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Bad Luck with New Guns

wmg1299 said:
I fully agree with only buying used from individuals or dealers you trust. I want to believe S&W wouldn't ship a flawed item, but my experiences with them during a previous shortage keep me from fully trusting their quality control.

I was working as a LEO at a mid-size PD (about 400 officers) in 2008 when there was another mad rush for guns because people feared that the Obama administration was going to outlaw everything they could get away with. For generations, the S&W J-Frame had been the trusted backup for officers (at that time a Glock 26 was considered "small"). When officers purchased S&W 642's that year, a couple of them had noticeably crooked barrels. We allowed several smaller departments to use our range for qualifications, and heard of others experiencing similar issues. The problem got even more attention when S&W claimed that one of the guns was, "within acceptable specifications".

This is my only negative experience with S&W, and I have purchased several of their products since. Unfortunately, the issue still lingers in my mind when I see quality control issues during a raging market.
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Where did you purchase the gun from?
 
wmg1299 said:
1) My recent experience with new guns is making want to switch to a "used-only" policy. I already posted about my new SA-35 needing to go back to the factory due to extraction issues. When Smith & Wesson advertised their Shield Plus "Bug-Out Bundle", which includes an optics ready Shield Plus with night sights, a 1st aid kit, a sling bag, and 5 magazines for $500, I went ahead and made the purchase.

Right out of the box, there was a scratch in the finish and the front tritium sight was dead.


Am I just having a run of bad luck, or have the big manufacturers thrown quality control out the window in order to meet demand? Are any of you having similar experiences with new guns?
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Bassbob said:
2) Well, for starters I would be very surprised if the damage to that gun happened at the factory. And I can tell you S&W has an excellent CS department and is very responsive to customer's needs. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one if I were you.

My guess is whatever happened to your Shield happened during or after delivery to your point of purchase. Which is by the way the first call I would make about getting the gun repaired or replaced.
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1) no similar experiences here.

2) which is why i always ask the salesman at the LGS, if they have another one in the back room, as i tell them up front, "i'll never know" if a potential buyer knew how to rack the slide back, or dry fired the gun several times.

one gun in particular, is the Beretta 92FS that i bought. the salesman went to the back room and got me another one in the box. i bought that one, took it home, and the instructions forbids dry firing.

now "what if" some schmuck looked at the one in the display case, dry fired it several times, and destroyed the firing pin?? .......and i had bought that one..???

nope, not me, one from the back room, or the one i ordered sealed in it's case when i go to pick it up.

after the nearly $30,000 in gun sales alone they made from me thus far, they have done as i requested.

if they don't have another in the back room? i order one, and they leave it sealed until i pick it up.

they know i'm a buyer, not a window shopper.
 
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nmedge said:
I can understand your frustration. My luck with S&W has been ok but I too have had problems with some guns. I guess you can get a lemon from any of them. No matter what price you pay I would expect them to look and function properly.
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Anytime something is produced en masse some mistakes are going to slip out. S&W is real good about taking care of their customers though. The problems can arise when the distributor who the gun was originally shipped to or the shipping company damages something. It has never happened to me, but I always open the box and look the gun over real good when I buy it. If there is an issue, I won't accept the gun. No matter who did it, if the gun won't sell, no one gets paid. And money talks.
 
I think Smith still puts out quality. But yoy really cannot judge the new ones by the old ones. That is like apples and oranges. Production methods have changed so dramatically. Older Smiths were more hands on and tuned by hands on processes where new ones are more automated production. Which of course will not be the same craftsmanship or loving polished ummm sense of ownership pride from the worker.
 
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TidalWave said:
I sometimes wonder to what degree the relocation of manufacturers from their traditional /original “homes” to “2A friendly states” or regions impacts the quality ? I mean, we seem to cheer these moves from the sidelines (with at least some justification) and presumably the ‘patriotic applause’ (for lack of a better way to say it) that seems to follow also helps their sales….
Wonder too if there’s any warranty or CS data openly available that would help the buyer do a little informed bewaring ??
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That’s a very good point.

And yes, it does have impact. I know that when Beretta moved to Tennessee (or was it Kentucky?), the M92’s that came off the line were not well thought of. Roll pins were peened, there were obvious dings around the pin holes where the assembler missed with his punch, really rough machine marks inside the slide & frames…and these were even on the “high end” M9A3’s—Beretta’s entry that lost to the Sig M17.

I wouldn’t touch a post-Maryland Beretta now.
 
HansGruber said:
That’s a very good point.

And yes, it does have impact. I know that when Beretta moved to Tennessee (or was it Kentucky?), the M92’s that came off the line were not well thought of. Roll pins were peened, there were obvious dings around the pin holes where the assembler missed with his punch, really rough machine marks inside the slide & frames…and these were even on the “high end” M9A3’s—Beretta’s entry that lost to the Sig M17.

