I’m saddened that S&W and their owners are having these issues. I just bought 2 snub nose .44s. A 629 DeLuxe & 629 Performance Center after debating them or Ruger. Hoping for the best.
Dump it, buy a 1980's 629. The only problem with a Smith that I've shared with yours is a loose rear sight frame screw, that I loctited. I think you will need a replacement windage nut on the rear sight. I don't think it is practical to restake it.
Interesting! What do you do when you are cleaning the gun? In particular, what sort of lubricant do you use and how much? They fixed it and then it sat for a long time. Maybe it could be lubricant getting sticky. I always carefully inspect every firearm before leaving the store. The crooked lettering would have caused me to reject that one. It is possible the gun was mounted in some sort of holder during manufacturing. The lettering ended up crooked and the cuts and holes are off also. Other than that, not a clue. Amazon sell an all leather shooting glove that along with an S&W X-frame grips will go a long way towards taming the significant recoil. A Scandium frame revolver with a titanium cylinder is made for ease of carrying while being fully functional at the same time. These guns can be very accurate. Shooting double action is always more comfortable for me.
If you don’t want to send it back again, try some trigger shims from Power Custom. The product page explains how they work and how to use them. I gave them a try on a 686 that I had similar issues with. They worked great. Turns out there was a little to much side to side slop in the trigger
I remember back in elementary school, the class was discussing which fish were poisonous to touch or to eat, and my teacher said, "Never trust a fish that doesn't look like a fish." I've kept that philosophy to this day, when buying a car or a gun: stay away from weird, goofy features. Looking at recent S&W revolvers, I've decided to save my money for some of their older classics. (Just spent $1000 on an excellent condition model 13, that I've been looking for for years.)
At one time, such a piece would never have left the factory in Springfield. Today, basically the only revolvers ready to roll out of the box are Korth and Manurhin.
Give them hell. You paid a premium for performance, and instead, you're getting Taurus-level QC and customer service. Really and truly unacceptable at that price point.
Whenever I experience this crap with a revolver I usually keep the gun and disassemble it and then reassemble it. It's a stupid way to get into gun tinkering, not smithing I'm not a gunsmith, I'm a hillbilly with too much time on his hands. Anyway S&W will never fix it, just get a different kind of S&W revolver and keep your fingers crossed.
Mine was when they first launched PD series. Hillery safety would cause it to lock during ‘real’ 44 loads. Got rid of it cuz I bought it for bear defense. Bought a Mountain gun instead. Never looked back.
The rebound spring is too light. Look up videos on disassembly/reassembly and add a extra power rebound spring from wolff. I had the same issue with my model 69-2 3/4 inch barrel. Good luck.
Factory rebound spring, I suspect a stiffer spring would probably fix the problem by force, but at the end of the day, it shouldn’t be doing that regardless.
Ruger quality has slipped a bit, but is still quite good IMO. Same with Kimber, which is overpriced to boot. Colt is a shadow of its former glory. But Smith & Wesson takes the cake for selling revolvers that fall between Taurus and Charter Arms in quality, but at premium prices, and backed up by the chintziest customer service in the industry. My next wheelgun will be anything but a Smith - probably a Ruger, or even a Taurus, whose quality actually seems to have improved. Just my experience, going back 4 decades to when the words 'revolver' and 'S&W' were one and the same.
@TDC7594 I have a Taurus 856 Defender +P three inch. No problems so far. Taurus owns Rossi and Heritage that also have revolvers. No matter what gun you buy new or used of any brand make sure you inspect it just like you do for buying a car before you buy. I passed on one new 856 from one dealer that had timing problems before I bought mine after thoroughly inspecting it. I still need to get rounds through it to really put it through its paces. There is warranty service if need be and Taurus management and customer service is way better than it used to be although I have never had any major problems with any Taurus guns I own and have owned from PT92, two model 85s, G2c, Rough Rider, and now the 856. Small stuff like sight adjustment fixes and thread locking screws. I did lose a part once and Taurus replaced the part and sent it to me under warranty at no cost although I did buy some spare parts while I was at it. So Taurus customer service has been good for me.
I would stay with it and loc tite and stake and send it back to S&W. Probably needs some internals. A four inch model 69 might be good too. The metal frame better for the internals.
Scandium alloy frame with steel parts may be where he trouble starts. These metals have different coefficients of thermal expansion and questionable compatibility of sliding parts such as the recoil slide, which is the part, along with a coil spring which brings the trigger back to reset position. Your remedy may be removing and polishing the sliding surfaces of the recoil slide and a new coil recoil slide spring.
