The Dark Side of Smith & Wesson :
S&W is a huge print advertiser and that has made them a "holy cow," insulated by the press from the consequences of their actions.
S&W has gotten a pass from the big outdoor media since the 1950's. The legendary unreliability of Smith & Wesson's double-action auto pistols was widely known within the industry, but seldom mentioned in print by the outdoor press. (American Handgunner being the sole exception that comes to mind.) A good example of the "bye" that S&W has always gotten from the outdoor media is the fact that most shooters don't even know about the short cuts, rip-offs and problems cited in this article.
Ever since the Ladies Home Journal of the 1880's, print periodicals made their profit through the advertisements placed in the magazines. Over 60% of the printed material is advertising, that is who is actually paying the bills, and once you figure that out, their behaviors become predictable. The whole industry is geared to educating you on what to buy, not about what not to buy. The internet has been a great source of information as the old print media gatekeepers cannot control the information flow, though, they are still hugely influential.
Even though gun writers were not warning about shoddy workmanship about Smith and Wesson, or any other manufacturer, I like my K frame S&W's. My 66-2 is a great pistol:
This K frame is the one pistol I have shot more rounds downrange than any else:
and I recently purchased a vintage 90's Georgia Dept of Corrections, to have a stainless version:
Some of you might even remember it from your last Georgia staycation.
What I have learned to do, on all revolvers, is check the timing. Pull the hammer back slowly and determine if the cylinder stop falls into place when it should fall into place.
I also grab the cylinder star and try to find the tightest. I will eyeball the cylinder gap, and if I have a cleaning rod, I will push a patch down the barrel. This document has some pointers about checking out an S&W:
Inspection Guide for Smith and Wesson Revolvers I will do this, used or new, because I don't want the bother of having to send a new pistol back to the factory, and I want a pistol that has the best trigger pull and timing. It is far better to know what to look for than assume everything is perfect.
I have had excellent experiences with S&W customer service, so, even when I wanted something done, it was done properly.
S&W would not drill and tap this 1968 M46, but I found a bud who would. Regardless of what Chuck Hawks says about someone's M41, this M46 is an amazing target pistol.
I would be interested in determining just what exactly was the problem with the problem with this pistol:
Another Guns and Shooting Online staff member purchased a new S&W Model 41 target pistol. It has never shot particularly tight groups, even after having been rebarreled (at the owner's expense!). In addition, it regularly malfunctions. He has put over twice the pistol's (considerable) original cost into it trying, with marginal success, to correct its faults.
I am of the opinion that it is of little value to rebarrel a match 22lr pistol, unless the chamber was reamed off center, the greatest source of inaccuracy is the shooter, followed by ammunition. I have talked to guys who have rebarreled target pistols, particularly Ruger's, and I am of the opinion that any accuracy improvements they claim to see, are due to the placebo effect, and to, small sample sizes. Guys with stock box Ruger MKII's, MKIII's, and MKIV's regularly kick my butt in Bullseye Competition, but it is not because of their pistol or my pistol. They shoot better because they are better shooters. (with enough hot sauce, even Crow can be palatable.) If someone had a M41 rebarreled and it is still not shooting straight, maybe the guy can't shoot, or, is feeding the pistol crappy ammunition.
