I am interested in an opinion on the new S&W quality control, on another site that I frequent a member bought a new in box M21 classic at a gun show, nickle plated and very nice looking, he claims the trigger pull is atrocious, I was wondering if this was typical of the new Smiths, that would be surprising to me that like a Ruger they would need immediate gunsmithing right out of the box. Also any advice on what he should have done to the gun like new springs or should a smith be retained to do stoning and smoothing the action leaving the factory springs in place?
commando74, almost all Smiths need a little use or action work depending on your taste in trigger pull. Back in the 70s when the Revolver was still king in Law Enforcement, just about everyone carried a Smith. You would see a few Colts, but they were overly expensive, and the trigger pull on the Colts were longer, and would build or "stack" in weight as it was pulled.
The old timers thought their triggers were fine until they pulled one of mine, and then they wanted me to do an action job and smooth theirs up. This was, and STILL IS, done with some honing, and polishing, and a very minor tuneup to the trigger return spring where most of the actual trigger weight is.
If you have to do a complete spring kit replacement to get a good trigger pull, you haven't got an action job, but instead a "spring job", and that can be dangerous if your using the gun for protection.
A lot of folks pick up an old Smith and cycle it, and say: Boy! Smith don't have the QC they used to have, this one is much smoother than the newer ones. Well! Of course it is, the damn trigger has been pulled hundreds of times more than a brand new one, and it has worn in. I see very little difference in their QC other than the different finishes, and metals their using now. I have shot absolutely thousands of rounds thru them with never a hitch other than maybe trashy ammo, or soft lead bullets loaded too hot, and lead building around the cylinder face.
Also this issue of top strap, or forcing cone cutting due to the hot ammo and the 125 grain bullets. I would like for someone to show me one of these revolvers, as I have never seen one, nor has any of my friends that are retired instructors like myself, or gun smiths like myself.
I asked a Smith and Wesson field rep once right after the 686 L frame came out why? His reply was the demand for a revolver with a weight BETWEEN the K-frame Model 19, and the N-frame Models 27 & 28s. The slightly heavier L-frame enhanced shot recovery shooting hot loads, and indeed it does, and with less cylinder stretch due to thicker cylinder walls.
In the 70s I did some very heavy training, and some exhibition shooting, with a couple of Model 19s, and shot over a thousand rounds thru one or the other sometimes in one day, MANY TIMES. Over a period of time because of the tactical nature of the training, and the constant slapping of the trigger in rapid fire drills, I wore the cylinder hands down throwing the revolvers out of time. I replaced the cylinder hands and kept shooting. Then the cylinder stops started showing some wear and I tightened them back up and sold them, and started over with new 19s.
Hope this helps, as it is thru personal experience of both using, and maintaining mine, and other officers Smith sidearms, both on the range as an Instructor, and as a street officer. They were, and ARE, great revolvers, that are dependable to the death.
