I have had PC-branded guns and guns worked on by the PC after-sale. The PC-branded gun has a few "features" and it has the action very minimally "tuned." The most critical surfaces are stoned, but there is no polishing on most of the action parts that a gunsmith would do. The action is noticeably smoother and lighter than factory S&W-brand (though that's not saying much).
The gun "tuned" by the PC after-sale is quite different. They did at least twice as much stoning and there is some polishing. I could detail this further but it's another topic. The PC also added a number of "features" (like a cylinder for moon-clips with chamfered chamber mouths, cutting a recessed muzzle crown, and resetting the b/c gap). They did also change the rebound spring and tune the length of the strain screw. They did all this work for less money than a lot of other gunsmiths would charge for just changing springs. I am very happy with the work the PC did after-sale.
As for the PC-branded guns, I am very likely to start with one when setting up a revolver, if one is available in the frame-size and barrel length I want. The features they typically add are well worth the prices they sell for on Grabagun and they can be had immediately instead of waiting for turnaround times from TK Custom, Magnaport, Cylinder & Slide or a local gunsmith to add all the features and do an action job. Whatever the PC does before-sale is something I don't have to wait for. For me, this is a drawback of the new Python because it would take a lot longer to get one set up. Ruger and Colt both have yet to set up a custom shop and offer the after-sales work that S&W does.
As for after-market action jobs, I have seen some that do go to greater lengths to extensively polish the internals or even jewel (engine-turn) the sides of the hammer and so on. This is partly decorative, and the internal polishing might reduce the friction imperceptibly, but much of what I've seen doesn't really add to the result. Some smiths polish things that don't matter at all. I've seen them polish the side of the frame behind the rebound slide that the rebound slide never touches, and many things like that which just don't matter. All that is not to disparage after-market gunsmiths, but to say that their work varies from spring-changing to luxury finishing. The work I've received from the PC is somewhere in-between. It's very much focused on practical results, and I appreciate that.
I'm glad you have had good luck with the PC. Here's my experience.
When the 686 and 629 competitors came out I knew I wanted one. This gun.
View media item 95At first glance it looks great, if a bit impractical for anything but range time.
I didn't want to wait so I paid just about $1400 about 6 or 7 years ago. Whenever they came out.
Within a month I noticed that it was not reliably firing in DA. That's totally unacceptable for a gun that's meant for competition. It always fires in SA, and it is very accurate, but I'm not ok with it failing to fire in DA. I tried several different ammo brands also and the problem was consistent. I double and triple checked the strain screw, and it was TIGHT. Additionally I noticed a little bit of back spray from what I figured was just a little bit of warm ammo.
I sent the gun into S&W and their solution was to put in an extended firing pin. I didn't mention the back spray as I didn't think it was a real issue.
The issue seemed fixed, for a month or so then it started having failures again. So I again tried different ammo. Some were worse than others. Still unacceptable in my mind. I got disgusted and put it aside for awhile. Recently I picked it up again and tried some really warm loads. This was after I had even shimmed the strain screw to increase tension on the mainspring. I believe the problem is that the DA sear has been smoothed to the point that the hammer is not traveling far enough backward to reliably ignite primers. It makes sense since the gun fires fine in SA.
I could learn to love it even if I only used it for SA shooting, as I don't compete, but it would bother me that it didn't function properly. However on two separate occasions now, the warm loads I was shooting in this gun has sent a bullet fragment back at me fast enough to cut my ear open, and force me to stop shooting. Thank god I wear glasses when shooting. It shaves enough lead to leave a deposit between the forcing cone and the top strap. Really? On a PC gun?
If all that wasn't enough, the name "Competitor" is stamped on the right side of the gun, and my particular gun has a light double stamp, so it has a cosmetic issue to add insult to injury. So all in, between the gun, the aftermarket grips, gasoline to take it to the FedEx location (90 mile round rip), a bunch of test ammo, and what is now going to be a second trip to the factory (time), I am in to this gun for probably close to $2000, and it still isn't functioning properly.
If Colt can give me a gun with about the same MSRP, that shoots straight, probably has just as smooth and light of a trigger as this PC gun, and it works properly out of the box, and I'm not pissed off, then Colt is going to get my money and Smith and Wesson can take their PC guns and forcefully insert them in a dark place.
Now I know that's only a sample of one, and there are a lot of really happy PC gun owners out there. It's important to acknowledge that I think. But I am pretty well disgusted. When I bought this gun I thought it was going to be my dream target 357. Instead it's been a very expensive pain in my rear end. I'm not saying all S&W's are junk, I'm saying I'm ready to try something different.
Sorry for the thread drift, but comparisons are bound to happen given the new Python's release.
Edit: If the gun comes back fixed, I may change my tune, but I shouldn't have to send a "premium" revolver in twice for the same issue.