First lemon, SW Victory

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Mars5l

Mars5l

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I've been wanting one for awhile. Missed out on a used one for $350. LGS had a weekend sale, 30% off S&W. So ended up with a new one for $350. They had a range, so broke it in or attempted to at least right out of the box. First round out of the box it fired but didnt extract, had to use a screwdriver on the rim to pry it out. I think I only got 3 or 4 magazines total that fired normally. Any other time, I was getting extraction issues, failure to extract that included double feeds, feed issues. I used SK Standard because I've read it's a good target ammo. Also ran 2 mags, or tried too of Armscor, and still had issues. Sights were also way off out of the box.

I've never had issues like this from any gun I've bought. The range officer gave it a try and he didn't have as many issues as I've done, but anytime he'd hand it back to me it would act up. Store manager said SK is ****ty and that I should use CCI. I'll go back and try Mini Mags, but even my Taurus TX22 that I fired today using some old slightly corroded Winchester Super X had less issues.

It was accurate at least once sight in and when it would fire without issue.

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I would seriously consider sending it to S&W..My son bought one new about 2 months ago, we have shot it about 4 times and it worked 100% with a variety of ammo..from cheapo sub sonic stuff to CCI..no issue, no problem. He didn't clean before we shot it first time, BTW..
 
Might just be burrs on the extractor.
SK is good quality ammo, but most of it is low velocity target ammo, not what you want in a new pistol.
Make sure you put a little light oil on the extractor, rimfires need oil there.
 
All opinions valid.
I always field strip, clean, and lube new guns.

Some use a cosmoline like preservative, some a heavier grease, and some seem fine.

To remove the chance that that is the issue I clean them every time before firing. Just me, don't need to. The firearm will have the least wear and tightest tolerance new until quite a few firings mate everything. Clean with i light oil gives it the best chance to break in without issue.

Next ammo.. see what's available and change it up.

Personally I don't consider sending back to mfg on the situation as you described as a bit of testing is in order so if/ when you send in you can describe all the things you've done to mitigate the issues
 
Hoping this is just a bit of bad luck. I’m looking to buy a .22 pistol in the next few days and the victory is in the running along with the buckmark camper and mark IV 22/45. Having trouble deciding. The only smith I have much experience with is my .45 shield and it’s always ran 100% but this gives me some pause.
 
Mars5l said:
Store manager said SK is ****** and that I should use CCI. I'll go back and try Mini Mags . . .
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PO2Hammer said:
Might just be burrs on the extractor.
SK is good quality ammo, but most of it is low velocity target ammo, not what you want in a new pistol.
Make sure you put a little light oil on the extractor, rimfires need oil there.
Click to expand...

Yep, whenever I've gotten a new autoloading .22LR pistol it took some time breaking in with hotter ammo until it would run lower power ammo consistently.

Mini Mags are great for breaking in a .22LR pistol, IMO.
 
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If it were mine I would do the field strip and check the tension and movement of the extractor and if the chamber is clean and has a smooth and regular surface.
 
Out of the box failures are rare for S&W. I have owned several S&W guns, and that makes me think that the post above asking if you cleaned the gun before you first fired it is important. The 3 S&Ws I have owned all were in need of cleaning upon opening the box. I had no issues with those guns. And I cleaned them upon receipt because I always clean a gun after it is shot. S&W almost assuredly fired a test shot wen the gun went through QC. You can expect that the ammo they use is cheap and dirty. It doesn’t take much grit to impair a 22.

Regarding the sights being off, I have never had a gun with an adjustable rear sight that was “on” out of the box. As I recall the Victory has adjustable sight. I think the manufacturers calculate that the buyer is going to zero-in the gun so no point in spending time adjusting it.

All that written, I think a good cleaning and a zero-in range session will fix the issues. If not the gun should be sent in to S&W. I had to do that with the M&P Compact 22 I had years ago. It came back all fixed up. The barrel which is fixed was misaligned on its mounting block. After the repair it became my favorite plinking gun —toy for a boy..
 
Yes its a lemon. Gave the gun a good wipe down with some gun wipes, swabbed the barrel down and gave some oil to where the bolt slides and a little on the extractor. Only helped minorly. I shot RWS, Federal bulk 38gr, CCI MiniMags, Stingers, and Selects, and crusty Winchester SuperX. They all had issues along with the SK Standard and Armscor yesterday. In fact the first round which was a Minimag nose dived right into the feed ramp.

Most issues seemed to be extraction, sometimes double feeding, and feed issues. Id have some rounds that did not extract at all til cycled the bolt again. Several times a round would nose dive on the first round in the mag. It would work great for 2 or 3 mags then act up, when it would work great it is accurate for my shaky hands.

Here's some photos from todays retry.

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My last 3 smith and Wesson either broke within a hundred rounds or were broke out of the box. (All revolvers however).

Smith will fix the gun. Free and they pay all shipping. All 3 of mine were back quickly too. Good CS.
 
A friend of mine bought a Victory recently that had the exact same issue. Having done some Google Fu for him, it looks like this is a very common problem with these guns. The extractor sits too closely to the frame, and doesn't kick out the shells at a steep enough angle to remove them. The empty gets hung up in the action and jams the gun when the bolt comes forward.

What we did was disassemble the pistol and CAREFULLY use needle-nose pliers to bend the extractor inwards towards the bolt path.The extractor is a thin piece of sheet metal, so it can bend, but it can also break and leave you in a bad place. Try running the bolt slowly on an empty 22 case, you should see a little stronger kick after you bend it.

We put it back together and shot it two weeks ago. A box of fifty 22 shells isn't the world's biggest sample size, but it cycled all fifty perfectly. Also FWIW, the sights on the Victory appear to be set for a 6 o'clock hold. Once I got that down, Coke cans at 25 yards stood no chance.
 
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That sux that you're having issues with your Victory, Mars5l. I have more than a handful of S&W revolvers and autoloaders, including a Victory and have never had an issue that required a trip back to the Mothership...but sadly, unless you are competent with minor gunsmithing and have the desire to do such work on a new firearm, it looks like back to S&W is in the cards for your Victory.
 
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I just don't know the easiest way to get it sent back. I cleaned it up tonight after the last session, im not a gunsmith but I can't see anything obvious as to what could cause this. Wish I could get it to run well so I can do some upgrades.
 
CoalCrackerAl said:
Did you clean and lube it? After taking it out of the box. Not getting the mfg oils and shipping oils out. Causes what you experienced.
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This is very important, ESPECIALLY with .22's in semi-autos.

In fact, it can't be emphasized enough.

Even your own guns can develop issues similar to this if you have them stored for long periods of time without use/cleaning/lubrication.

Break it down, clean it thoroughly, properly lube it, then head back to the range with a variety of ammunition to try.

Let us know what happens.
 
.455_Hunter said:
I would include a paper write-up with the gun detailing your issues with some pictures of the jams.
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What he said ^^^^^

I would print this thread, photos and all and send it with your gun. Call S&W and have your serial number handy.

Smith & Wesson/Customer service
1 (800) 331-0852
 
I would call them. I have done exactly that for a different gun recently. Took about 15 minutes on hold to get a Customer service rep. They will email a prepaid return label
 
I agree, call them. With a different firearms manufacturer, the internet submission approach was slow and ignored. When I called, the response was faster.
Jonesy814 said:
I would call them. I have done exactly that for a different gun recently. Took about 15 minutes on hold to get a Customer service rep. They will email a prepaid return label
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