S&W Repair - Will it come back with MIM parts?

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Dragline45

New member
I had sent my 686 in for repair once and to my surprise it came back completely rebuilt free of charge, im talking all new internals, cylinder, side plate, ejector rod, and refinishing job. Needless to say it was awesome, and the gun was in good shape to begin with none of it was needed. Well my question is if I send in one of my non-MIM revolvers will it come back with MIM parts, I know I can include a letter with it asking them not to replace the internals like they did before but what if it needs a replacement part, do they have a surplus of the older parts they use?
 
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DPris

Member Emeritus
MIMs are pretty much not interchangeable with older parts.
Hammers are different, no firing pins.
Triggers are different.

I wouldn't worry about sending an older non-MIM gun in & getting it back with MIM parts.
Denis
 
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Dragline45

New member
I think your 686 came with an MIM hammer and trigger when it was manufactured..
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Never said it didnt.. since I sent that gun in and all the internals were replaced I want to make sure my non MIM revolvers dont

as I originally posted
Well my question is if I send in one of my non-MIM revolvers will it come back with MIM parts
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feets

New member
Replacement parts may be made by MIM to the tolerances of the original parts.

There's nothing wrong with MIM. The fears are based on the age-old fear of change. If it's different it's got to be bad.
The lock work of a handgun is not subjected to extreme forces. The worst thing they see is getting jiggled about by recoil or the handler dropping the gun on the floor.
 
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mete

New member
At the start of the use of MIM many parts were made by MIM .Some of those in turn were found to be a problem and changed to forged. If they replaced parts they will be the latest upgrade material.
 
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spacecoast

New member
I don't know the answer to your question, but I would be unhappy if any of my pre-MIM revolvers came back with MIM parts, since I specifically sought them out for their non-MIM heritage. They may work just fine, but it's not the same. I liken it to replacing original grips with plastic reproductions.
 
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chewie146

New member
The question is, would you know the difference? I'm not trying to be a jerk. Seriously, how can you tell? I'm not a machinist. I develop training for a living.
 
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carguychris

New member
MIMs are pretty much not interchangeable with older parts.
Hammers are different, no firing pins.
Triggers are different.
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^This.

The introduction of MIM coincided with the introduction of the free-floating firing pin and flat faced hammer on centerfire guns. (Rimfires have used these since ~1930, but I digress.)

If the gun has the traditional hammer-mounted firing pin, I doubt the hammer could be MIM, because AFAIK S&W has never made one using MIM.
 
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Dragline45

New member
The question is, would you know the difference? I'm not trying to be a jerk. Seriously, how can you tell? I'm not a machinist. I develop training for a living.
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Yup absolutely, MIM parts have markings on them usually a raised circle or thin line along the sides from the molding process which is a dead giveaway. Also all of the MIM parts I have seen have a case colored look, where my S&W stainless revolvers with non MIM parts are just a plain old piece of steel. Look at the triggers in the pictures below, first one is a MIM trigger on a newer 642 and the second is the older non MIM trigger on my 640.

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Here is my model 60 I no longer have, I polished up the trigger on it and as you can see there is the raised marking left from the MIM process

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Dragline45

New member
For what it's worth, Smith mim parts have an outstanding reputation.
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For a while S&W used MIM hammer blocks and I had one snap on me which is not all that common but has happened to others. The replacement I got sent was not MIM so I am assuming they phased that out. But as far as the MIM hammer and triggers I have not heard of any instances of them failing.
 
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Shane Tuttle

Staff
nogo said:
For what it's worth, Smith mim parts have an outstanding reputation.
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From the limited experiences I have with S&W, I'd have to agree. Problem is, in what I gather from the OP, it's the principle of it. Whether it's a fact MIM is just as good or nearly as such, the owner may very well have spent his/her hard earned money on said firearm due to the features of possessing forged parts.

To the company's defense, I believe they may have the right to repair or replace as they deem fit. Not that this context should be taken erroneously. Of course the customer can refuse having the gun repaired. They just ultimately don't have say on how the gun is to be repaired if S&W is going to cover it under warranty. This is generally speaking...
 
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sw282

New member
l sent a 19-3 into them awhile back that was in rough shape inside and out. So bad they had to replace the front site. Previous owner had filed it down. ln the refinish/rebuild they replaced some of the internals w/MIM parts. lt still shoots great after almost 3 years of frequent range outings. My daughter "stole" it from me shortly after its return from Smith. She calls it her 'black' gun because of its new matte finish. l advised she only shoot bullets over 140gr because of that models barrel erosion issues.

l asked them about the MIM parts issue with regards to older guns. They are out of quite a few of the older parts. Ex--no more Model 19 barrels. But they would be glad to install older servicable USED parts supplied by the owner.
 
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DPris

Member Emeritus
You will probably get a MIM rebound slide, those ARE interchangeable.
You will not get a MIM hammer to replace a non-MIM hammer.
And so on.
The rebound slide I wouldn't care about, it gets no impacts & isn't subject to the same type of wear that the hammer & trigger are.

S&W tried MIM hammer blocks, they broke. I understand they've gone back to the stamped blocks now.

One or two small parts may be MIM, but the bigger ones are not interchangeable.
Denis
 
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spacecoast

New member
What characteristic of the trigger would prevent its replacment with a MIM part? And what about the cylinder stop or the hand?
 
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