S&W repair stumper

[Riomouse911]

I picked up one of those 1st gen 657 Classic Hunters... 6.5" full lug barrel, unfluted cylinder. The barrel looked like it had been cut by a dull hacksaw, and it's performance showed. I sent it back in, they recut the barrel, and it came back a tackdriver.... I put 5 rounds in one hole with it first time back to the range. It seems like they included paperwork saying what they had done (turned the barrel down) but I will swear to this day that they did work on the action as well... it was a much different pistol when I got it back. I may still have the repair order upstairs, I'd have to look. I have sent other firearms back to the factory, for various things, and they always came back with a copy of the repair order and what they did. It's obvious they did SOMETHING... it would have been nice if they would have taken 5 minutes and wrote what they really did... so you would know.

Friend of mine sent his Kimber back to the factory... they test-fired it and said nothing was wrong and sent it back. I told him what was wrong, and what to tell them, but he didn't... and they didn't take the time to sleuth it out like I did.




Interesting question...

As you say, they obviously had the cylinder apart... did you look for machining marks or anything?

I didn’t see anything obvious. I know the cylinder was taken apart, maybe they replaced something in there that returned it to normal operation (so far).

Of the three other S&W’s I have sent back in the past 5 years or so (Model 686+, Model 48-3 and Model 19-2) all had a note listing what was done in the return box, and the 19 required me to pay for service before they did anything.

Oh well, I guess if it works from now on then I’m OK with not knowing what was done.

Stay safe.

 

[halfmoonclip]

"....I will swear to this day that they did work on the action as well... it was a much different pistol when I got it back..."

Charlie, sent a 9mm Defender back to Colt, because I couldn't get a zero with the factory front sight. They fixed that, and cleaned up the trigger as well. Sometimes you bonus out.
Moon

 

[Speedo66]

What good is a lifetime guarantee if at any time they can deem a gun obsolete and declare they are no longer obligated to fix It?

 

[chicharrones]

What good is a lifetime guarantee if at any time they can deem a gun obsolete and declare they are no longer obligated to fix It?

It would appear there are some exclusions to the lifetime warranty. The last paragraph speaks to that.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/customer-service/warranty

 

[Barmcd]

Like Mr Borland said, look at the returned parts. They didn't return those parts for no reason. I think they are original to your gun, replaced in the repair action. Good suggestion to check the side plate screws lengths vs position.

As an aside, in the USAF we had an R390/A that blew fuses, usually at 2am. Several techs, including me, worked on it and could not get a repeated problem after replacing the fuse.

Last time took it off line and I just replaced the fuse with a 1 amp, (overfused) and left it. Next morning it had failed. When I took it apart, the burned wire in the harness was easy to trace. Someone in the past had replaced a screw with one that was too long and it went into the wiring harness. The wire was burned from the power supply to the point where the screw grounded it. It was intermittent because the short depended on the vibration from the blower in the rack.

Long explanation to check and make sure the correct hardware goes in the right place.

I haven't heard R390 in a long. long time!

 

[StrawHat]

What good is a lifetime guarantee if at any time they can deem a gun obsolete and declare they are no longer obligated to fix It?

Does Ford still work on Model T’s?

Kevin

 

[halfmoonclip]

Does Ford still work on Model T’s?

Great analogy.
What Smith will work on depends entirely on what parts they have on hand.
Similar problem on the Walther forum; some older guns require now-nonexistent parts.
I've had wonderful success with S&W's CS. My recently returned 986 had only the sketchiest explanation of what was fixed, but it's pretty evident what they did.
Moon

 

[Speedo66]

Does Ford still work on Model T’s?

Kevin

Does Ford have a lifetime guarantee?

 

[trackskippy]

Ive only ever sent two guns back to S&W, about 25 years apart, and both times, it took them three tries to get things right (new gun both times), but they did eventually take care of things.

These days, I just always assumed that all the major makers had a lifetime warranty, which, strange enough, I discovered wasn't the case with Glock. Seems they only have a 1 year warranty. I discovered that fact while flipping through a manual looking for the CS number to send back my one, well worn 17 that had a broken rail.

After seeing that, I called them up to see what my options were. I explained what had happened and they said send it in and they would look at it. I got it back about a week later, with a new frame and the rest of the gun rebuilt. 9 years out of warranty, ~150K rounds through it, and with a frame that had been stippled a couple of times, that I was constantly told by the internet experts would void the warranty. All it cost me was the $25 it cost me to send it down.

 

[Freudianfloyd]

I had a model 57 in 41 magnum that I had to send back for repairs the pawl that turns the cylinder broke off they repaired it at no charge but there was nothing in the return box . On that note I had a Taurus Raging Bull in 44 magnum that was 15 years old I shot it to death until it broke called Taurus they sent me a mail label plus a form for my contact information. A few days later I got a email from them stating to call customer support called the next day, they told me the gun was not repairable, I said now what? The guy tells me they are honoring the lifetime warranty on the older legacy Raging Bulls he put me on hold came back on the line and tells me they still have some of these available and wants to know which one of these FFL dealers I am close to and that they are sending me a new one for no charge . He also told me why they couldn’t fix my old one and what was wrong I can’t say enough good things about Taurus I still have 2 of them.

The only time I have ever sent a gun for repair was a Taurus Raging Bull .454. The transfer bar was broken and was something I could've fixed in 5 minutes if I had the part, unfortunately, Taurus will not allow gunsmiths or DIYers to work on their guns so I had to send it in for repairs. It took nearly a year to get the gun back, and that was after calling and emailing almost weekly after already waiting 7 months. Happily I can say the gun is still in working order, but man was it a long wait.

 

[LV Gun]

The only time I have ever sent a gun for repair was a Taurus Raging Bull .454. The transfer bar was broken and was something I could've fixed in 5 minutes if I had the part, unfortunately, Taurus will not allow gunsmiths or DIYers to work on their guns so I had to send it in for repairs. It took nearly a year to get the gun back, and that was after calling and emailing almost weekly after already waiting 7 months. Happily I can say the gun is still in working order, but man was it a long wait.

Wow I must have lucked out or something turn time for mine was 3 weeks total.

 

[halfmoonclip]

After seeing that, I called them up to see what my options were. I explained what had happened and they said send it in and they would look at it. I got it back about a week later, with a new frame and the rest of the gun rebuilt. 9 years out of warranty, ~150K rounds through it, and with a frame that had been stippled a couple of times, that I was constantly told by the internet experts would void the warranty. All it cost me was the $25 it cost me to send it down.

Regardless of their stated policy, gunmakers will often bend over backwards to keep customers happy; they recognize that we are often repeat customers. (We also grouse on gun boards...) Glock sorted out the triggers on a G42/43 early on, when the stated trigger pull wasn't remotely reality. They were no help on the short leade issue with a 19.5.
My 986 was gone for 17 days, though a 3" M60 was gone for a couple months; it had undersized chambers, which was finally sorted out.
Shipping guns is just a PITA; what we'll do if FedEx follows in UPS' footsteps in that regard?
Moon

 

[stonebuster]

Great analogy.
What Smith will work on depends entirely on what parts they have on hand.
Similar problem on the Walther forum; some older guns require now-nonexistent parts.
I've had wonderful success with S&W's CS. My recently returned 986 had only the sketchiest explanation of what was fixed, but it's pretty evident what they did.
Moon

Ruger doesn't support the Six Series revolvers(Speed, Security & Service Six) anymore either for the same reason. But Ruger never gave a warrantee either.