Do they really matter for any firearm, both handgun and longgun?

I say yes,

I had an optical rod disappear from a front sight on a relatively new 1911, and all I had to do was email the manufacturer with the SN and they sent me a new sight ASAP.

Depends on manufacturer.

I made the mistake of buying a Taurus awhile ago and got horrible warranty service. Taurus offers lifetime service, but I had to send in the pistol twice, Taurus kept it for 2 months each time and never fixed the issue.
Instead of a third attempt, I just ended up paying a local gunsmith for a proper repair.

Never had to send in another firearm from another manufacturer, so I can't comment on others.

 I personally like to use local gunsmiths, they are usually much quicker and don't have to hassle with shipping.

Warranties are like anything else; better to have and not need, than need and not have.

I've had a completely different experience with Taurus.  Their warranty is lifetime and unconditional, no matter if you are the gun's original or thirteenth owner.  I own several Taurus firearms, both longarm and handgun, and over the years have had cause to take advantage of their warranty on a few occasions.

I had S&W refuse to honor a warranty on one of their handguns I purchased from a LGS because, according to their view, I wasn't the original owner.  The gun had been previously registered in the state.  By the owner of the LGS.  I explained to them that EVERY gun they shipped to a gun shop here had to be registered by the owner of that gun shop before they could be legally sold.  S&W wouldn't budge.  They did let me speak to one of their gunsmiths on the phone, and he was able to troubleshoot the problem for me. 

So, at this point, on the rare occasion I am buying a new gun, if I am having trouble deciding between two or more candidates, I do use both warranty and past experience with the company as factors.  Unconditional lifetime = +2, lifetime = +1, S&W = -1, etc.

I've dealt with HK's, LMT's and BCM's customer service for warranty issues. A flat spring in the trigger assembly for my HK pistol broke and they repaired is and replaced a couple of wear parts for free while they had it. BCM tweaked the FSP. For LMT, the safety selector cracked and they sent me a replacement after examining the broken part.

In the case of HK, not sure about warranty, but the gun was over 10 years old and they took care of it no questions asked.

One reason why I love hipoints.  Sure they might be ugly and top heavy but they go bang when you pull the trigger, will easily put 10 rounds center mass at 7 yards, and they have unlimited 3rd party warranties for the life of the gun.  You can find them for 120-150 bucks new (well not in hawaii where they are charging like 250+)  and even cheaper used  (I've seen them go as low as 80 bucks ).  Test have been done by people on youtube double charging their reloads and really packing in so much powder that the bullet hardly could fit and they still don't blow up or break so their pretty reliable no matter what you might think of them.  Recoil is also fairly low.  Had a friend with one and he broke the side grip panel and it was his fault.  He called the factory to try to buy a set and they sent him new sides as well as a new mag for free no questions asked  .  Either way, I do believe warranties make a difference.  Apparently glock only gives warranty to the original owner, sorta makes me think twice about buying a used one, espeically since the guy selling it is usually selling for a reason (probally because there is something wrong with the gun.).  I guess you gotta weight how much peace of mind is worth to you.  To me it's worth a lot!

I had S&W refuse to honor a warranty on one of their handguns I purchased from a LGS because, according to their view, I wasn't the original owner.  The gun had been previously registered in the state.  By the owner of the LGS.  I explained to them that EVERY gun they shipped to a gun shop here had to be registered by the owner of that gun shop before they could be legally sold.  S&W wouldn't budge. 

holy crap, you gotta be kidding me.  I can't believe they would not budge on something like this.  I'll be damn sure not to buy a S&W if they don't warranty their items!

warranties definitely matter, imo.

knowing i can get anything replaced in my rifle if i need to for free is great.  and i feel a lifetime warranty is at least a hint of quality.

HK is lifetime
of the gun

I've dealt with HK's, LMT's and BCM's customer service for warranty issues. A flat spring in the trigger assembly for my HK pistol broke and they repaired is and replaced a couple of wear parts for free while they had it. BCM tweaked the FSP. For LMT, the safety selector cracked and they sent me a replacement after examining the broken part.

In the case of HK, not sure about warranty, but the gun was over 10 years old and they took care of it no questions asked.

holy crap, you gotta be kidding me.  I can't believe they would not budge on something like this.  I'll be damn sure not to buy a S&W if they don't warranty their items!

easy tiger! 

That sucks that Tom had a bad experience with S&W, but I had awesome CS by them.  I bought a used 640-1 locally a while ago.  Shot it a few times and let it sit in the safe for a couple more years.  One day I got to measuring cylinder gaps in my revo's for some reason and found that the gap on my 640 was right on the border of excessive.  I called S&W and asked if I could send it in to be looked at and how much it would cost to fix it.  The said send it in to be checked out, and I did.  I expected it to be there for at least a few weeks, but two weeks later I received a box.  Inside was my 640 with a brand new barrel installed, test fired, inspected and cleaned for free.

From my experience, S&W is top notch and I will not hesitate to buy another.

easy tiger! 

That sucks that Tom had a bad experience with S&W, but I had awesome CS by them.  I bought a used 640-1 locally a while ago.  Shot it a few times and let it sit in the safe for a couple more years.  One day I got to measuring cylinder gaps in my revo's for some reason and found that the gap on my 640 was right on the border of excessive.  I called S&W and asked if I could send it in to be looked at and how much it would cost to fix it.  The said send it in to be checked out, and I did.  I expected it to be there for at least a few weeks, but two weeks later I received a box.  Inside was my 640 with a brand new barrel installed, test fired, inspected and cleaned for free.

From my experience, S&W is top notch and I will not hesitate to buy another.

idk man, if their policy is to not warranty any guns which were sold here brand new, that sounds like a reason not to buy from them.

idk man, if their policy is to not warranty any guns which were sold here brand new, that sounds like a reason not to buy from them.

Could be I was dealing with an idiot. Could be they woke up and realized the error of their ways. Who is to say? I doubt I will ever buy another new Smith, but when they show up used, well, they do make nice guns!

S&W sent me a spring for my walter, no questions asked.  I told them what happened (it shot out while we were trying to break it down at the gun range to fix a jam... the spring shot out into the grass never to be seen again.  I had a 2 day air spring so I could use the gun before next class.

Yes.  They matter.

My Stag Arms Model 8 AR-15 has a complete lifetime warranty.  I already received a replacement piston spring at no cost - emailed a pic of the damaged spring & received a new one within a week.

So, I called and asked if the warranty also covered the barrel and surprisingly was told yes, "if your groups open up to 2" at 100 yards, send in your model 8 and we will replace the barrel."  Awesome!