer, lousy stuff: MIM parts, S&W's lock, Ruger's safety warnings, etc.

 

[Sav .250]

Todays work-force has a lot to do with why quality is not like .....it was done by craftsmen back in the day and they had way less help in so far computer assisted machines that do most of the work anyway. IMO.

 

[22-rimfire]

Manufacturers have substituted robotics and casting for custom fitting. In part, it is a symptom of the entire manufacturing process looking for ways to reduce cost and maintain quality (aka, make the product work). Like everything else, there is an ebb and flow to things and the consumer ultimately demands a certain quality (price versus quality) and doesn't buy if it is not present. In reality, nothing has changed except much manufacturing has been shifted outside the shores of the USA. Look at the "quality" of the WWII and before milsurps. Quality? They shoot. They're often cheap and people buy them. There is a market for both ends of the spectrum.

 

[fedlaw]

While I know very little about 642's, I am very familiar with Smith 625's. The quality has definitely deteriorated, but it has been steadily declining for a while. I stupidly sold my older 625 after a gun butcher, claiming to be a gunsmith, worked on it. I should have just sent it back to S&W and told them to make it right. Instead I thought I could just sell it and pick up a new one. Wrong. The new ones are worse. Meanwhile my quest will continue when my personal economy gets back on track.

 

[dobrzemetal]

seems like a lot of firearm companies are using cheaper things to cut corners. I noticed this in my ruger 10/22 I bought recently. It shoots good works perfectly but came with a plastic trigger assembly, garbage. I've also heard about the QC slipping on sigs as well, although the elites over at sigforum.com would beg to differ but that's their own prerogative. Whatever, you certainly can find this anywhere today.

People do not take pride in their work today, but that's a big generalization.

I on the other hand, could not be happier with my 1973 browning hi power I acquired recently.

 

[Matrix187]

I've noticed the same exact thing. For example, you can get a pardner protector 12 gauge pump that is a Remington 870 Clone made by Norinco in china, and it's arguably better than the (EDIT: the more recent ones) american made 870. Now, I can't apply that to all manufacturers, but it seems a lot of gun makers are following suit.

The above reasons are why I'm starting to only buy CZ, because they don't cut corners and their guns are extremely high quality for what you pay.

 

[inSight-NEO]

There should be no need to inspect a firearm from a "quality" manufacturer.

Not necessarily true. I have bought several (brand new) guns made by solid, highly respected and reputable weapons manufacturers which, alas, had a few "problem" areas which needed sorting out either by myself or via a warranty service claim. Some of my closest friends who own guns have also encountered similar issues as of late.

Ever since then, I take a lot less for granted when shopping around....regardless of the make/model.

 

[LRaccuracy]

I purchased (ordered) three different Taurus handguns months apart and all three were junk. One revolver was delivered with the barrel upside down. YES! The lug was on the top of the receiver and the barrel was on the bottom. The cylinder would not close. It makes you wonder how junk like this gets by quality control.

 

[Deanimator]

A lot of what goes on at S&W seems to be random, at least quality wise.

A lot of people have excellent repair service. Then a few of us get purely WRETCHED repair service.

I would ABSOLUTELY not accept a defective gun. If you don't get satisfaction, start going up the corporate ladder.

They damaged my 29-2 while fixing it. I was treated very badly until my attorney contacted their corporate counsel. It got escalated to a vice president and things changed instantly.

They're not GIVING firearms away. DEMAND a proper working firearm or your money back.

 

[DHJenkins]

Every company has lemons.

If you bought new, take advantage of your warranty. I know it stinks to send off your new toy, but you don't really have a choice. It's a hard lesson to learn, but never take delivery of a firearm you haven't inspected thoroughly first.

Personally, I'd rather have a slingshot than a S&W auto, and I wouldn't buy a wheel gun made in the last 10 years. I've got a 25 year old .357 2" that I'd bet my life on, because I just don't like the new 'breed' of guns they're putting out.