S&W has had my 340SC since October. I was never contacted by them at any point after they received it, and my calls to S&W CS got either "I don't knows" or being told that I'd be called (wasn't, of course). The frame lug that retains the cylinder wore down through normal use, a known problem on the scandium J frames. Generally though, a replacement frame is used, the gun is replaced, or there's some offer of a discounted revolver voucher or whatnot.

Nope, in this case after months of silence I get an email from fedex that I have a shipment inbound. This shipment missed its delivery date and spent a week in fedex pending hell, but eventually it got there (OK, that last part isnt the fault of S&W but I'm still gonna whine about it!). Opened it up, just form with a short note that it's beyond repair. Overall, extremely disappointed with this experience. These aren't cheap revolvers, Smith continues to build them with major known problems, and now when they break it's not getting made right (had a S&W 642 crack a frame that was replaced quickly a few years back, sad to see that's no longer the procedure).

I've seen tons of threads of issues with recent smiths, and they make me nervous, but I always had "oh S&W will make an issue right" to fall back on, now that I don't I think I'm done with anything Lock or newer and will stick to Ruger when I need a slightly more modern revolver.

Also, found one last downside to the Scandium frames. When they're broken, they don't even make that good of a paperweight!

Sorry to hear that they sent it back without a resolution. Maybe you could find a way to have a local S&W retailer call and get a supervisor?

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On the Oak Savannah

Well that sucks! I'll be sure to be careful with my M&P 340. I don't want to have the same thing happen to mine.

So much for “Life Time” warranties.

I’ve had my 340PD for a few years and have put over 100 rounds through it. No problems so far but given this info I don’t plan to shoot it much now. I’ll train w/my Model 60.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I blew up a late model revolver due to my own mistake. Smith offered me a replacement at wholesale cost. Very fair deal IMO. They could have offered me nothing, as workmanship or a defect in materials had nothing to do with making a gun come apart.

Happy for you, this is a known design flaw and couldn't even get a wholesale offer.

Please tell me you didn't pay shipping both ways, or even one way. That would be salt in the wound.

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aka "Mooncat"

Waffles I just took a close look at my 342 in the same area. There is minimal engagement of the cylinder in the open position. With vigorous extraction, no doubt the engagement could be overridden. Apparently leisurely reloads are required.

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Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

Gee whiz, it seems like reports of unresolved issues with Smith & Wesson brand firearms is all I ever see anymore...

I'd like to think that it's due to the pandemic, but I fear that this is just the way that the company is going. I remember when practically every report of folks dealing with Smith & Wesson was overwhelmingly positive.

Gotta be honest, it's making me question whether or not I want to continue buying their firearms, because heaven forbid that I get a lemon or it breaks and I'm left empty-handed because Smith & Wesson's so-called "Lifetime Warranty" doesn't mean anything anymore.
It stinks because I really like Smith & Wesson and largely considered them to be the best American-Made handguns, so it pains me to see them repeatedly treating their customers this way.

Up until recently, I figured that such reports were nonsense, since they often were posted by fly-by-night new users with absolutely no evidence whatsoever to back them up, but now I keep seeing this stuff coming from long-time users, complete with photographic evidence.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

It'll get worse, even with leisurely reloads. I wasn't doing full palm slaps, though that should be fine on any defensive revolver, just pushing the ejector back with what'd consider standard amounts of force. Eventually it'll pop over (mine first happened with some slightly stickier than normal cases), and it'll get more and more common.

I suppose the only lug-safe way would be to fully support the cylinder with one hand while working the ejector rod, which of course is a bit of a pain, especially with extracting fired .357 brass (yes, even if you thoroughly clean the chambers between shooting .38 and .357). The good news is that the revolver will still function in every other way without issue, so I've got a five for sure then run gun. Wish it was a bit heavier so it'd throw better after the 5th.

Here’s the warranty for those who never read it, the vast majority of folks. It is very specific.

Warranty | Smith & Wesson

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Sure you did

Since S&W has written it off, I'd be tempted to obtain a cylinder retaining stud for the older revolvers and find a good gunsmith to retro fit it to your frame.

Maybe there's a possibility that the old integrated frame lug can be machined away, the frame drilled for the old style stud and peened into place.

That is how those lugs are installed on the old style frames.

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Conrad
SWCA #1830 SWHF #222

I would seriously call that number and express your dissatisfaction towards their lack of service without any meaningful conclusion. Tell them that if this is how they honor their Lifetime Warranty, then they might as well do away with it entirely and stop marketing it because it's meaningless at best, and could be considered blatant false advertisement.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

I had given this some thought, I've just not found anyone willing to do the work, and I don't really have access to the tools to do it myself (nor the know-how, but would be kinda fun to learn). I may give that a try if I have a workshop in a few years.

I think I'd run this up the food chain a bit before I wrote off the revolver......Hell, I'D BE SCREAMING until I got some satisfaction. That should be covered under the lifetime service part. Problem is that is is not cost effective to litigate this-discovery would be enlightening

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Forum consigliere

Smith and Wesson make some great guns but unfortunately their customer service sucks. When people post on here that they are having a problem with a gun some people say (don’t worry they’ll make it right) which is easy to say when it’s not your gun. I’m a big Smith and Wesson fan I own several of them. Yes all manufactures of firearms make a bad one and sometimes it slips through it’s how they handle it that counts. I’ve had issues with Ruger‘s revolvers in the past I sent it to them pre-paid two weeks I had it back repaired. Ruger has the best customer service in the industry it’s a well-known fact. One LCR I sent them I could not be repaired they sent me a brand new gun. Sorry to hear about your issue. Sounds to me like they lost a customer. Check out Ruger they make some great revolvers too. I’ve had issues with Smith and Wesson revolver‘s over the years and it was always a struggle trying to get in touch with them and months later I received it back and this was well before the Covid which everybody blames for slowing things down. Good luck.