Yeah, I owned a 29-3, 29-10, and a model 69 and while the new production, 29-10, and, 69 had their own factory defects that caused me to dump them they didn’t have any issues with the trigger. Luckily though the 29-3 runs like a champ, which just goes to show that Smith and Wesson used to know what they were doing.
Sucks you’re having so many issues with it. To me that’s smiths coolest revolver right now but I’ve heard mixed things about the durability of the scandium frame guns
I'd call Smith and ask them to look at it again - be polite, focus on the most important issue - trigger reset. And, in the future when you carry it, strap your tomahawk on your belt for reset issues back-up.
I believe a good part of the problem is design. .44 magnums beat a light weight revolver hard. Probably the cause of the screws coming loose. Just because you can make a light .44 mag doesn't make it a good idea.
S&W quality control is hit or miss. - Sorry you are having issues with it. I have a Model 69 that I bought new. On the 3rd shot, the cylinder locked up tight and took a lot of force to open. I sent it back to them and they also cut the forcing cone on it, and sent it back after around 3 months. I sent about 25 rounds down range with it and did not experience any issues. I put it in the safe, in a holster, laying on its left side. It sat in there several months without moving. When I took it out to take to the range, the grip fell off. The threaded part had broken off from it. S&W sent me a replacement set of grips for it. I have not used it since then. I think it is strictly a range gun for now, until I can get a hundred or so rounds through it without seeing any more issues.
BTW, I definitely wouldn't fix it and sell it. Do it wrong, and you've voided the warranty and are left with a gun you may not want to chance selling to someone else - and you'll lose money if you do. It's Smith & Wesson's fault, and their responsibility, even if they want to whine about being held to it. You shouldn't have to touch anything or loctite screws to make up for their crappy workmanship on a $300 gun, let alone on one you've bought for $1300!
Cheap guns need to be low pressure that is why .22's and Shotguns can be made out of junk metals and still work good. Crap has come a long way but .44 Mag needs real steel not scrap metal lightweight alloy junk better suited to toy cars. Just sayin.
Great vid sir. Well spoken, succinct and informative. Hot take, but don't send it in or sell it. Use it as a learning opportunity. An expensive learning opportunity for sure, but take it apart yourself. Work on it and really really learn the minutiae of what makes a good double single action revolver tick and perform well. If it cannot be salvaged, make vids around it. Test "do some modern propellants really corrode the titanium components in high end guns as much as we've been lead to believe?". Do the whole destruction testing all gun tubers love and get some views lol. If you can fix it, get stuff like a Cimarron bad boy and/or a raging bull in foty fo problem solver in the future and compared them in 44 mag bang for your buck vids.
for the cost of that gun he should send it in and either get a replacement or have it fixed...then he can sell or keep it...plenty of older less expensive guns out there to take apart and learn on
I guess because we refuse to let society stamp out every ounce of fun and creativity in our lives. We refuse to be just another brick in the wall. Always funny when someone brings up one of the figures or something because in that background you’ve got a book written by Jeff Cooper, an original Colt Delta elite advertisement out of a magazine, a functioning replica of the pistol from The good, the bad, the ugly. Yet somehow a couple Star Wars helmets upsets you fragile masculinity.
I'd much rather have a Ruger, Taurus, or Charter Arms revolver than anything S&W has dumped on the market since the mid to late 1980s. In other words, you got screwed with that 329PD. You would have been far better off with a Charter Arms in .44Spl with either a three- or four-inch barrel and handloading for it for concealed carry/personal defense.
Zero issues with my 329pd. Good gun and very accurate.
Glad somebody got one that wasn’t a POS
@@SlimCowboy mine works fine too
Send it back...bummer I was looking to get one...
I decided three strikes and it’s out, I got rid of it and replaced it with a 29-3
I’m saddened that S&W and their owners are having these issues. I just bought 2 snub nose .44s. A 629 DeLuxe & 629 Performance Center after debating them or Ruger. Hoping for the best.
I think if it had pink pearl grips it would work just fine.
Keep sending it back, or demand they refund your money.
SC. Good video. It's a pain when those kinds of issues keep coming up. Thanks for sharing. Take care.
Dump it, buy a 1980's 629. The only problem with a Smith that I've shared with yours is a loose rear sight frame screw, that I loctited. I think you will need a replacement windage nut on the rear sight. I don't think it is practical to restake it.
Interesting! What do you do when you are cleaning the gun? In particular, what sort of lubricant do you use and how much? They fixed it and then it sat for a long time. Maybe it could be lubricant getting sticky. I always carefully inspect every firearm before leaving the store. The crooked lettering would have caused me to reject that one. It is possible the gun was mounted in some sort of holder during manufacturing. The lettering ended up crooked and the cuts and holes are off also. Other than that, not a clue. Amazon sell an all leather shooting glove that along with an S&W X-frame grips will go a long way towards taming the significant recoil. A Scandium frame revolver with a titanium cylinder is made for ease of carrying while being fully functional at the same time. These guns can be very accurate. Shooting double action is always more comfortable for me.
