So much for revolver reliability...

[Malamute]

Well... I received an email from my LGS informing me my 642 had landed a couple of weeks ago and finally made time to put a few rounds through it Friday afternoon. all were 148gr WC and all were impacting 4" right and 6" low at 7 yd's, I tried a cylinder each of Federal Gold Medal, Fiocchi and Lost River slightly different POI as you would expect but all very low right, the gun shot 148gr WC to the sights before S&W replaced the frame, Saturday morning I stopped by my smith's shop to get his thoughts, after looking at the gun and confirming drastic low right alignment with a chamber laser he also noted there's now a bulge in the barrel. Back on the phone with S&W customer service this week.

Sorry to hear of continuing problems with your new gun. The relatively common reports of new S&W guns with problems, and the factory's apparent inability to adequately repair them is rather disappointing.

To me at least, the "cant get parts for the older ones" foreboding seems much less an issue than "cant get a reliable/workable gun or repairs from the factory" issue. Single or numerous trips back may eventually get one going, but Im not sure Id have patience for it. Parts for older ones are not an issue from my experience, they just dont necessarily come from the factory, such as aftermarket hands and cylinder locking bolts, or at least factory parts are not in a new package. Im glad Im able to do some of the work to keep one running. It was all fairly intimidating in the past, but curiosity got the better of me and started tinkering and learning.

[Navin Johnson]

Well... I received an email from my LGS informing me my 642 had landed a couple of weeks ago and finally made time to put a few rounds through it Friday afternoon. all were 148gr WC and all were impacting 4" right and 6" low at 7 yd's, I tried a cylinder each of Federal Gold Medal, Fiocchi and Lost River slightly different POI as you would expect but all very low right, the gun shot 148gr WC to the sights before S&W replaced the frame, Saturday morning I stopped by my smith's shop to get his thoughts, after looking at the gun and confirming drastic low right alignment with a chamber laser he also noted there's now a bulge in the barrel. Back on the phone with S&W customer service this week.

When you call CS, I would be very polite and explain that it’s already been back once and that you’re disappointed

I would like to pick up another J frame like a 642 but it’s my understanding one wants to inspect it first and it’s probably got a good chance of needing to go back so that’s part of the acquisition process apparently. Since the performance center ones get touched they are likely less problematic also.

“They” say the thousand dollar ones (sorry don’t know all the technical letters, etc.) I have two, are built better in general so I asked a local large retailer, and they said they definitely have less problems with the expensive ones however, they sell far fewer of them.

A revolver podcast that was recently posted mentioned at the beginning that Smith and Wesson was having a couple of the guys on the podcast involved, somehow, with a goal of making the 642 series more consistent

[deputyG23]

Sorry you have bad luck lately. I have felt the same about other firearms at times as well when I’ve had issues. Most recently I took my Mossberg 590 from under my side of the bed to do the twice yearly battery replacement on the light I have on it. I also take the time to cycle the ammo out of it and, check the function and lightly lubricate it each time I do this. When I cycled the ammo out, I found the magazine tube spring had stuck compressed and would not push any fresh rounds into the chamber! This was a 590A1 I had purchased new a couple years ago and fully tested with 100s of rounds, cleaned and always stored one or two rounds short of a full tube of ammo.

One thing I very much appreciate about revolvers being used for defense is they stand up so well to neglect. No magazine springs, no recoil springs to replace. I really like that can stay in ready condition for many years and be good to go when called upon.

I hope you get your 642 repaired satisfactorily and sounds like you may have discovered the issue with the LCR.

Tar

I recently checked my ‘90s era 590A1 and discovered that the magazine spring would only feed with two or less rounds in the tube. A Wolff spring resolved that issue.
About problems in S&W revolvers:
There have been problems for decades.
My mid-‘70s 4” M10 has a BCG of .013 which is acceptable for reliability but not for ballistics.
It produces velocities similar to 2” barreled guns.
The last 3” K frame that I brought home had the opposite issue.
It would bind at the BCG when the revolver got hot from firing.
Early ‘80s production.
However, my ‘13 442-2 has been very reliable approaching 1K rounds through it.

[D-der]

Well, in Thursday's mail I received a quote for $173.00 to install a new barrel ??
I called S&W customer service, gave them the story that that's the way it came back from their shop for a warranty frame replacement, apologies were made and I was on hold for half an hour then told, the gentleman I needed to speak with was really busy but would call me Friday before 2:00 as I would be unavailable later than that, I hadn't herd from them by 1:30 so called again, on hold for approximately half an hour, then told the gentleman was very busy perhaps I could try back at 8 or so on Monday morning, I'm trying to be optimistic but, so far people have been polite and apologetic but I'm not at all impressed with S&W's customer service. Like Caleb, I've been developing a fondness for my LCR over the last 3+ months, a boot grip makes it pocket able and I shoot it pretty well for my application. I'll see what, if anything happens this week.

[Tarrrnation!]

Sorry for the frustrating experience. Those are ones that can put a person off a brand. I hope you finally get some resolution. For the record I’ve had to return both Ruger and Smith and Wesson revolvers for repairs and they were both eventually resolved.
I will say I’ve *never*had to return any Taurus revolver (never owned one!). Thanks to Caleb’s input, I am thinking of one of those 2 inch 327s. Anyway, good luck getting yours fixed.

[awp_101]

Chapter 8 of Grant Cunningham’s “Book of the Revolver”

Is this it? Gun Digest Book of the Revolver

[lee n. field]

Is this it? Gun Digest Book of the Revolver

(Checks my copy....)

Yes, that's the book.

[awp_101]

(Checks my copy....)

Yes, that's the book.

Thanks!

[Radar Love]

I had an interesting failure on a 342 this weekend. I bought the revolver used so I’m not sure how many rounds have been through it, but it looked like it had never been carried and it had zero problems passing the used revolver checklist. I took it to the range for the first time and had a failure to fire on the 12th round. I pulled the trigger again and heard another “click.” The cylinder was locked up but not rotating. I emptied the revolver and found that I could rotate the cylinder manually once I started the trigger pull, so worst case scenario I could manually index the cylinder to a live round but that’s not ideal.

Today I took the revolver apart and found that larger pin of the hand assembly that goes into the trigger had sheared off so the hand no longer engaged the cylinder. For those not familiar with the guts of a S&W I’ve attached a side by side comparison of the broken part with one from my 642.

This is a new one for me.

[FNFAN]

I'd trust a new Beretta 92 or Glock standard size out of the box with ball ammo if I were forced to, provided it passed the 'pencil test' -then do the 300 ball/100 duty ammo routine before carrying JHP ammo. I'd trust a new S&W revolver with a hammer or frame mounted firing pin which I could cycle through cylinder rotation with any ammo. 1911 pattern guns would get the 300 ball/100 duty ammo vetting before carry. I would never buy a S&W revolver with a lock hole. I would never date a girl with both green and pink hair*

Aside from forcing cone leading gone wild; unscrewed ejector rods or large amounts of powder under the ejector star, I don't remember many catastrophic stoppages with revolvers. I do recall a Sgt. who was doing a pre-shift check on his custom S&W M-13 finding that his hammer mounted firing pin was conspicuously missing and a dude that had the cylinder stop lug shear off on his PPC gun.

*unless the colors were appropriately separated.