Just received this in the mail from S&W - Not surprised that this might be an issue - Studying the way the safety mechanism works, I never fully trusted that the little piece of metal would always beat the hammer to the pin...made it as dark as I could.

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak ... 4997_n.jpg

I stumbled across the recall, last week, as I was doing some research on on carry pistol for a friend. Those of us who did not register the firearm with S&W had to find out about it by luck, or word of mouth.

See,
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... onId=10506

Mine was, apparently, an "early" one, one of the first 10,000, because it was listed in the earliest batch of serial numbers in the first line. Although the action is a little "gritty," it's an excellent shooter and apparently reliable that I can tell. Maybe S&W/Walther gunsmiths will smooth out the action for me. :-)

Remember that guy, the assistant manager of the hardware store in the Camden area of Minneapolis, who shot the robber in the parking lot confrontation with an armed assailant/robber back in 2003 or 2004? He had a PPK-S; also an early model. He told me that the gun jammed on him after the first shot and that he was very glad that he didn't need another one.

I checked the operation and dimensions of mine, and I see NO POSSIBLE PROBLEM with either the dimensions or the timing. My hammer block has a measurable space and plenty of metal between the hammer and the back end of the firing pin/striker (dimensions), and the hammer block is FULLY deployed and cammed over by the time that the hammer is released to fall on it (timing). My guess is that they are going to do the same thing I did, check its function, and certify (with the stamped dot on the frame), that the operation was checked. It should take all of five minutes, including unwrapping the package, logging it in, checking it, stamping the dot on the frame, repacking it, and shipping it back to me.

Maybe they had a bunch of non-spec parts that showed up, somewhere, in the production runs. One wonders whether they used parts made in China, with varying degrees of metalurgical consistency/conformance and China's famed "quality control." But it's CHEAP! I have a friend who does significant business in China and who tells me that you have to watch them like a hawk. Not because they they're trying to cheat you, but because, all along the line, so to speak, the quality control is sacrificed to speed and quantity. "Quality Control by Customer Vigilance and Complaint."

I remember, way back when, almost 30 years ago, when there was a similar recall on my Model 59. I sent it back. The turn around was about 10 days and they sent me 2 magazines for it as "compensation for my trouble." The magazines were also stamped with a code (the letter "A") to show that they had been "certified" also. To my examination, they were exactly the same as the other magazines that I had and functioned exactly the same. It may also have had something to do with the magazine safety disconnect.

Anyway, you can "register" for the recall online and they SAY that they'll send you a mailing label and instructions in a couple of weeks. All that does is to give them a record of the fact that you 1) got the notice, 2) received the warning NOT to use the gun, and 3) protect them from liability. In fact, this whole thing is for S&W's protection from liability for defective manufacture and/or design.

On that note...I did not register my gun with S&W - perhaps my "friends" at Gander took the liberty to do so for me....

Yes, somebody must have told S&W about you and your particular firearm, including serial number. Maybe they thought that doing so, on your behalf, was a way to "lock in" your warranty. That's "full service" for you. They should ask, first. Maybe they did, and you forgot.

My gun dealer never did that. He didn't think it was his "place" to do so, and the 4473 has whatever is necessary for a trace, if required. As I recall, one's Social Security Number has always been "optional" on such forms. Of course, given time and the mobility of the American people, THAT would be THE WAY to centralize everything. But we still act as if one SS# is ONLY for the purpose of Soc Sec, as it should be.

I still have the original paperwork and registration/warranty forms in the box; so I KNOW that it wasn't done. And when I think of all the others that I have registered with S&W, at now-defunct addresses (two of them in the last 35 years), I wonder what it is all for. I'm torn between contacting S&W and updating my files, if they exist after all their turmoil with Thomson PLC (good riddance!), and leaving things as they are. I really don't want to create a searchable database, simply out of privacy concerns. I've gone from S&W, to Bangor Punta, to Thomson PLC, to the new S&W. Were there any others among them?

And word travels . . .

I sent 2 PPK/S 's in on Jan 26, they arrived on Feb 3, 2009. The Recall took place after that, I beleive in the middle of Feb. My last call to S&W I was told that the Repairs will start May 17, once they figure out how many have the problem, and how many parts they have to Mfg. It seems they want to see how many guns they can "Pile" up before doing any repairs. The good new is that my guns will be some of the first done, they are going to do them in order of Receiving them.

Steve

I have always had a sort of irrational fear of the PPK way of decocking. Now I know why.

Regarding parts from China, it is my experience that you get the quality that you specify and pay for. I am typing this on a Chinese laptop made by Lenovo, and I couldn't be happier with it. It cost more than I would like to admit, but then, out of dozens of computers I've had over the years, it's the first one I've really liked. Lenovo insists on quality and is willing to pay for it. On the other hand, there are plenty of places in China that will give you junk for bottom dollar, if that's what you want.

Quality or no, the PPK way of doing things with the hardened hammer falling with full force, deliberately, on a hardened cam as a standard decocking procedure still gives me the willies.

I understand about the hammer drop, safety making you feel nervious. There is a way around this, put the safety on BEFORE you rack the gun, the hammer is left in the down position. If you rack the gun with the safety off, the hammer will be back (cocked) and ready to fire.

That's obnoxious.