👍 “If someone asks you to give up a little bit of your freedom for the greater good, remember freedom is the greater good.” Buffalo’s Outdoors. 👍

Nice to see a company stand by their work, and customer.

Hi Friend! GunBlue490 here to answer your question about the reason for cutting the forcing cone. It's not an uncommon repair, especially for alloy framed models that see lots of DA use. As the hand travels upward, two opposing lateral forces are acting on it: the inside edge is engaging the cylinder ratchet that resists it, while the outside edge bears on the outer side of the window. The timing is perfect on a given charge hole when the passageway between its ratchet and the outside edge of the hand window just allows the hand to slide upward snuggly, without binding, while the cylinder locks. Of course, this must occur with every ratchet, which, as you described, was not the case. If even one fails out of the group, it's time for an oversize, thicker hand. As you can see, the oversize hand now pushes the previously untimed ratchet to its lock point, but it will not pass by or will jam the other ratchets. The fitter then hand cuts each of the ratchets with his trusty Nicholson Barret file and all is well for the timing... But now, the oversize hand may be advancing the chambers beyond alignment with the bore, which will cause the edge of a bullet to clip the forcing cone, a spitting lead condition, which is what poor timing also causes. A very light reaming of a thousandths or so with a hand held chamfering tool is all that's necessary to open the forcing cone to accomplish what its name implies, and provide bullet alignment. Like me, you are a lover of the DA revolver. Because it's a more aggressive mechanical force on the aforementioned parts than thumbing the hammer, wear can be expected over a great period of firing with steel frame guns. Of course, the interplay between a steel hand and an alloy frame is more subject to causing wear on the window and another oversize hand, etc. There's a limit to refurbishing, where the cylinder will no longer be in satisfactory alignment. Alloy is terrific for weight reduction, and they are remarkably durable but, as with most things in life, there are tradeoffs, and with revolvers, its simply that they cannot be expected to be as durable as steel. My daughter just got a beautiful 4.2" Ruger SP101 .22 long rifle last month, which I hope to pry out of her hands to do a video with as soon as my knee replacement recuperation allows. Great video. S&W treated you right. God bless.

Colts one year warranty vs S&Ws lifetime warranty definitely steered me towards S&W wheel guns especially after a timing issue with my new Anaconda. S&W for the win!

No one wants to have to deal with support but when you need it this is the way it should be.

Good to hear when the company treats the customer right.

Awesome they took care of it!

I had a 317 and the yoke cracked, production of 317s was not scheduled at that time and they offered me a model 63 instead. I accepted gladly, very friendly service. Good video as usual.

I'm glad S&W treated you right, and a quick turn around to boot. You can't ask for better service. Good job S&W.

Some years ago I had to return a 317 to Smith & Wesson. It needed to be replaced and at my request they sent me a Model 63 instead. Outstanding customer service.

I'm glad they fixed it for you, brother. For them to take care of it after the warranty period looks good on them. 👍

I have had one these for years. It's so beat up nownim embarrassed for anyone to see it. It has finished off a few hogs, and goes with me everywhere. It's more accurate than it should be.

Awesome to hear about great customer service from Smith and Wesson. Especially these days and times .

Good on S&W. Glad that they took care of it.

Great, thanks for sharing. I've had to send 2 back for warranty and have had fantastic service. Another went back twice. In the end it was corrected, frustrating but shtuff happens and they handled it quickly and politely. Smith and Wesson service gets an A+ from me.

A few years ago, I had a 342PD with some issues. After I sent it in, they contacted me to tell me they could not repair it and where I wanted my replacement sent. They sent back A 340PD, an upgrade in my book. Thanks again S&W.

Wow. Smith fixed your guns really well. Colt has been absolutely hell with their customer support and my Cobra. Completely regret buying Colt.

Buffalo. Thanks for sharing your experience with S&W. Take care.

I've sent a few guns back to Smith and Wesson and they are always good to stand behind their product. Ruger has also been really good to me.