If you don’t want to send it back again, try some trigger shims from Power Custom. The product page explains how they work and how to use them. I gave them a try on a 686 that I had similar issues with. They worked great. Turns out there was a little to much side to side slop in the trigger
I remember back in elementary school, the class was discussing which fish were poisonous to touch or to eat, and my teacher said, "Never trust a fish that doesn't look like a fish." I've kept that philosophy to this day, when buying a car or a gun: stay away from weird, goofy features. Looking at recent S&W revolvers, I've decided to save my money for some of their older classics. (Just spent $1000 on an excellent condition model 13, that I've been looking for for years.)
Send it back to smith and demand a new one
At one time, such a piece would never have left the factory in Springfield. Today, basically the only revolvers ready to roll out of the box are Korth and Manurhin.
Give them hell. You paid a premium for performance, and instead, you're getting Taurus-level QC and customer service. Really and truly unacceptable at that price point.
Send it back. Perhaps they will just give you a new one. Lemons happen.
I talked to them on the phone about it and was told that there’s no guarantee of anything until they evaluate it for the third time
S&W model 69! I swear by it, the thing has never given me any trouble and it's easy to carry. Sell that scandium thing and get a 69.
Whenever I experience this crap with a revolver I usually keep the gun and disassemble it and then reassemble it. It's a stupid way to get into gun tinkering, not smithing I'm not a gunsmith, I'm a hillbilly with too much time on his hands. Anyway S&W will never fix it, just get a different kind of S&W revolver and keep your fingers crossed.
@@jimjames6074 he has one.
Mine was when they first launched PD series. Hillery safety would cause it to lock during ‘real’ 44 loads. Got rid of it cuz I bought it for bear defense. Bought a Mountain gun instead. Never looked back.
Sorry you’re having trouble with your gun. It’s very cool looking.
The rebound spring is too light. Look up videos on disassembly/reassembly and add a extra power rebound spring from wolff. I had the same issue with my model 69-2 3/4 inch barrel. Good luck.
Factory rebound spring, I suspect a stiffer spring would probably fix the problem by force, but at the end of the day, it shouldn’t be doing that regardless.
Ruger quality has slipped a bit, but is still quite good IMO. Same with Kimber, which is overpriced to boot. Colt is a shadow of its former glory. But Smith & Wesson takes the cake for selling revolvers that fall between Taurus and Charter Arms in quality, but at premium prices, and backed up by the chintziest customer service in the industry. My next wheelgun will be anything but a Smith - probably a Ruger, or even a Taurus, whose quality actually seems to have improved. Just my experience, going back 4 decades to when the words 'revolver' and 'S&W' were one and the same.
@TDC7594 I have a Taurus 856 Defender +P three inch. No problems so far. Taurus owns Rossi and Heritage that also have revolvers. No matter what gun you buy new or used of any brand make sure you inspect it just like you do for buying a car before you buy. I passed on one new 856 from one dealer that had timing problems before I bought mine after thoroughly inspecting it. I still need to get rounds through it to really put it through its paces. There is warranty service if need be and Taurus management and customer service is way better than it used to be although I have never had any major problems with any Taurus guns I own and have owned from PT92, two model 85s, G2c, Rough Rider, and now the 856. Small stuff like sight adjustment fixes and thread locking screws. I did lose a part once and Taurus replaced the part and sent it to me under warranty at no cost although I did buy some spare parts while I was at it. So Taurus customer service has been good for me.
Call S&W and ask to speak to a supervisor they will take care of you.
I would stay with it and loc tite and stake and send it back to S&W. Probably needs some internals.
A four inch model 69 might be good too. The metal frame better for the internals.
Scandium is also metal.
Scandium alloy frame with steel parts may be where he trouble starts. These metals have different coefficients of thermal expansion and questionable compatibility of sliding parts such as the recoil slide, which is the part, along with a coil spring which brings the trigger back to reset position. Your remedy may be removing and polishing the sliding surfaces of the recoil slide and a new coil recoil slide spring.
Ummm I have put hundreds of rounds through my Pd and no issues at all. So have you shot any other model 29 and had the same issues?
Yeah, I owned a 29-3, 29-10, and a model 69 and while the new production, 29-10, and, 69 had their own factory defects that caused me to dump them they didn’t have any issues with the trigger. Luckily though the 29-3 runs like a champ, which just goes to show that Smith and Wesson used to know what they were doing.
