Just thinking about cracked aluminum frames

[RussellD]

I have seen a few cracked aluminum frames over the years. Read about many, many more on this forum...and then I started thinking why do i hear so much more about cracked S&W frames than Colt's?

Come to think about it, I have never seen a cracked Colt aluminum revolver frame. Anyone care to speculate? Assembly methods, metallurgy, design? Just curious.

[LoboGunLeather]

I've seen a couple of the Colt D-frame aluminum models (Cobra, etc) with cracks at the forward yoke, just below the barrel. I've seen S&W Model 37's with nearly identical cracking. I also remember a S&W Aircrewman (aluminum frame, aluminum cylinder) with ruptured chamber and top strap broken. I don't remember all of the details but each one seemed to involve ammunition issues, typically handloads.

I have owned a Model 37 for decades. I limit it to standard velocity ammo exclusively and have never had a problem with it.

I also remember seeing a Colt Commander .45 with its aluminum frame broken near the front of the slide rails and down through the dust cover near the trigger guard, and a S&W Model 39 with the slide rails broken completely off (it had been fired repeatedly with SuperVel 9mm ammo, back in the 1970's).

Everything has limits. Aluminum alloys vary in strength (and sometimes consistency), investment casting techniques, machining operations, tool wear resulting in dimensional variations. I suspect that occasionally multiple variables might occur within a single unit of production.

[blujax01]

I would imagine that if I spent the amount of time on a Colt forum that I do here, I would read about many, many more.

[bushmaster1313]

Much worse when it's in an airplane frame

[therevjay]

Do Smif & Colt make airplanes?

[bushmaster1313]

Originally Posted by therevjay

Do Smith & Colt make airplanes?

No.

The lawyers said the potential liability from a cracked aluminum aircraft frame was too high for the underwriters.

[Ivan the Butcher]

Back in the mid 80's there was an outfit called Federal Ordinance. I bought a number of alloy 1911 frames, that were intended to reduce the weight of you old Government model. I built them into inexpensive 1911's, the ones I kept for myself got cracked off at the dust cover at around 800-1000 rounds. The last two 1911's I built were on Essex steel frames, but the price was just too high to sell them affordably. Alloy framed guns have been around for 70+/- years now. I think they have the bugs worked out on tolerances and limitations. I don't see polymer framed guns having a usable 50 year life, and expect to see a alloy replacement pop up in the 30 year range. Ivan