I love the way the clicks spell out Smith and Wesson. 😊

Back in the 1990s I purchased a model 41 Smith & Wesson with a 7 inch barrel. I had accuracy issues with that barrel. I sent the entire pistol back to Smith and Wesson. A few weeks later, they returned it to me with the original 7 inch barrel included in the box was a test target from 25 yards with five shots into an area the size of a dime the ammunition used CCI standard velocity. I don’t know exactly what they did to it but it sure is accurate now

Great to have good customer service. That's such a sweet revolver. I have the older 17-2 & 14-2 which are very accurate & smooth. Glad S&W has'nt gone under like others. Thanks for your time. 👍🙏

I have an S&W 22lr Revolver that I bought from a plumber on a construction job I was on in Vancouver Washington State back in 1982. I have been shooting ever since with no issues at all, I presently did the research on it and found out it was shipped from the factory to a sporting goods store in New York in 1915, how it made its way out here to the West coast I have no idea but I'm sure glad it did. I will be picking up my new 617 next Tuesday after the ten-day waiting period is over here on the Left Coast. I'll be leaving it up to my great-grandkids to see if the 617 lasts as long.

Say what you want about Ruger ,but I have a GP-100 that I've fired thousands of full power .357 it stopped being a double action and would only fire in single action mode. Sent it back to Ruger ,they fixed it (No questions asked) charged me ZERO ,and even returned it in a cool case. It works flawlessly

A few years back I purchased a S&W model 629 classic in 5 inch and the cylinder locked up on my first day. S&W was very good with their service fixing it and making it right.

Glad they got it fixed! Good to see a company with some focus on customer service!!!

S&W has always taken good care of me.

I had a similar experience with a used Taurus 605 I bought. They fix it quick, no charge, shipping paid.

S&W has always had good customer service, nice to see the legacy continue. Some companies are shifting to "the customer is stupid" mode, evidenced by other channel's experiences. Most are stellar in taking care of the customer, there is one I no longer have confidence in, though I own several of their pistols I will not purchase more. Experiences shared by guys we know we can trust is valuable. Thanks Buffalo.

I had a guide rod snapped on my Shield performance center 45 acp... They replaced it no problem no questions asked.... Keep them videos coming. Thanks again,,, from all of us in Auburn Hills, Michigan..

Thanks for all of your contents, just because you don't put out video after video doesn't mean i/we have a problem with it, you like many of us have a life we need to tend too. ( This response is from watching a previous video on 22 freedom seeds) Thank you for what you do and God Bless.

Glad ya got your gun back fixed.

I got one. Been a good piece for a long time

I only ever sent one firearm in for repair. I had a Ruger revolver with an adjustable rear sight. The sight wouldn't move side to side for windage. I stupidly tried to use an AK sight pusher tool and scratched the stainless finish. Ruger not only unstuck the sight (the paperwork said a burr was found under the sight and removed), but they also polished out the scratches. IF you know where to look, you can see some faint areas that are just slightly different, but you have to know where to look and turn it just right to get the lighting correct. Didn't cost me a thing, either. Glad S&W did right by you, Buffalo, the way Ruger did for me.

I’ve owned four S&W revolvers and have generally been very pleased with them. However, I did have to send them my model 629 a few months after purchasing it because of timing issues. I sent it in, and they fixed it under warranty and got it back to me within 2-3 weeks. It has worked flawlessly since that time. Overall, my experience with their product support was good.

That’s wonderful. S&W should give excellent customer service and they did. Nice to know thanks for the video.

Awesome Video Buffalo Brother. Have a Great Weekend.

Kudos to S&W for great customer service.

I bought a used 360 PD a few years back, and I noticed that there was some erosion on the front of the chambers of the titanium cylinder. I contacted S&W and they asked me to send some pics. They had me send it in, and I had it back in under two weeks with free shipping both ways. They replaced the cylinder and made a few other minor adjustments for no charge.

Good stuff Buffalo. Real stand up company. Good to see ya on here brother.

Glad they fixed it. I remember when you could shoot a S&W or a Colt revolver for decades with no timing issues though.

I had a M317 HiViz. I sold it at the first opportunity because it was too ammo sensitive. The worst experience was shooting CCI Stingers through it. After firing an initial 8 rounds through it the subsequent casings would stick in the chamber so hard that I had to use a rubber mallet to get them out. On a positive note, the gun was very accurate and it was pleasant to pack while hiking. Still, I’ve since switched to the Ruger LCRx with a 3 inch barrel.