Wow I think I would go with Ruger at this point! Hope you have better luck slim!
@ghost2690 Haha. That is not a step up.
@@rbm6184 yes it is
@@ghost2690 No its not.
Sucks you’re having so many issues with it. To me that’s smiths coolest revolver right now but I’ve heard mixed things about the durability of the scandium frame guns
Agreed a very innovative design, but at the same time, I’ve always been wary of it because of the frame cracking, flamecutting, etc. risks
Sad to hear this. I've had good experience with their customer service. I'd ask for a new gun.
I'd call Smith and ask them to look at it again - be polite, focus on the most important issue - trigger reset. And, in the future when you carry it, strap your tomahawk on your belt for reset issues back-up.
How much do you want for it?
I believe a good part of the problem is design. .44 magnums beat a light weight revolver hard. Probably the cause of the screws coming loose. Just because you can make a light .44 mag doesn't make it a good idea.
Smith has lots of QC issues
Yeah they do
S&W quality control is hit or miss. - Sorry you are having issues with it.
I have a Model 69 that I bought new. On the 3rd shot, the cylinder locked up tight and took a lot of force to open. I sent it back to them and they also cut the forcing cone on it, and sent it back after around 3 months.
I sent about 25 rounds down range with it and did not experience any issues. I put it in the safe, in a holster, laying on its left side. It sat in there several months without moving. When I took it out to take to the range, the grip fell off. The threaded part had broken off from it. S&W sent me a replacement set of grips for it.
I have not used it since then. I think it is strictly a range gun for now, until I can get a hundred or so rounds through it without seeing any more issues.
BTW, I definitely wouldn't fix it and sell it. Do it wrong, and you've voided the warranty and are left with a gun you may not want to chance selling to someone else - and you'll lose money if you do. It's Smith & Wesson's fault, and their responsibility, even if they want to whine about being held to it. You shouldn't have to touch anything or loctite screws to make up for their crappy workmanship on a $300 gun, let alone on one you've bought for $1300!
Definitely making some good points
That gun and grips looks nice. It’s bad that S&W quality isn’t what it used to be especially for that price.
I bought 2 S&W revolvers around the same time and the screw for the cylinder latch tries to wiggle loose on me to be
Cheap guns need to be low pressure that is why .22's and Shotguns can be made out of junk metals and still work good. Crap has come a long way but .44 Mag needs real steel not scrap metal lightweight alloy junk better suited to toy cars. Just sayin.
s&w has been junk at least since 1985 when i bought a 586 that didn't work. it was a pos.
Every company has lemons. I've got modern s&w that are total gems.
Great vid sir. Well spoken, succinct and informative. Hot take, but don't send it in or sell it. Use it as a learning opportunity. An expensive learning opportunity for sure, but take it apart yourself. Work on it and really really learn the minutiae of what makes a good double single action revolver tick and perform well. If it cannot be salvaged, make vids around it. Test "do some modern propellants really corrode the titanium components in high end guns as much as we've been lead to believe?". Do the whole destruction testing all gun tubers love and get some views lol. If you can fix it, get stuff like a Cimarron bad boy and/or a raging bull in foty fo problem solver in the future and compared them in 44 mag bang for your buck vids.
for the cost of that gun he should send it in and either get a replacement or have it fixed...then he can sell or keep it...plenty of older less expensive guns out there to take apart and learn on
Well, consider trading it in and get a new 327 WR.
Take it to someone who knows S&W innards and they can fix it in 20 minutes - probably needs cleaning and lube also
Taurus 44SS4 works well for me but it’s an all steel firearm 🇺🇸
Fix it trade it in
Damn that’s really unfortunate that pistol is a lemon… Thanks for the up date.
Why do adult men put childrens toys on their walls?
I guess because we refuse to let society stamp out every ounce of fun and creativity in our lives. We refuse to be just another brick in the wall. Always funny when someone brings up one of the figures or something because in that background you’ve got a book written by Jeff Cooper, an original Colt Delta elite advertisement out of a magazine, a functioning replica of the pistol from The good, the bad, the ugly. Yet somehow a couple Star Wars helmets upsets you fragile masculinity.
Fix and sell
Mine is gathering dust. it in storage lol. miss dryfiring.
Buy a Taurus ???
I'd much rather have a Ruger, Taurus, or Charter Arms revolver than anything S&W has dumped on the market since the mid to late 1980s. In other words, you got screwed with that 329PD. You would have been far better off with a Charter Arms in .44Spl with either a three- or four-inch barrel and handloading for it for concealed carry/personal defense.
Sad, but probably true