New S&W 637

[Jimtl]

Picked it up at the gun show ... price was just too good to pass up. I wanted a modern gun rated for +p ammo. So I went to the range today and the first round doesn't fire. Hmmm. So turns out about 1 in 5 or so won't go boom. Now when I used my old 642 the ammo worked fine. One of the sales guys checked it by putting a pencil down the barrel ... it barely moved. So it appears my BRAND NEW S&W is defective. ... Firing pin? spring? not sure. I'm going to call tomorrow. Bummer. Other than that the thing shoots great.

Jim

[Wayward_Son]

Due to how new it is and the level of customer service of the shop where you made the purchase, you might be better served by simply returning the gun to the store in exchange for an identical model. If the store stands behind their customer service, let them deal with returning it to S&W and hopefully you can walk away with a perfectly good new identical 637.

If they're not willing to do that, then inform the manager of the firearms/hunting department that you will be taking your business elsewhere if they cannot or will not stand behind the new guns they sell.

In any case, S&W will fix the gun. It depends on how much personal inconvenience you will allow.

I bought my 637 about a month ago before I evacuated Beaumont for Hurricane Ike. It has been flawless through 200 rounds so far including 50 yesterday. The more I shoot it, the more I love it. It's a sweet little revolver. My trigger was really rough at first and the cylinder didn't want to release without a lot of force, but after cleaning, lubricating, firing 200 rounds, several hundred more dry fires and more lubricating, the trigger has really smoothed out. It's still a heavy trigger, but at seven yards I can still double tap into about a 7" circle most of the time. That's with 130 grain FMJ loads from Remington's yellow bulk 250 packs. With Remington's 158 grain LSWCHP +P the recoil is stout, but at least you know you have 12 inches of penetration with good, reliable expansion. My double taps with this ammo will probably be slower to get the same 7" of accuracy at 7 yards, but I have yet to test it.

[Jimtl]

Thanks Wayward ... I picked up the 637 at a gunshow so the dealer isn't local ... but I'm sure S&W will make it right. I was really happy how well the little gun shoots ... just need it to go bang every time :rolleyes:


Jim

[Jimtl]

Well ... I sent it in to S&W for repair and 5 weeks later ... I got it back -- today. I'll check it out this weekend, but it seems to be working great. Glad I didn't have to pay anything, but it sure takes the excitement out of that "new gun experience"!

[RevolverRO]

Did they say what the problem was with the gun ? Hazarding a guess, I'd bet firing pin protrusion (length) was too short.

[Kreyzhorse]

Curious too was to what S&W said the problem was.

[Jimtl]

S&W said they repaired the yoke and replaced the firing pin.

Before the repair ... when I put a pencil down the barrel it only moved an inch or 2 when fired. All my other guns shot the pencil several feet. Now ... the 637 shoots just like the others (although I haven't checked it out at the range as yet).

As a side note ... I had to be pushy when calling S&W for repair. My service rep said it was probably the ammo and suggested I try out several different brands of ammo before sending it in. I told him I did already tried 2 brands with the same issue AND my other 2 S&W's had no problems with the same ammo. BUT ... I am glad they paid shipping both ways AND picked up and delivered to my door.

Hopefully all is well now.

[311unity13b]

Just curious, what did you pay for it?

[Jimtl]

It was $375 (406 after tax and fees). For this area, that's a good price. The local Gun shop/range had them around $460.

[Wayward_Son]

Glad to hear it worked out.

You got a great price. I payed $429 plus tax for mine, and I think it is worth every penny.