Hey folks,
Assuming the photo is an accurate depiction of the pistol as made by S&W, the company has made a mistake that has the potential for significant liability problems for them and significant safety problems for someone using the pistol. If the owner sends the gun back to S&W to correct the problem cylinder, S&W would be crazy to return the incorrectly made cylinder back to the owner for any reason. As long as the defective cylinder is in the hands of any customer, it will always be a severe risk for S&W. If S&W did in fact make the pistol as depicted in the picture, and if that pistol was actually sold to a customer, I would think S&W would go to great lengths to get the customer to return the pistol to them for replacement - not simply to replace the cylinder, but to replace the pistol in its entirety.
I find it hard to believe S&W could make such a mistake, and my first thought is to wonder if Japle is playing a joke on us. I have no reason to think Japle's picture and information is not true, so I have to accept S&W made a big mistake as hard as that may be to accept. If that is the case, one does not need to be a lawyer to recognize the potential liability problem, and one does not need to be a marketing genius to recognize the potential deleterious effects this will have on customer trust in the company and its products.
Best wishes,
Dave Wile