I wouldn’t touch a post-Maryland Beretta now.
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I'm kinda funny when it comes to guns made by foreign companies. I want them to be made in the foreign country. Walthers and HKs need to be made in Germany and Berettas need to be made in Italy. If I want American made guns, I'll buy an American gun.
 
wmg1299 said:
Purchased online from Family Firearms in AL, then picked up at my FFL. I've bought a few guns from them in the past, and have never had any issues.
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i just got an email from my LGS, that set up retails for $549.99

but they are selling it for $499.99 w/rebate.
 
Bassbob said:
I'm kinda funny when it comes to guns made by foreign companies. I want them to be made in the foreign country. Walthers and HKs need to be made in Germany and Berettas need to be made in Italy. If I want American made guns, I'll buy an American gun.
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I’m with you there.

My HK45T is a US build, and I’m happy with it but…I’d be happier with the DE proof mark on the frame, slide & barrel…
 
SimonRL said:
I like to let Killer think I don’t shoot iron sights. I gotta give him some hope, right?

What sort of impact did the 12 pound spring have. Even less recoil? I have a spare 12 pounder, I’ll have to try it out.
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I noticed that with certain 9mm ammo, the slide moved real slow going back into battery, it was hanging up a bit as it ran across the disconnector, I called Springfield up and they said they use a 9lb spring in it, now my Kimber 1911 in 9mm has a 12lb spring, so I just swapped it out and now the slide moves smoothly with no issues, recoil was maybe less but I really couldn't tell, was just happy that it was going back into battery like it should.
 
Annihilator said:
I noticed that with certain 9mm ammo, the slide moved real slow going back into battery, it was hanging up a bit as it ran across the disconnector, I called Springfield up and they said they use a 9lb spring in it, now my Kimber 1911 in 9mm has a 12lb spring, so I just swapped it out and now the slide moves smoothly with no issues, recoil was maybe less but I really couldn't tell, was just happy that it was going back into battery like it should.
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I either have good luck or just buy the right gun since everything I’ve purchased has run flawlessly.
Now if only I could win PowerBall. 🤦‍♂️😬😂
 
Did they say what spring you had o
Annihilator said:
I noticed that with certain 9mm ammo, the slide moved real slow going back into battery, it was hanging up a bit as it ran across the disconnector, I called Springfield up and they said they use a 9lb spring in it, now my Kimber 1911 in 9mm has a 12lb spring, so I just swapped it out and now the slide moves smoothly with no issues, recoil was maybe less but I really couldn't tell, was just happy that it was going back into battery like it should.
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Did they say what spring u had originally Anni?
Curious to know what their standard one is fir their 9mm and their.45 1911s…
 
TidalWave said:
Did they say what spring you had o

Did they say what spring u had originally Anni?
Curious to know what their standard one is fir their 9mm and their.45 1911s…
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Yea, customer service told me the 9mm was a 9lb, Kimber 9mm is rated at 12lb. On a .45, the standard weight from the factory is 16lb, when I replace mine I use 18 1/2lb variable rate.
 
Keystone19250 said:
I either have good luck or just buy the right gun since everything I’ve purchased has run flawlessly.
Now if only I could win PowerBall. 🤦‍♂️😬😂
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Don’t get me wrong, my Springfield RO Operator functioned, but was just sluggish going back into battery, and to me a 9lb is far to weak for a 9mm 1911, to much slide to frame battering could take place over time.
 
HansGruber said:
I’m with you there.

My HK45T is a US build, and I’m happy with it but…I’d be happier with the DE proof mark on the frame, slide & barrel…
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I made sure before I bought either of my German pistols that they were made in Deutschland. Same with the 1301, although I already knew they are made in Italy and assembled in the US.

I am certainly not done with HK. There's at least 3 on my short list.
 
Annihilator said:
The M&P line is totally different then the Glock no similarities between the two, the SD did make a few internal changes after the suit, I like mine and have complete faith in it
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I concur. I have 2 S&W M&P M2.0s. My EDC is the Shield 9, and the other is the .45 Compact. Great guns, no complaints, only failure on the Shield was due to worn mag springs. I racked the slide to load a FMJ round, no problem. I racked to load a JHP, problem. Front of hollow point was catching on the feed ramp. I keep the mags loaded, so I guess after 2 years they finally wore out. I replaced them with the WOLFF mag springs that are 5% "stiffer" than stock. So far, so good. I was looking at the SD on Smith's website, and the first thing that came to mind was how much it looked like the Glock. That slide lock and the shape of that gun is very Glock "like".
 
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Onewolf426 said:
I concur. I have 2 S&W M&P M2.0s. My EDC is the Shield 9, and the other is the .45 Compact. Great guns, no complaints, only failure on the Shield was due to worn mag springs. I racked the slide to load a FMJ round, no problem. I racked to load a JHP, problem. Front of hollow point was catching on the feed ramp. I keep the mags loaded, so I guess after 2 years they finally wore out. I replaced them with the WOLFF mag springs that are 5% "stiffer" than stock. So far, so good. I was looking at the SD on Smith's website, and the first thing that came to mind was how much it looked like the Glock. That slide lock and the shape of that gun is very Glock "like".
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They called the old Sigma a “Swock”.
Funny but I did love the grip of the Sigma.
 
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