TexasCHLforum.com

Nice. Best possible solution.

igotta40 wrote:I would, in priciple, like to demand to have S&W fix this, but if I do, will I be required to ship my lower to them through a FFL dealer? Wouldn't a FFL charge me a fee for that?

No you can ship directly via common carrier like UPS or FedEx, but must be shipped overnight ($$) and must be dropped off at a "hub" distribution center location - not a UPS or FedEx retail storefront. If S&W is paying shipping both ways, you only lose time. But if they ask you to pay even one way it'll likely cost $50+

gigag04 wrote:Call S&W and theyll likely send you a new one. They have great customer svc.

I tried that with them on my Walther and they made me send it to them to replace a broken plastic part, then they DIDN'T replace the part, sent it back to me still broken, and on my second call I demanded to speak to a supervisor who finally agreed to just overnight the plastic part to me. Of course, they are the ONLY source for parts for Walther in the US, so I had no other alternative.

Might have better luck on an actual S&W-branded firearm.

Which part broke?

The plastic button? http://www.midwayusa.com/product/767204 ... -308-matte" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Or some other part of the whole assembly? http://www.midwayusa.com/product/615834 ... -308-matte" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As you can see from links, these are not expensive parts. And S&W should be a basically MilSpec AR-15 so parts should be interchangeable. And fixing them should really not be that difficult a DIY job. I've not had this problem myself, but have assembled one lower receiver myself and it was simple enough following step-by-step directions found at AR15.com, YouTube, etc.

You could even upgrade the button to a larger one http://www.midwayusa.com/product/733579 ... r-15-matte" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Doing it yourself and buying part yourself would most likely be much cheaper than shipping gun back to S&W even if they do supply part & labor for free. Even if S&W covers shipping, you could still avoid some downtime by doing it yourself (depending where you're located, a local shop may even have the parts in stock - thus no wait for delivery from midway, brownells, etc).

As for WHY this happened, could be a shoddy part (perhaps an air bubble in the polymer when it was formed?), or perhaps a cleaning solution you used contributed to degrading the plastic/polymer? I'm just guessing