Home » General Conversation » Gun Talk » Encore barrel recall (Please share updates for the community)
| Encore barrel recall [message #32756] |
Mon, 18 August 2014 08:11  |
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Is anyone else here aware of this or have more insight into this? I'll share the email I received from Midway to clarify:
Our records indicate you have purchased a product that has been recalled, please see below for instructions from the manufacturer:
Thompson/Center Arms Contender®, G2 Contender®, Encore®, Katahdin™ and Pro Hunter™ barrels purchased in 2014 are included in this recall.
During an internal technical review, Smith & Wesson determined that some barrel lugs on Thompson Center Contender, Contender G2, Encore, Katahdin and Pro Hunter barrels may have been improperly heat treated. Accordingly, we are asking that all barrels purchased in 2014 be returned to Smith & Wesson so they can be inspected by our technicians.
This notice applies only to Thompson Center Contender, Contender G2, Encore, Katahdin and Pro Hunter barrels purchased in 2014.
STOP USING YOUR BARREL.
We ask that you stop using your barrel until we have an opportunity to inspect it.
To facilitate the inspection and replacement, if necessary, of your barrel, please contact Smith & Wesson's at barrels@smith-wesson.com to receive instructions and a prepaid return label for the return of your barrel to Smith & Wesson.
When your barrel is returned, you should note a number 3 on the barrel lug. This marking is confirmation that your barrel has been inspected and the issue has not been found or has been corrected.
Please contact Smith & Wesson directly at barrels@smith-wesson.com to arrange for the inspection and replacement, if necessary, of your barrel.
Thanks for Your Business!
Customer Service
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| Re: Encore barrel recall [message #32758 is a reply to message #32756] |
Mon, 18 August 2014 08:13  |
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For what it's worth, I haven't really seen anything else online about this. I sent my barrel in last week and I'm going to follow up with them today to see if they can offer any insight into turnaround etc. I'll share an update once I have more status. If anyone else wants to chime in with their own findings, please share.
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| Re: Encore barrel recall [message #32759 is a reply to message #32758] |
Mon, 18 August 2014 09:36 |
jamesgammel
Messages: 1708
Registered: August 2012
Location: Lovell, Wyoming
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Top Contributor |
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I just checked T/C's website, no mention. Checked their Facebook page, again no mention. But then, they are still showing 2013 catalogs there, so other than facebook postings they are way out of date with their web-sites. They've had heat treatment issues before, but just with barrel blanks (or at least publicly acknowledged). Their SS barrels are well known (ask David white) about their SS barrels being really soft. I've verified that myself, plastic (Rynite) forearms will shave off surface metal, barrel lock slots on Contender barrels (14's especially) will bend leaving very sloppy barrel lock fits, especially the rear half of the front dove-tail slots from recoil. Blue barrels have never been found with this type of issue (4140 heat treated steel). Why do you think I've switched from using all my user barrels from T/C's to MGM's, and 14's>16 full bulls.
Well isn't that just peachy, just checked the 23" SS 7-30 I traded for, first G-2 era barrel I've gotten. They changed the lug stamp scheme. Instead of a square surrounded star on the left side, it's a circle star like the older blued barrels. Right side now has a circle S, aparantly for "Stainless". Diamond on the bottom (first time I've seen a diamond), but kept the circle 53 for 7-30 waters on the small rear angled slope. I checked the weld quality for the lug, and just saw one "suspect" spot, front left side, a little lack of penetration on the lug, but barrel penetration was good. Rest was pretty darn good, seen many that were just awful, almost like laying rope in the joint. Best guess is the diamond refers to .284 bore for chambering options. That was different back in the day when 7's could be had in 7-TCU, 7-30, and 7 supermag. Gee, no more iron cross, bummer, I liked that one.
Jim
BTW: They actually used the wrong terminology about this. yes, it does involve heating, but also controlled cooling. The proper term is "stress relieving". Heating via welding warped metal. After they weld the lug on to the barrel blank, the bore is no longer round, nor is the total blank, where the lug was welded on is "kinked" a little in the direction of the lug (down) as it sits on the frame. Electron beam welding is the coolest method there is, followed by Tig welding. Stress relieving re-aligns the matrix of the metal to get it back to the original shape of the two pieces welded together. If you want to see the effects of heat on metal, anchor down a round piece of 4140 or stress-proof rod on a smooth surface and heat one side with a blow drier. Watch the opposite end and you'll see it move one direction (to the right if heating the left) and when you stop the heat application it'll move back the opposite way toward where it was originally. Higher heat sources like open flame torches is not recommended, it'll likely not return back to perfectly straight. As it cools, the metal shrinks. I can move the end of a 130' (yes foot) oil drilling derrick 12 feet with just an acetylene torch and a bucket of water and rags (or hose if I need a lot of movement) to straighten a derrick that was dropped and bent.