I've got an M&P .22 I've had for 10 years that broke an internal spring. I contacted S&W and they sent me a shipping label. About four weeks later I got it back fixed free of charge. Their warranty may say one year, but as long as you haven't dinked with the gun they'll still take care of you.

I'm glad that they did well by you. Timing issues are no joke, even with a 22lr.

It looks like it's running good, I remember the video where you talked about it having issues. I'm glad they fixed it for you Buffalo.

Last year I had saved money and bought the stainless version from a dealer NIB, it would not run 8 rounds through it without locking up. After that the cylinder would not close.I sent it into Smith and it took 6 months to get it back. I emailed them and called every month I was very disappointed that I shelled out that much loot and they would not just give me another new one. They finally fixed it and gave me it back. It now shoots fine, but I think that if it was a Ruger they would have had the problem handled in less than a month.I do not think I will be purchasing another Smith product unless it is an older classic one.

See, this is why I try to always buy good brand name products, here the proof in this. 'Good service' is a very important part of the buying process and is also the what build the maker's reputation.

thanks for the update Buffalo. a moment of memory lane when I heard the rooster crowing (★‿★)

I have a 43C with an issue of firing only 4 out of 8 rounds in the cylinder, and it has SOLID firing pin strikes on the rim of the cartridges. The part that really gripes me, is the cost of it, and out of the box, its a dud. S&W, you never use to be that way! S&W, it takes less than one minute to check for timing issues on these AirLite revolvers. They aren't flying off the shelves because they are very expensive, so why not take that extra minute BEFORE boxing it up and shipping it to the distributor??? In contrast, ALL of my Ruger LCR 22 and LCR 22WMR revolvers run like watches. My snubby 22LR LCR has almost 4,000 rounds through it. ZERO problems.

Glad to hear S&W made it right..I've had a 317 on my list for some time..but for me, it's 2x the cost it should be...

If the out time caused the forcing cone to cut lead I would think they resurfaced the forcing cone just to clean it up. I am not a gunsmith just an old retired machinist. Just a thought.

Good on S&W, I really like to hear good things because I really love S&W. 👍

Really good hearing they took care of you. Man that was a good turn around too. That’s been my experience with them as well, even though it’s been a decade. Hope you have a great weekend….thanks for sharing your experience!

2 years ago I finally got a 686+. To make this story short it had issues that made it unreliable. I want a 617 but after talking to some people at my gun club who also had problems with s&w revolvers bought recently I'm having a hard time justifying that purchase. I have completely lost confidence in new s&w products. Hopefully I can find an older one to purchase.

Thanks for that update and report on the SW Warranty work. Good to know.

I wore the hand out in a big bore Smith years ago. Everything mechanical wears eventually. I did the math at the time and I had over 10,000 rounds through it. Enough miles on a car and it needs work. Same for firearms.

This WAS a review ..... Of S&W customer service thanks so much for sharing your experience.

I have a 317 also. I hate you had issues but so far mine has been fine. The good thing is S&W will stand behind it.

Even S&W seems to have quality control issues which is a bit sad.

I love your comment on how people will work harder to scam you than getting a real job. So true!!! I try to becareful but ya never know. Changing passwords with characters often helps etc, but also more than 15 characters on the passwords. I worked for a large company for years and they would send us a boogus emails to test us. Sad to say I got caught a couple of times. Stay safe and I really like your videos for several years.

I just sent a 327 back to taurus. I droped oil in around the hammer and worked the action a few times and it jammed. I took the side palte off and the sear fell out. Well they said because I removed the side plate it was shooter induced. so I had to pay to have it shipped back and a bench fee. So watch out with them.I own many S&Ws I have never had an issue yet.

Good to see they repaired it without issue. But i was always under the impression S&W had a lifetime warranty.

Thanks for sharing brother! Thats fantastic. Great customer service is the necessary base for a sucessful company/business. God bless all here.

As you know, Smith and Wesson acquired Thompson Center Arms several years ago mostly for their barrel expertise. I have a TC Contender bought in 1986. Had a small issue with the “fire control system” and contacted S&W for warranty (TC Contenders have a lifetime warranty). About 10 years ago. S&W sent a shipping label. Repair was completed and I had it back in less than a month, no charge. Since then, S&W closed the TC line completely. Not sure what that means for warranty now but they took care of me back then. Take care!

