Sounds like they didn't clean the barrel after firing it. they never do with smokeless.

As to the tech support dept., they can be a handful. I would call back and ask for the department supervisor and explain your problem. Be professional and polite. I can't remember his name, but he was a good joe that helped me when I had problems with my Encore.

And yes they will replace anything that is broke or not within company spec, such as replacement parts or third party parts.