Billy Shears
Member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2008
- Messages
- 1,020
Today, I picked up a brand new, Smith & Wesson Bodyguard that I have had on layaway for the past three months. I intended the piece as a backup gun for work (police detective), and was attracted by the light (but not too light) weight, as well as the grips. S&W has finally provided factory grips on a 5 shot snubby .38 that aren't so ridiculously skinny that normal human hands can get a good grip on them, and no aftermarket grips or T grip adapters are required. I had read that the lockwork was all new, and while looking it over, I noticed that the cylinder now rotates into the frame like a Colt. The trigger stacks like a Colt trigger too, which I thought was interesting as well. That might bother some people, but I am used to it, having a 3" bbl Colt Detective Special that is one of my favorite guns (crying shame they don't make them anymore).
Anyway, I made my purchase and happily went upstairs to the range to try it out. Got all set up, moved the target back, loaded 5 rounds, took careful aim, pressed the trigger, and... CLICK.
***?!
CLICK... CLICK.
Opened the cylinder. Yep, five rounds loaded. Primers pristine and undented. Closed cylinder. Pointed gun in general direction of target. CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.
Further inspection of the now unloaded gun revealed that the firing pin is not coming out past the recoil shield. What the f#%@ kind of quality control is this?! A gun leaves the factory not even able to fire a single round!?!
Now furious, I gave the gun back to the guy behind the counter so that it could be returned to the factory, but I had more than half a mind just to get my money back. I consider this sort of thing totally unacceptable. This is the second brand new gun I have bought in a row that just plain didn't work (the last was a Kahr). This is one of the only Smith's I'd buy these days, as it doesn't have that damnable key lock, but after this, I may not buy any more. Even if their customer service from this point on is completely exemplary, this is simply egregiously bad on their part.
Anyway, I made my purchase and happily went upstairs to the range to try it out. Got all set up, moved the target back, loaded 5 rounds, took careful aim, pressed the trigger, and... CLICK.
***?!
CLICK... CLICK.
Opened the cylinder. Yep, five rounds loaded. Primers pristine and undented. Closed cylinder. Pointed gun in general direction of target. CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.
Further inspection of the now unloaded gun revealed that the firing pin is not coming out past the recoil shield. What the f#%@ kind of quality control is this?! A gun leaves the factory not even able to fire a single round!?!
Now furious, I gave the gun back to the guy behind the counter so that it could be returned to the factory, but I had more than half a mind just to get my money back. I consider this sort of thing totally unacceptable. This is the second brand new gun I have bought in a row that just plain didn't work (the last was a Kahr). This is one of the only Smith's I'd buy these days, as it doesn't have that damnable key lock, but after this, I may not buy any more. Even if their customer service from this point on is completely exemplary, this is simply egregiously bad on their part.