Love your Video's and that look's like a Nice little Toy ,wish I ad one .

Great video with great results. It good to see S&W stand behind their products.

It's not just their revolvers; and their service isn't always great. I heard a S&W rep at the SHOT show call the 1854 44 mag a “throw back to our heritage”. I’m a 10mm guy since about 1990. Super excited with the S&W M&P 10… bought two. Both jammed regularly, (failure to feed), The magazine fell out the bottom while shooting in both, and on one the supplied plastic optics plate cracked, the screws sheered, and my RMR flew backwards over my head. I sent them back to S&W twice. Failure to feeds continued after receiving them back each time. Called a third time and was transferred to a girl who sounded quite young. She interrupted me, talked over me, and told me that my request that S&W exchange my pistols wasn’t going to happen since the issues were fixable. And she said that I “should shoot better quality ammo”. I guess higher quality than the Federal, Fiocci, Mag Tech, Sig, and Hornady that I had written them about failing, and that I spent a fortune on testing their guns. I filed a BBB complaint but through mediation had no confidence in S&W’s offer to “service my guns”, (for the third time). I wonder if engineering a defective product and then having an arrogant and entitled sounding young lady dismiss your victims is also a throwback to S&W’s heritage; or perhaps rather, they are turning over in their graves.

I love revolvers, I love revolvers way more than any semi auto handgun.....period. But I want to tell you about something I do the very last thing after I have cleaned one of my revolvers. And I do this specifically to avoid, or at least greatly forestall a ' timing ' issue, with everyone of my lovely revolvers. And what I do is I apply an ever so thin coat of Rig on the ratchet on the back of the cylinder AND on the contact part of the ' hand '.........then I fondle and admire my 'baby in hand ' for a moment, then I put her back in the safe.....till next time. Now I DO NOT slather on a .5 mm coat of Rig........nooo, I put on a thin but adequate coat of Rig so as to provide lubrication to those actuating parts so as to prolong their precise functioning. I, after putting the Rig on with a Q-tip, I use another Q-tip to wipe off any excess that might have made its way to the mouth of the cylinders. I have been doing that for maybe the last 25 years or so. And after watching one of GunBlue490's videos on how to and how not to lube/oil a gun I chuckle to myself every time as I think of him and what he has said on the subject and I get to the part where I apply a little Rig to my ratchet{s} and hand{s}. I do understand according to GunBlue490 that metal parts rubbing against each other do sort of ' marry ' to themselves, wear into themselves if you will, and probably do that initially ' with out ' and sort of lubrication. But to his point, if you apply a lot of oil and grease to a firearm and then ' crawl through the mud, the blood, the beer and the sand [ or hunt Moose in Alaska ] that oil and grease may jamb up your gun. Ah, but I don't crawl through that stuff. Oh, but if we could hunt moose in my state I would certainly do that. Moose is the finest tasting venison I have ever tasted !!!! Now I am not criticizing GunBlue, not at all. I greatly respect what he has to say about many things and I watch his channel a lot and have gleaned much from his wisdom.

I have had a fair amount of experience with S&W warranty from the first Generation M&Ps. Most of the time, my experiences were the same as yours. Usually got them back within two weeks and only had to send one back twice for the same issue. Came back the second time fixed. Never had to send back a revolver, but all of mine are post pinned barrel-pre lock. I like that 317.

👍👍Glad it worked out for you Buffalo, hope you’re having a great day.

Glad to hear sw still doing good things!

I love my Smiths and I love my Rugers, but there is without a doubt no better warranty in the industry than Ruger. Basically forever is pretty tough to beat, especially when compared to 1 year, 5 years, only original owner, etc from most other companies.

Hey Buddy,always good to see a new video from you.I've only had to send 1 S&W firearm back to the factory,it was a 638 snubbie.I had it back quickly and the problem was fixed.No matter the manufacter,,some problems happen.Glad they fixed it for you.

