If I had $10 for every S&W shipped out with a defect since 1965, I would be a very wealthy man, indeed. S&W was, for decades, the biggest handgun manufacturer in the world. (They may still be for all I know) This means that, like Chevrolet cars, there are simply more of them out there to have defects. I have seen new revolvers that would not even open, guns that would not fire, guns that would fire, but not extract / eject, guns with broken hammer pins, bent center pins, chambers that would not chamber...you name it. They make good guns for the most part, but not perfect guns.

Compare it to another, but if yoiu are not happy, ship it back. S&Ws service is once again excellent and I am sure they will make it right for you.

You got me, Bob...I also wondered. These were LE guns bought on several contracts and drop shipped directly from the factory to several different agencies over a period of years. Keep in mind, however, that many "defects" will not prevent test firing from being completed. (They only fire three rounds) and that S&W is a better company now than it was for many years under Pangor-Punta and the Brits. These guns included M36s, M19s. M66s and M686s but there were far fewer issues with the L frame guns than the earlier K frames. It is not always true that older guns were better built.

ETA: You absloutely would not believe the problems a State agency headquartered here had with new Colt Python SS revolvers they purchased for issue. So many they finally stopped buying the Pythons and started testing autos...they adopted the Beretta 92...virtually zero problems with some 1600+ handguns!