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bluecollar

bluecollar

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Mar 18, 2006
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Let me preface this by saying that I’m a Smith and Wesson guy and have been for decades. The first handgun I ever purchased was an M&P model 10 in 1970. Wish I still had it as I’m sure it would work just fine.
But very recently I have had some dubious experiences with S&W handguns. Just today I had to return an SD9VE for repair not hours after I took transfer from my FFL. When pulling the trigger the gun would not release the striker maybe but once in about twenty tries. Approximately three months ago I also returned a Shield plus p.c. gun for a similar problem. With this example, the trigger would release, but would fail to send the striker. I got this handgun back in about three weeks and it has been repaired.
Now I know the accepted advice is to thoroughly check the gun before taking possession but in the many years I have acquired firearms by ordering on line I can count on one hand the times I have had an issue. My only conclusion is that Smith and Wesson are apparently sending firearms out the door without so much as a cursory check as to function.
So, this is just a reminder to check a gun you order before signing off on it to possibly save some hassle later. And regrettably I’d advise to give any Smith and Wessons a twice over.
 
yea bluecollar , from all the reports i read from other forums ; it appears SW is pushing out their guns as fast as they can and the hell with quality control.
 
I often wonder if gun QC in general has taken a massive hit in 2020-2021 due to companies trying to keep up with the recent massive demand... it sounds like this is the case, from this and other reports I've read. My last new-production gun purchase was early 2020, before all this craziness started... I'm a bit nervous to get something made recently now.
 
If it's a new gun, are we to dry-fire it, at the FFL's counter ? Use Snap-Caps ?

In the past, my attitude has always been:

If it's used, Caveat Emptor, hopefully you get a decent price break-and I never had any bad luck. Given the high price of many used guns, and the decreased manufacturer protection you get, this is why I generally prefer to buy new, when possible.

If it's new, send it right back to the manufacturer, as soon as I discover the problem. I guess I have indeed been fortunate, inasmuch as I have never had a defective new gun, either. That's a tough break, for you, bluecollar, I have heard that S&W's quality has been declining, as of the past couple years, although I had not experienced it, myself.
 
As much as I hate it for S&W and it's shareholders they have shown that quantity instead of quality is their goal, indicating a complete disregard for their customers by putting out untested products and letting the buyers perform the quality inspection. Reading some of the stories from customers having to return their purchase to S&W several times before it's functioning properly makes me wonder why they picked the item in the first place. Back in the day a company earned a good reputation by having Quality Products and Standing behind the items they sold, S&W was among the leaders if not the leader. Sorry for the rant, I'll jump down off the soap box now.
 
To be honest as well, I haven't had great luck with 2 new S&W pistols I bought this year. Both I've been too lazy to do anything about. The first is the Victory .22 that I had a post about months ago about feeding and extraction issues almost every magazine. The other was a SD9VE I bought at the same time. It functions fine except it had a factory reload jam in it so I stopped shooting it. I noticed it shot left every time. Wasnt til I was home that I noticed the rear sight was offset to the right.
 
I purchased my first ever S&W this year... a new Shield Plus that has been flawless in operation and quality. I think with mass produced firearms, a shortage of qualified employees and a shortage of workers in general a few are going to slip thru the cracks at the manufacturer. I've had several Ruger's that have had issues to. I guess now it's more important than ever to, if possible, carefully inspect a firearm before accepting it. I realize a lot are purchased online.. so it's important to know what recourse one has for that lemon. Deal with a trusted organization with a good track record.
 
I have a M&P 2.0 9mm, M&P40c, M&P Shield in .45acp as well as a black slide/ghost grey SD9... not a lick of trouble so far. The M&P40c paired with a Storm Lake 357Sig barrel was my primary carry for about 3 years and has a fairly high round count.

I must be in the good graces of the mechanical deities as I hardly ever have an issue with my firearms or vehicles.
Only 2 firearms I've owned over the years (a Charles Daly Hipower and EAA Witness compact) have ever caused me grief.
 
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