I had one just like yours snd it had similar timing issues but an additional issue in that I see as an engineering problem with the cylinder being made out of aluminum, which is way too soft and susceptible to jamming from the typical dirty powders used on 22Lr. It would jam with almost all of the brands that gave good to decent accuracy. The gun has to be kept impeccably clean in order to be reliable, which truly negated the prospect of what a true trail gun should be. If S&W used a stainless or titanium cylinder it would have been so much better. My all stainless S&W's run flawlessly as do my Rugers.

So glad they got it fixed. Have only sent 1 gun to SW and it was my MP 15-22. Took them around same time frame and it's been good to go

Mine is also out of time - shaves and spits, but it's 5-6 yrs old. full sized 6 inch 617. I may see what they say now.

sometimes you just shoot it alot and take it past it's service life and parts wear out. and they need to be replaced. it happens. I bought a nice used M642 that had a broken firing pin. I brought it back to the shop I bought it from, they sent it back to S&W and a week later I got it back. before I left I asked if they think it was fixed. the clerk took it out of my hand , went onto the basement , I heard five muffled shots . he came back up and handed it to me and said " it works" with a grin on his face. cost me nothing. today, the gun takes turns with my others riding in my pocket.

3 week turn around not too shabby. Hope yall had decent winter down there

It’s great to know that S&W maintains a great customer service department. I’ve heard negative things regarding S&W’s QC lately. Can anyone confirm or deny these allegations?

I've never had a problem with a new gun I bought, however I've bought guns off gunbroker that are gunsmith specials and it has been fun and interesting to fix them.

Glad to hear they took good care of you. I would like to do the tour at the plant someday. 😀👍

I sent back a S&W revolver due to a cracked forcing cone. Like a dumbass I mentioned on my letter that I shot reloads. They responded by telling me the warranty was voided, so I had to pay $300 for the repair. Moral of the story - don’t tell them you shot reloads. As a silver lining - the repaired revolver shoots like a dream.

I have a 317-3 just like yours. My rear sight fell off and was lost in the woods. I bought another rear sight and screw but found the threads were stripped in the top strap. I had never messed with them so it must have come that way from the factory. I thought about sending it in yo S&W but then thought; they are just going to heli-coil it and send it back. I did not want a whole new frame either since this one shoots just right. So I went ahead and got a UNF 3-56 thread repair coil. It comes in a kit with drill bit, tap, and coil installation tool. Been a few years now and the rear sight stays put. Anyhow, check your rear sight screw and be careful cause the frame is aluminum.

I had a 2” 317 but my bud had to have it. 😢good news is I got a 3” one to replace it. Both are good shooters. 😊

Thanks for the update .

Man I do that all the time, record a whole session and not even hit record lol 😂. Makes me so mad at myself.

In 2010, my S&W Model 41 that I actually bought second hand, had an issue. I called Smith & Wesson told them what the issue was and that I bought it second hand, he told me to send it in (I was not sent a shipping label). I don’t recall how long it took, but one day out of the blue Fed Ex showed up with my good as new Model 41 with no charge.

Looks like they went above and beyond to fix it

I had to send my 586 back three times before they got it right.

It's a sick feeling when you have to send one in

Awesome thanks buffalo

Glad you got it back considering FedEx shipped it. They are horrible here.

3 weeks for warranty! Colt took 35 business days to replace a trigger return spring. Wow!

I be used S&W warranty a few times and never had an issue. Every time was sent, repaired and returned in about a week. Should be a lifetime warranty so I don’t understand the 1 year timeframe. S&W have one of the best warranties I’ve seen.

Rumor has it the aluminum cylinder will warp after ~50 rounds

Glad it worked out ok. Just a few hours ago I received my Rossi R92 back from repair. One of their MOST HIGH dollar guns and it broke after 10 rds. A lifetime dream of mine turned into a Nightmare! I doubt I'll ever buy another Rossi even though I'd planned on getting a revolver in the same caliber. Hate to do it but...be warned, Rossi customer service sux. RockOn.StayFree.

👍😊 good it’s fixed and everyone has a camera and can make a video for bad press with some having a lot of folks listening.

Had to send a 329pd back and they serviced it an no problem since

it would have been nice if you were able to have an M63 side by side with this gun and shoot the same amount of ammo ( which would be double the fun) to see if the all stainless version would hold up better than the airweight version.

Good service