Friday Afternoon gun or modern day S&W QC?

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megadodge

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I just picked up a new S&W 629 4.25" from a reputable online dealer on this site. I may be nit picking, but there are a few glaring visual faults -- so my question to you experts out there: is this indicative of modern day S&W QC or did I end up with a Friday Afternoon special (and it is worth it to try and get the manufacturer to correct it)?

1. Obviously not a function/safety concern - but c'mon, even the cheap no-names I have got the stamping right:


2. Gap between the underlug and frame (and to my eye does not appear 100% straight):



Thanks for any input you folks might have.
 
I think I'd be sending it back for the stamping alone. That would drive me crazy...obviously makes the gun a second in my mind.

On a more serious note, yours is not the first I've read about people having QC issues with a BNIB S&W. I think it's like everything else these days. Craftsmanship is pretty much dead unless you pay custom prices.

In the interest of full disclosure, while I say I like S&W my newest example is 40 years old.

edit

To answer the question in your post's title....I'd say it's a little bit of both.
 
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I would be sending that back to the dealer and let them deal with it. Never should have left S&W, but also should never have left the dealer like that.
 
Back it would go in a heartbeat. However, while I tend to be like Sailor, in that most of my revolvers are over 30 years old (and some as old as 90), I have been fortunate enough to pick up a couple of newer examples of S&W, with the hated MIM and lock, that I actually (*gasp*) really like. I have heard lots of the horror stories and seen a couple first hand, and really had a hate on for them on principle, but had to change my tune a bit after getting a couple good ones. For a snob like me, and yes that is an admission, that is high praise indeed. I have a new Model 63, 8 shot .22LR I got from Lyle1, that has got to be one of the nicest and funnest little .22s I own. My kids love it, and if the law allowed, it would be in my pack all the time when out hunting, just for that odd chicken or plinking session. I also have a new model 629 in 5" that I have to say is really decent. The trigger is every bit as good as my old Model 29-3. Not making it up. So while I would look for an old S&W long before a new one, and I still have a quiet doubt in me about the overall quality of the new ones....you can still come across a good one.
 
Yeah that has to go back. I finally decided to get a 629 a few weeks ago, but i can't seem to find one that locks up tight, or doesn't have a huge cylinder gap.
 
I think that everyone is saying what I was thinking, but thank you all for the input. I have emailed the dealer with my concerns and the pictures, so here's hoping it all goes smoothly.
 
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S&W QC for the last several years... At least.
Easy to say "send it back" but really depends on where you bought it.

I've owned two 4.25" 629's ...one was terrible, the other "meh."
I won't be buying a third.
 
Take it back as it affects resale value. Or maybe keep it as a conversation piece. Coins with mint faults are sometimes worth more due to rarity and imperfection. :)
 
curseyou said:
Take it back as it affects resale value. Or maybe keep it as a conversation piece. Coins with mint faults are sometimes worth more due to rarity and imperfection. :)
Click to expand...

True that firearms with factory flaws that don't affect function and make them one of a kind sort of thing were often regarded as collector and priced higher than "regular production" guns due to rarity. But now, since QC is lacking and more factory flawed guns are leaving the factory, they are definitively seen more often than ever before and it will undeniably have the opposite effect on the value.
 
I almost got vertigo trying to read that stamping. Tell them you are an epileptic and need clear lettering for safety/seizure reasons.... ;)
I would send it back if possible because it will surely affect resale value. The shroud LOOKS crooked to the naked eye, so that means it has to be.
Has a nice thigh-gap though.....
 
To Update: The dealer said that he will exchange the gun for another in his inventory. He has checked, and the stamping issue is not present on the other ones, so life is good.
 
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