What is up with Smith & Wesson?

[johniac7078]

I simply can not understand how a firearms manufacturer does not have simple parts like yoke screws for L frames in stock? SERIOUSLY?How on earth is this possible? What up S&W?

They announce the production of new guns that will take years to get, can you say 929, keep making bad products, think Bodyguard .380, and seem OBLIVIOUS to customer concerns and input. Why in the name of magic unicorns are they STILL making the SD9 VE?

I guess the era of S&W is sadly over and they simply care about high profit margin plastic guns, cutting labor costs and what their lawyers think.

DISCUSS

 

[jtnf]

Simple - Supply is being consumed for new product production. It's exactly the same problem as reloaders with components... Powder and projjies are going to finished product leaving none available for DIYers.

 

[Moderator]

I simply can not understand how a firearms manufacturer does not have simple parts like yoke screws for L frames in stock? SERIOUSLY?How on earth is this possible? What up S&W?

Same reason why Dunkin runs out of bagels. They make or order x amount, and hope they last until the next order comes in.

They announce the production of new guns that will take years to get, can you say 929, keep making bad products, think Bodyguard .380, and seem OBLIVIOUS to customer concerns and input. Why in the name of magic unicorns are they STILL making the SD9 VE?

The bodyguard is an abortion of a gun. The Sigma series (though I hate them) was a great idea. An inexpensive no thrill gun that will get you hooked to shooting. The Sigma was the first gun for many shooters I know.

I guess the era of S&W is sadly over and they simply care about high profit margin plastic guns, cutting labor costs and what their lawyers think.

If you think S&W is the only gun manufacturer that cares about cutting costs and profit margins, you have a lot to learn.

 

[johniac7078]

Yeah. I have a lot to learn. Like how to deal with snarky experts on NES.


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[willbdavis]

Review S&W history. They almost went out of business in WWII when the other manufacturers were making piles of money. Heck, they started out by waiting for Colt's patents to expire not because they were innovative.

 

[Moderator]

Yeah. I have a lot to learn. Like how to deal with snarky experts on NES.


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Do you have an explanation? I'd love to hear it.

 

[johniac7078]

You come in this thread, insult me and now you want a debate? Get real. Typical NES. Sorry I posted In the first place.


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[Moderator]

Because I said you have a lot to learn? LOL. Maybe I can sugarcoat it for you. It's business, though many start with great intentions at the end, most only care about profits. Without profits you go out of business. Lower prices mean lower costs to consumers and increased sales.

 

[rjharris33]

The last word from the OP was Discuss. Thats what people are doing. Sometimes people know more than you, sometimes they don't. I have no idea whether typo is correct or not, but at least he tried to engage in a discussion.

 

[J.A.C]

I like my Bodguard .380 , my dad had a Sigma it was a cool looking paper weight. Love my S&W 500 and .357. I also like long walks on the beach and shooting steel targets.

DISCUSS.

 

[Moderator]

Love my S&W 500

DISCUSS.

I must admit, I bought my 500 for the novelty, but I use it way more than I thought I would.

 

[J.A.C]

I must admit, I bought my 500 for the novelty, but I use it way more than I thought I would.

Im right there with you, was shooting it just last Saturday tried out some prograde 440 grain ammo, nicey nice.

 

[not new guy]

Because I said you have a lot to learn? LOL. Maybe I can sugarcoat it for you. It's business, though many start with great intentions at the end, most only care about profits. Without profits you go out of business. Lower prices mean lower costs to consumers and increased sales.

In fairness, there are plenty of companies out there who manage to stay in business without selling crap in the name of profit. It apparently just gets tougher to do when you're a large publicly traded company.

 

[Moderator]

In fairness, there are plenty of companies out there who manage to stay in business without selling crap in the name of profit.

I agree that there are quality companies out there, but I would find it hard to believe profit margins aren't a big topic at their meetings.

 

[not new guy]

I agree that there are quality companies out there, but I would find it hard to believe profit margins aren't a big topic at their meetings.

No doubt. Like I added to the above post, being a large public corporation tends to shift their focus toward the financials. Once a company gets bureaucratized and lets quarterly financial results drive everything corners inevitably get cut in the name of short term results.

 

[DW357]

Im right there with you, was shooting it just last Saturday tried out some prograde 440 grain ammo, nicey nice.

I've always wanted to shoot the 500. I need to find someone in my area who's got one for me to try.

 

[DarrenL]

Isn't the SD series actually different than the sigma? Different In a ford Taurus/mercury Sable kind of way sure, but different?

 

[Moderator]

I've always wanted to shoot the 500. I need to find someone in my area who's got one for me to try.

If you were closer to me I'd gladly let you take a few pulls of mine. Like I said previously, I bought the 500 as a novelty. It quickly became one of my favorite guns to shoot. The fact that it can be loaded down so that you feel like you are shooting a 38 special or loaded up to make it feel like you dinosaur hunting is great. I don't want to get too off topic but here is one of my favorite photo's of me shooting my 500.

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Isn't the SD series actually different than the sigma? Different In a ford Taurus/mercury Sable kind of way sure, but different?

