Smith and Wesson warranty

[griggsy]

So, Smith and Wesson is now blaming my handloads for their P.C. revolver failing. P.C. = Piece o' Crap! The gun has been back 3 times, twice for the same problem once to fix the damage they caused. Now that I've told them that the revolver still has the same issue with handloads using Hornadys manual they refer to their manual. They claim the 2 holes that always stick are due to pressure issues in the 460XVR. I've had this problem since day one, only two holes stick. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER NEW SMITH AS LONG AS I LIVE. This gun is junk they clearly can't fix it, they use my honesty against me. I have never loaded any loads that even reach max in the book. So they clearly believe Hornadys data is wrong. Mean while I have to look into legal options, this is a PERFORMANCE CENTER 460 that can't shoot as well as a 44 mag at the same distance.NEVER NEVER NEVER BUY SMITH AND WESSON IF YOU'RE A HANDLOADER.

[Hank15]

Thanks for the heads up. I've had a few negative experiences with S&W as well, but Ruger doesn't make their own version of the 625 so I still had to snatch another S&W..

[griggsy]

To where

[Kokanee]

Hmmm, my 460XVR has never seen a factory load.
No issues here....

[JackRussel]

I've got a 500 that's probably had 50 rounds of factory ammo and several thousand handloads through and it hasn't missed a beat.

[Nra-Life-Member]

I have only had positive experiences with them. Had an issue and they resolved in one try, but of course that was 8 years ago. Maybe things have changed..

[Barbarosa]

My $0.02, after you calm down call back and discuss it with a manager. Just stay on topic and don't lose your temper. I have read the S&W warranty and don't recall a prohibition on handloads - only on defective ammunition. I doubt S&W wants to tick off handloaders - particularly for their big-bore guns.

Your thought of looking into legal solutions are probably not realistic. A good attorney bills at $400 - $500 per hour. You could pay a top-notch gunsmith to fix your gun for less than what an hour talking to an attorney would cost, so unless you're in it to try and punish S&W I'd think twice about that.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[-hanko]

Mean while I have to look into legal options, this is a PERFORMANCE CENTER 460 that can't shoot as well as a 44 mag at the same distance.

NEVER NEVER NEVER BUY SMITH AND WESSON IF YOU'RE A HANDLOADER.

"Legal options"??...sounds like California.

I also have a ton of reloads through 7 or so S&W revolvers over the years with no issues.

As was posted, I'd slow down and talk politely to a supervisor at S&W.

[shafferds]

By two hole sticking what are you referring to? 2 chambers in the cylinder are hard to rotate? If that's the case your cylinder could be out of time or your barrel need to be cut a hair due to rubbing. If you can get a 3 thousands feeler gage in front of each cylinder your gap is fine. Sometimes you need to widen that gap by a thousandth. Also your cylinder face might not be dead nuts flat.

[robert101]

I took his "two hole sticking" reference to mean that two cylinder holes were tight. I'd first check to make sure factory ammo works well in your cylinders and does not bind. If so, then make certain your handloads are to SAAMI specifications. Do you have a case gauge to drop your reloads into?

[checkenbach]

Get a reamer and work over the two tight holes. Problem solved. If worse comes to worse, replace the cylinder...

[Dan_Eastvale]

By two hole sticking what are you referring to? 2 chambers in the cylinder are hard to rotate? If that's the case your cylinder could be out of time or your barrel need to be cut a hair due to rubbing. If you can get a 3 thousands feeler gage in front of each cylinder your gap is fine. Sometimes you need to widen that gap by a thousandth. Also your cylinder face might not be dead nuts flat.

I took his "two hole sticking" reference to mean that two cylinder holes were tight. I'd first check to make sure factory ammo works well in your cylinders and does not bind. If so, then make certain your handloads are to SAAMI specifications. Do you have a case gauge to drop your reloads into?

I had both of these issues on one 1980s S&W model 28 highway patrolman. Two cylinders would stick after multiple rounds and the cylinder would hang up on the forcing cone after heat expansion. Gunsmith reamed out 2 cylinders and ground the cylinder face ever so slightly. All with factory ammo.

[ZombieLivesMatter]

My friend is a die-hard S&W fan, his older S&W stuff he swears by and has been perfectly reliable but he said the new ones, even the performance center one he got, has had issues in recent years, at least his was dealt with warranty, sorry to hear you're having issues with that even, gotta be a sucky feeling spending decent amount of cash on a Performance Center version to have to deal with all that.

[griggsy]

Smith & Wesson warranty

Let me clear up a few things.
1, 2 chambers out of 5 in the cylinder stick. Same two always.
2, gun has been back 3 times for repairs. Some of which were do to their carelessness.
3, this is a PERFORMANCE CENTER model and is a 1500 dollar turd not to mention the ammo and reloading supplies I've wasted.
Thanks for all the insight and suggestions, but I shouldn't have to pay a gunsmith to fix a lifetime warranty. Also the legal action comment yes I'm in commifornia buy wouldn't matter where I lived. All of us who purchase these products deserve to get what we expect not some piece of crap that ANY manufacturer decides is acceptable rather than correct.

[Mystery_Milk]

I don't think I'd trust anything bigger than a J-Frame put out by S&W anymore...
They get pretty beat up from shooting the rounds they're supposed to shoot. Even L-frames have ejection rod backing out problems. The new K-frames have a bunch of cylinder problems from the fact they changed the gas ring system to make room for the full thickness barrel throat.

In terms of legal action... I think most manuals either say to only use factory ammunition or that damage "caused" by handloads voids the warranty. And unless you have a mechanical engineering or physics title the court will probably listen to the factory more than you.
Ruger fits cylinders to revolvers for $50 not including parts and shipping. I can't find any record online of S&W offering a similar service and I can't even find evidence that S&W even sells cylinders separate from the guns, but maybe you could ask about a similar service? Or just find a qualified gunsmith to fix your current cylinder.

As for the Performance Center tag... I don't think it means very much. I've heard of things like improperly installed barrels on them. I think they cut the parts to fit but that probably just makes timing problems more likely. You'd probably be better off getting a regular revolver, polishing the internals, and shooting or dry firing it a bunch, then installing a lighter spring (seriously, a big reason the PC trigger feels better is just because they have a lighter spring in it). For both the Match Champion and Performance Center tags, Ruger and S&W don't have time to dedicate to getting each unit perfect, nor are they incentivized to as they're not going to be the ones shooting it.