Your "quality" tolerance

[Galt]

Update...

I just received from S&W a brand new PPS. I've got to hand it to S&W, they have a great CS function. I somehow ended up with a lemon that kept eating itself, and they replaced it without so much as a protest from me. It has taken a while (they were having a delay on parts for the Walthers due to some customs issues from what I understood), but I think patience has paid off.

We'll see how the new one runs sometime soon. Suffice it to say this is a good news story of a company standing behind its product. I like this handgun's form factor a lot, but admit that if they had simply fixed and returned my last one it would have been hard to trust (two major breakages within 100 rounds of straight ball ammo).

 

[ny32182]

There aren't that many parts in a gun. If something is not working right, there is a physical reason why. Especially with something as minor as a slide catch and slide catch spring....

If breaking these parts is a known endemic issue on this pistol, then maybe there is a design issue, and all of them feature the same design.

If it is not, I would just replace them and fire away. Small parts break from time to time, and it is possible you had a bad part initially installed at the factory. Always good to hear about responsive CS though.

 

[mustang_steve]

Provided I do most of my own gunsmithing...I send a gun in if it needs something I am not able to do or have the tools to do. That means once. After that I will get the tools/training and see if it's repairable, if not then it becomes a "holster mold".

I do check a firearm thoroughly before I buy it, and don't deal with shops that won't either strip the gun down for me or let me strip it down. I do make it very clear I am serious on buying, I just need to be sure I leave with a solid one. That said, one part max.

 

[Galt]

Different strokes for different folks, but I don't think that a brand new gun that eats its own parts twice within 100 rounds is "acceptable" if I'm able to replace the small parts and go fire away. That's a problem. This particular unit had some kind of issue with alignment or otherwise.

Small parts may fail, sure. But, they should fail after thousands of rounds not after 30-40. They should also be predictably replaceable, not unpredictably subject to breakage (not just FTE/F, which this particular unit never had an issue with). Whether you do your own gunsmithing or not is beside the point.

 

[ForumSurfer]

First, how many times would you return a (bought new in box) firearm to the manufacturer before giving up?

You know, it depends entirely on the firearm and the malfunction. In your case, more than once was unacceptable. For a range only piece that is known to be finicky, twice is acceptable...unless I'm paying shipping. If I have to pay shipping, I'd try to seek recourse through the place I bought it from for a complete refund. I'm sorry, but as a consumer I shouldn't need to pay a dime to ship a defective product to the manufacturer.

Some defects don't even bother me. I picked up a new glock that had a rather noticeable scratch on the slide. Glock did it since it was still sealed in the box. I didn't really care since it was a Glock. I'll either scratch it myself, it will develop holster wear eventually or I will just never care because it was ugly to start with.

Different strokes for different folks, but I don't think that a brand new gun that eats its own parts twice within 100 rounds is "acceptable" if I'm able to replace the small parts and go fire away

Yeah, I would have lost all confidence in it, whatever the brand it would have been. Honestly, I'd probably have ran around 1000 rounds through whatever replacement that my brand of choice sent me (500 is my personal minimum anyway) before I started carrying it for defense. If they had repaired it twice instead of replacing it, I would have likely sold it even if I took a loss. What good is a carry gun that I'll never be confident with?

I've heard nothing but excellent things about your pistol, but I agree with you. Two breakages in under 100 rounds is annoying and unacceptable. That isn't even an entire range session. Good luck with the replacement!

 

[MachIVshooter]

Depends on what the problem is and how the manufacturer treats me. In most cases, though, I'd say it should not have to go back for the same problem more than once. Unlike cars, electronics and many other products, firearms are pretty simple and, aside from materials and manufacturing techniques, employ century old technology. Sure, there are real world conditions that may not be accounted for in testing, and there can be problems in manufacturing that go unnoticed for awhile and cause problems. But it shouldn't take multiple attempts to figure it out.

 

[gathert]

My dad bought a Kimber Tactical Custom II a while back with commander length slide and on that series there is a firing pin safety. There is a little bump in the frame that depresses the safety in the slide, I assume it was a MIM part, and decided it didnt want to be part of the gun anymore one day without us knowing and it wouldnt shoot the next we went to the range. Found out that was the problem, and promptly replaced the firing pin with a Colt Series 80 to bypass the firing pin safety, which is totally useless on a range gun. No harm done, and I would still buy a Kimber if I had the cash, they are great shooting guns.

 

[1911 guy]

I give a manufacturer one chance to fix reliability and function issues. Most seem to get it and do reasonably well, some exceptionally well. After that, I cut my losses and move on.

Others are quite the opposite, acting as if you are inconveniencing them by asking for a decent product for the price they are asking. Para Ordnance comes to mind. I wouldn't own another if personally given to me by the company owner.

 

[gym]

1 time, if they can't fix it on their second pass, the first was selling it the first time. Then I have to assume that they don't know what's wrong with it. So I sure am not trusting my life to it.

 

[FROGO207]

The general state of quality control these days is pathetic at best. 1 trip to be repaired and then I would lose confidence in that particular firearm. Out of warantee firearms are a different matter. I like to have the factory look at the problem if it is a major one to CYA. I hate dealing with lawyers, they cost too much in time and $$$. I am not a gunsmith but do my own small repairs that will not affect function or safety. Sad that it has come to this IMHO.