It was derived from the Sigma line.

 

[DW357]

If you were closer to me I'd gladly let you take a few pulls of mine. Like I said previously, I bought the 500 as a novelty. It quickly became one of my favorite guns to shoot. The fact that it can be loaded down so that you feel like you are shooting a 38 special or loaded up to make it feel like you dinosaur hunting is great. I don't want to get too off topic but here is one of my favorite photo's of me shooting my 500.

Damn! Looks like you're just throwing fireballs with your hands haha. Nice!

You got the 4" barrel?

 

[AM13]

I simply can not understand how a firearms manufacturer does not have simple parts like yoke screws for L frames in stock? SERIOUSLY?How on earth is this possible? What up S&W?

They announce the production of new guns that will take years to get, can you say 929, keep making bad products, think Bodyguard .380, and seem OBLIVIOUS to customer concerns and input. Why in the name of magic unicorns are they STILL making the SD9 VE?

I guess the era of S&W is sadly over and they simply care about high profit margin plastic guns, cutting labor costs and what their lawyers think.

DISCUSS

whats wrong with the SD9VE?

for $300 bucks I love mine, no issues at all

Ive never been so offended

 

[Moderator]

Damn! Looks like you're just throwing fireballs with your hands haha. Nice!

Hadouken!

 

[AM13]

If you were closer to me I'd gladly let you take a few pulls of mine. Like I said previously, I bought the 500 as a novelty. It quickly became one of my favorite guns to shoot. The fact that it can be loaded down so that you feel like you are shooting a 38 special or loaded up to make it feel like you dinosaur hunting is great. I don't want to get too off topic but here is one of my favorite photo's of me shooting my 500.

- - - Updated - - -



It was derived from the Sigma line.

Great pic, why isn't that your avatar?

 

[J.A.C]

I'm in Norwood and defintely would let you try it if you were close. Hopefully you will get to try one out soon, my biggest tip is for the first time make sure only one round is loaded. I'll let anyone that wants to (within reason) try mine at the range but only load one round. Seen too many people limp wrist it.

 

[Moderator]

Great pic, why isn't that your avatar?

If I keep changing my avatar the feds may have a harder time keeping tabs on me. LOL

 

[browncoat]

I gotta agree with the people earlier on the thread about the issues mostly stemming from their publicly traded status. Companies build a reputation by producing good products, and they have a rising stock value because of it. Then they realize if they cut corners a little, they'll make even more money, so they do. Eventually, if things get bad enough and people are unhappy enough, their stock price will fall. Then they'll realize they need to turn their act around and things will get better.

 

[Paul455]

"How good is good enough?" in terms of product quality is how companies think.

Fitness for use is what drives product design, which is a balance of cost, quality, and reliability.

S&W guns from the 1950's thru the 1970's were works of art. handcrafted with extreme quality.

The market today is different as people accept plastic guns.

 

[Cassadilla]

S&W's customer service lately has been pretty bad too. it's to the point where i am almost ready to cancel my order for a 686 and get a ruger instead. i dont know what the deal is, but if they want to start acting like a big corporation... maybe they need to be treated like one... with people publicly complaining on facebook/twitter about specific issues in order to get things handled. i'm not big on that method, but lately that seems to be the only way to get results with some of these companies.

here is one of my favorite photo's of me shooting my 500.

that is such an awesome photo. now i wanna try. course, i probably would be unable to handle it. one round would probably be enough for me forever, haha

 

[frenchman]

Yeah. I have a lot to learn. Like how to deal with snarky experts on NES.


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Tissue?

 

[MikeInMA]

I have a couple 3rd gen S&W semi auto pistols. I really like those. They are real metal and affordable. You probably wouldn't like them so if you see any, leave them there and let me know.

 

[EJFudd]

I simply can not understand how a firearms manufacturer does not have simple parts like yoke screws for L frames in stock? SERIOUSLY?How on earth is this possible? What up S&W?

They announce the production of new guns that will take years to get, can you say 929, keep making bad products, think Bodyguard .380, and seem OBLIVIOUS to customer concerns and input. Why in the name of magic unicorns are they STILL making the SD9VE?

I guess the era of S&W is sadly over and they simply care about high profit margin plastic guns, cutting labor costs and what their lawyers think.

As an old timer who goes way back with Smith & Wesson, I too have a hard time dealing with the S&W of today. In the good old days, they just made guns that worked right out of the box. Now it seems that too many of their products have to go back one, two, three times or more before they are made right or replaced. The attitude seems to be to put out higher quantities with lower quality and work out all the resulting bugs after the sale. I know that's not an entirely true statement, but it sure does feel that way at times.

That said, I'm still collecting Smith & Wesson firearms including pre-lock/no-lock revolvers, 3rd Gen semi-autos and some of the newest polymer ones.

As for the Bodyguard 380, I've not been impressed enough yet to want to buy one. And while I don't like the looks of the SD9VE (I am not a two-tone kind of guy), it does intrigue me enough to want to try one out and possibly purchase one. After all, the cost at FSGuns for a brand new SD9VE is little more than for an SR22.