Smith & Wesson................?

Question

I am confused. I seem to hear from certain sources that S&W is a top of the line arms maker while other sources claim that S&W lacks quality control and therefore sell lesser quality products.

And I also heard that S&W has done some shady business dealings, any more info on this subject?

I would like to read what you guys have to say with regards to this quality issue.

Thank You

Answer 1

Smith has a long history and has changed hands several times

The older Smiths are the top of the line but some of the newer stuff suffers from very poor QC and  I have heard of several customer service issues

Several years ago S&W was owned by an English firm that sold gun owners out by entering into a illegal agreement with the Clinton posse to conspire to deny citizens their right to own firearms

Many hardcore 2A supporters have not forgiven S&W for this back stabbing even though the Brits that ran the company at the time are gone and an America owned company has taken over with a promise to return to quality

Personally I still only buy older used Smiths after I have put them through a thorough check out

Answer 2

They make excellent revolvers, and always have. But, their line of semi-auto is sub-par.

Answer 3

S&W makes some really good revolvers but there autos are no ware as good as the revolvers.I think what you saying about shady business dealings is that they have sold there name to many companies over the years,like S&W knives they are not made by S&W they just have the name on them.

Answer 4

Personally, I LOVE S&W revolvers, but I wouldn't pay $100 for any of their auto's.  In my opinion Smith's have the nicest trigger of any revolver I've fired.  I do not like their auto's because I've heard many times from many different people that they're prone to jamming, and I think they're ugly as sin, IMHO.

Answer 5

Their revolvers are top notch.

The automatics don't have quite the same reputation although the M&P is supposed to be pretty decent. I have a S&W 4006 semi auto and it's a good gun but it's not as reliable as my Glocks. It's a good range gun but not one I can honestly trust my life with as a carry gun.

If I was looking for another semi auto pistol it probably wouldn't be a S&W. But I am looking to get another revolver at some point and that will probably be a Smith.

Answer 6

Smith & Wesson makes an excellent revolver.  Their Models 27, 28, 29 and newer 686 are top of the line.  Some of their early semi-autos like the Model 39 and Model 59 9mms were really good.  I hear their 1911 clone is really decent.  On the other hand I would stay away from any semi-auto that has the S&W logo and the name 'Sigma' attached to it.  This from personal experience.  Even though they are supposed to be okay now I ordered a new first generation 9mm Sigma that was junk.  Night sights fell off and it never stopped jamming.  The night sight issue was corrected easily enough but even after subsequent returns the jamming issue was NEVER corrected.  

Shady dealings?  Well there is that business about S&W having to pay Glock money over the Sigma being too much like the Glock patent pattern.  And wasn't there some kind of 'political sell-out' to the anti-gun faction on S&W's part?

H

Answer 7

Don't believe everything you read, hear, or what some people may say.* If what they are saying is True how long do you think it would take until Smith & Wesson would be out of business, because people stopped buying their Firearms.*  

Answer 8

Smith's quality has varied over the years. Up until the late 70s there was never any question that they were the best revolvers in the world. Since then there has been a lot of variation.

I have two model 19s that were made in the late 70s. The finish is the world famous S&W bright blue. They shine like mirrors. A friend bought one new in the mid 80s. It looks like it was done in black spray paint. Quality has gone up and down since.

I still buy old Smiths that I find for good prices and in good condition. I will never buy (or trust) one of the newer ones with that asinine key lock ( a brilliant solution to a non-existent problem ) - too much to go wrong and I need reliable guns.