S&W barrels off-center

[FC]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haMRHy_pcUc

[AzRednek]

For the past few years my collecting has focused on S&W revolvers. Following other boards and YouTube. Seeing and hearing about similar complaints of off centered and poorly timed barrels. I love S&W's but I sure hope their quality doesn't take a nose dive as it did years ago. After S&W lost its bread and butter and huge piece of the market as cops were dumping revolvers in favor of Glocks and other semi's. The police surplus market also had to taken a piece. S&W changed hands going to a Japanese corp, Banger Puma. Their quality and reputation slipped as they became like Taurus. Meaning they turned out some quality goods but their quality control was letting some real lemons sneak by. 

I have a feeling and just speculating that possibly S&W had adopted one of Colt's short cuts. I believe the process for installing barrels is named crush fit. The barrel is screwed in almost the entire way then pressed in. Not usually a problem untill the barrel has to be removed.

A now deceased friend from the 70's CB radio days. An engineer for Sperry Rand had a problem with an early 70's Python' barrel. When he got it back from Colt factory service he got a new barrel that was installed with the crush fit process. I didn't see it but he claimed it was just slightly off center and the cylinder gap was to tight and inconsistent. I can't recall all the minor discrepancies he described but most were something only an engineer's mind would notice. He claimed original barrel was installed the right way. 

Friend claimed he was getting the run around over the phone. So he used a letter written on Sperry's letterhead detailing his complaint. Apparently the letterhead got Colt's attention. Colt sent a new replacement to a local dealer and all he had to do was return his buggered Python to the dealer, fill out another 4473 form and out the door with the brand new one. I did see and handle but not shoot the replacement. It was by far, bar none the smoothest double action trigger I've ever handled.