[Updated on: Mon, 18 August 2014 11:10] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Encore barrel recall [message #32763 is a reply to message #32759] |
Mon, 18 August 2014 12:23 |
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Interesting. I took some detailed pictures of the stamps on the lug of my 20" Katahdin .460 S&W Mag barrel, which I do believe is stainless steel. I'll have to share to see if some of the stamps can be interpreted since I'm new to the Encore. I had wanted a Contender for years after firing my grandfather's in .30-30 Win but just hadn't gotten around to buying one and settled on the Encore for the additional meat it packed on the frame for some of the bigger cartridges. Settled on a .460 barrel as the first one to give myself some flexibility for target work and hunting. This will be the second time it's been back to S&W since it initially had cross-threaded holes in the one forend screw hole closest to the breach. Discovered that when the rear screw (was still getting used to the hardware) didn't seem to take much before it was "snug" and a half-dozen rounds later I discovered the forend had worked loose only to later find the shoulders inside the forend (synthetic one) had both shattered from firing some HSM "Bear Load" .460 ammo. Wasn't really surprised once I discovered the cause. S&W was anxiously questioning me once I called them to explain and they wanted to make sure that no one was hurt. Obviously could have been a messy situation. They fixed up the hole and had it back to me within a couple of weeks having sent it to them and upgraded my forend to the FlexTech model. Didn't cost me anything. Still absolutely love this gun; QC just leaves a bit to be desired. Will likely be going MGM in the future on barrels. Already played around with the guts of the frame courtesy of Bellm's web site and some of his upgraded parts.
Thanks, jamesgammel, for the insight. I'll be picking your brain some more.
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| Re: Encore barrel recall [message #32764 is a reply to message #32762] |
Mon, 18 August 2014 12:23 |
jamesgammel
Messages: 1708
Registered: August 2012
Location: Lovell, Wyoming
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Top Contributor |
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You are 30-33 years late and a 100 bucks short. I straightened 6 derricks in a row in 100+ outside temps. All while getting 9.50/hr and all the other welders getting 12.50-16.50/hr. The 100 bucks is "admission fee". If crummy musicians can get it, why shouldn't I?
Jim
spasmonaut(Dan): Pick all you want but better ask >>>JIM<<<.
[Updated on: Mon, 18 August 2014 12:44] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Encore barrel recall [message #32765 is a reply to message #32764] |
Mon, 18 August 2014 12:28 |
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I will second Doyle's response. I could sit and watch trade work for hours. Welding, plumbing, milling, you name it. An actual craft rendering something into something even more desirable makes me giddy inside. I haven't given up on the idea yet that I may have a total career change in my future.
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| Re: Encore barrel recall [message #32766 is a reply to message #32765] |
Mon, 18 August 2014 12:29 |
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On the point of the original topic, you can validate the "recall" if you peruse Midway's web site looking for Encore barrels as they are all "Temporarily Unavailable." As you said, though, not a word to say about it otherwise from any other location online. I'm going to give them a ring now and I'll post my findings.
[Updated on: Mon, 18 August 2014 12:30] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Encore barrel recall [message #32767 is a reply to message #32766] |
Mon, 18 August 2014 12:41 |
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Was told to check back in a week if I don't see something sooner but otherwise mine's in line to be examined to confirm "yay" or "nay" on whether it's a keeper. Bottom line apparently is that some of the barrels had been heated beyond safe levels during manufacturing and will be discarded/replaced. Total turnaround that I surmised from comments made will be a few weeks, at most, as it's not a huge ordeal like the Springfield Armory XD-S recalls, of which I was also a part of. That took about 4 months I believe. I had removed my bolt spring that I had upgraded and returned the factory one before shipping my barrel back to S&W. If I hear or learn anything else, I'll pass it along.
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| Re: Encore barrel recall [message #32772 is a reply to message #32769] |
Mon, 18 August 2014 17:16 |
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Yeah I can only imagine how much this is going to cost them. Unfortunately I got started in the Encore fan club well after S&W acquired them so I'll have to do the best with what out's there now. The Bellm upgrades absolutely transformed the trigger and made it much more pleasant. It seems that many, many of the stainless barrels are fluted, so as you said, probably only worth salvaging springs, sights, etc. and scrapping the steel or using as jigs for other work around their shops. What a shame. Wondering how many barrels they produced that are now up for review.
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