686-6 Spitting

[TysonK]

Hello all, I recently received a new 686-6 4inch six shot for Christmas from my fiance that I have been lusting after for a while. This is my first revolver, however, I own and am experienced with a large variety of semi-auto handguns.

I have shot around 400 rounds through it on two seperate occasions and the only issues I have are that with almost all .357 ammo I have run through it I get hit in the left cheek when the revolver "spits" back at me. I have read that many times this is normal and it doesnt bother me a whole bunch but it really bothers my fiance (who loves the gun) so she will only shoot .38 special out of it. She is not recoil shy at all, and I am just wondering how normal this is for a new revolver.

The revolver did come with a slightly canted barrel which I was very concerned with, however, after shooting it, I didn't even have to adjust the sights from center to be spot on. Not sure if this has anything to do with the spitting problem. Any insight would be appreciated, thanks.

- TysonK

 

[627PCFan]

Accurate or not, canted barrel it should go back. Do you notice its spitting to one side only? For instance is it canted to the left and only spits to the right?

 

[TysonK]

The barrel is slightly canted to the left, however, the revolver spits out the left side as well (at least the only side that I have noticed) so I thought that the barrel may not have anything to do with it, I could be completely wrong though.

 

[joem1945]

It sounds like the timing is off and with the barrel canted it should go back to the manufacture for correction. IMHO you paid for a gun in new condition free of defects and poor workmanship. You didn't get it!

 

[Schwing]

I have never fired a .357 or .44 magnum revolver that didn't do this occasionally, more so with lead cast bullets than jacketed.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

My buddy just bought a new 686. I shot it a few time. It peppered me on the left check using jacketed bullets.

 

[Badlander]

Send it back.

 

[BSA1]

My revolvers don't "spit" backwards at me. They have the normal flash and burning powder from the barrel cylinder gap. That is from both sides of the cylinder which is being held a arms length (2 1/2'?) from my face.

 

[Master Blaster]

New? Canted Barrel? Spitting. I would call S&W customer service. They will email you a prepaid shipping label. Get it fixed. As far as the spitting goes is it spitting unburned chunks of powder or pieces of bullet? The spitting could be a badly cut forcing cone in addition to the barrel being canted.

 

[Normandy]

You got a lemon. Trade it back to S&W for a peach.

 

[TysonK]

Thanks for all the replies. I always had a nagging feeling that I should send it in, just hate parting with it after only having it less than a month. It is very accurate and my fiance got a great price on it ($669), but I guess I should get it running the way it should.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I've been shooting 357mags once a week for over 30 years, I have two model 28s, a Ruger Black Hawk and recently bought a GP100.
I can't ever remember getting hit with anything over those 30+ years with any gun I own let alone my 357s.

How can you get hit with something standing behind it? I guess I've never had a bad revolver.

I would definitely call S&W and have it sent in before someone gets hurt more seriously. Liking the gun has nothing to do with it. That needs to be fixed.

 

[MrBorland]

You got a lemon

before someone gets hurt more seriously

Since it's a new gun, I'd send it in so you can fully enjoy it when it comes back, but if it's accurate and the sights didn't need to be adjusted, I doubt there's that much wrong with it. Not enough to worry about it grenading, anyway. Could be a rough forcing cone or, a forcing cone that's not quite square, a small yoke misalignment, timing that's slightly off, etc.

 

[hAkron]

The first gun I ever sent back to S&W was a Walther PPK/s. It took me 9 weeks to get it back. It came back with galled rails and because of it I swore off S&W guns FOREVER! about a year after that I forgot that I swore off S&W guns and started amassing a huge collection of them. The only other one I had to send back was my EDC 642 because the cylinder ejector rod detent and spring fell out. I called S&W, a box showed up. I put my gun in the box, dropped it off at FedEx and I think less then a week later I had it back. Send it off. S&W will fix it better than ever.

 

[boricua9mm]

I sent back a 3.25" Model 66-5 last year for the same "spitting" issue, although I should specify that my revolver was, in fact, shaving FMJs! Small pieces of copper jacket would get jammed between the forcing cone and the frame, and a piece got stuck in my cheek one day.

S&W reamed the forcing cone and sent it back. It doesn't make the shooter bleed anymore.

 

[gamestalker]

I would send it back, if it were me.

I shoot full house jacketed 296 loads pretty much exclusively, and I occasionally get some blow back that makes contact with me, but only very occasionally.

Canted barrel, getting hit in the face with hot stuff, ya, send it back, it should do that constantly. Once every now and then, well, it's a revolver, this does happen now and then.

It could be a timing issue, might also have something to do with the barrel.

GS

 

[243winxb]

Spitting-
I run into this once before. A change in ammo fixed it.

 

[Gman561]

I have a ruger gp 100 a smith and wesson 686-1 and a smith and wesson high way patrolman. And never had any spitting of metal! Your timing is off! Send it back even with the barrel canted the bore is centered! Your timing is off and the cylinder and the bore is not centered. And its shaving material off the bullet and shooting out of the forcing cone! it will only lose more timing over time. Send it back to smith and wesson and be safe!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

There was a time when you sent back a new gun to S&W because of poor workmanship they would sometimes throw in a trigger job for your trouble. It's been years since I've hear of that happening, too bad.

Sorry for the sidetrack, I agree, send it back to S&W for repairs. You will enjoy the gun even more when it's not sending stuff into your face! lol