As posted in the thread, wasn't acting like a gorilla with the cylinder. This happened through normal use and appears to be a known design flaw.

I am willing to bet money I can fix it. PM me a price if you want sell it

Evidently these Airweights with aluminum frames are viewed as "consumable" with a certain life span. (I have a 442, luckily, the lug is fine.)

A few years ago I sent a 696 back to S&W that had a cylinder kissing the forcing cone. While it was there I wanted a Master Action Package done on the gun. After a couple of months, and no word, I started calling them to see how things were going. People I spoke to could tell where the gun was, (in the Performance Center,) and said I should have gotten a letter telling of their progress and pricing. I had to call back a couple of times in the month after that, even. The person I spoke to didn't know why the PC still hadn't gotten back to me.

I finally got a letter, called the lady back and authorized the repair and trigger job. When I got the gun back the trigger work was great, but the cylinder still kissed the forcing cone. It was better, but parts that were meeting still shouldn't have been. Back to S&W a second time. They finally fixed the occasional lack of a gap between the cylinder and forcing cone, but it took quite a bit of time and effort to get it fixed.

This was years before Covid-19, so that excuse won't fly.

Agreed, but this is a scandium frame. From the two aluminum j frames I've worn out (model 38 and a 642) the problem area is the frame where the barrel screws in, usually it cracks and looks like a little scratch at first).

If it is worn from use why would you expect it to be warranted?

Do you think a cylinder retaining lug that cannot take normal use is not a manufacturing/material defect? This is a scandium J frame, not a 100k round competition gun that's shot to death.

Its rather obvious that there is minimal engagement of the cylinder with the cylinder stop because of a poor design. If you notice the cylinder stop tapers toward the bottom, but that is where the cylinder engages the stop... it is attractive, but not overly functional.

With tolerance stacking, it doesn't take much for the cylinder to override the stop, crane to frame, and on down the line. A poor design IMHO, and with very little material to prevent the cylinder from overriding the stop, and when that's gone on the face of the cylinder stop, it makes a nice ramp for the cylinder to ride up on the stop... bad!

So yes, a reasonable customer would expect Smith and Wesson to fulfill their obligation under a "life time warranty"...

and I'm NOT buying a Ruger, I've owned several, and had two good ones, an early 44 Mag Flattop from 1961. I bought a new 5" stainless Super Black Hawk that was a heavy, uncomfortable thing to shoot...

It would not group inside 5"s with any load, I sold it to a friend who was sure he could build a handload it would like, NO LUCK!!

that early Black Hawk was gorgeous , and would group into one hole all day with everything. I traded it for a Colt New Frontier with a 45 Colt and an ACP cylinder... that was a disappointment.

Actually, it's an aluminum alloy frame with scandium in it. A pinch of scandium is added to aluminum so when the frame stretches when fired it will return to it's original machined dimensions longer instead of staying stretched and distorted. Scandium isn't alloyed in the frame to stop abrasion, it's added to keep the original dimensions longer.

Here's a link to the patent held (at one time?) by S&W. US6711819B2 - Scandium containing aluminum alloy firearm
- Google Patents

I just looked at the picture in your original post. The 340 SC has a titanium cylinder. I'd bet the titanium cylinder is harder that that aluminum frame. If one is going to hit/rotate/rub on the other I'd put money on the harder titanium part winning the battle of abrasion over a softer aluminum part.

I also looked at my 442. (steel cylinder/aluminum alloy frame) I can see where the cylinder is taking the black coating off of the cylinder lug on the frame. Once again a harder material is going to win an abrasion war against a softer material.

I am completely sympathetic and it total agreement with you waffles! Sad, but we have seen this day coming for a long time...

Fair enough, though I'd say for the purposes of discussing the revolvers it makes sense to differentiate between the frames sold as aluminum and those sold as scandium.

So about how many rounds of .357 did you shoot with that gun ?

Your 340Sc and my 442 both have aluminum alloy frames. Yours has a bit of scandium in it and mine doesn't. If we both fired the same number and type of loads, mine would probably go out of timing/get sloppy, etc. quicker, whereas yours would stay "tighter" longer.

Smith & Wesson didn't put scandium in the alloy to keep the cylinder from wearing away the aluminum frame.

This whole issue is piss poor by S&W to say the lest. How lame. I would call every day and get to the bottom of it. Go up the ladder of management. You did nothing wrong as the user. The frame should be replaced. Its a $1000 pocket revolver!! I would find out who at S&W signed off on this nonsense and have his or her butt on a platter. Ridiculous.

What is really sad is simply making the lug stick out say .01 it would probably never bee an issue.

My fix would be to machine and install an old style frame lug. I wouldn't even machine away what is the now. Just locate the spot, go in the depth of existing integral lug with an end mill the same OD as steel lug, the go to a bit the size of a lugs pin. then go inside the frame and give the hole a light chamber. Install the lug lug and then swell the pin into the chamber and stake the edge it could never turn. This would give the frame a steel ledge for the cylinder to ride against when open, just like the older steel guns.

WAFFLES.
I did not imply you acted like a gorilla. I said that I learned I shouldn’t gorilla the cylinder.
I would never intentionally insult any gentleman or lady on this forum

Please forgive my ignorance but I’m still uncertain after reading this twice what the issue with the firearm is? Will the cylinder not close? Stay closed? I don’t understand what’s going on with the lug.

Thank you

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Thanks,

Patrick

The issue is that wen you open the cylinder the cylinder can move backwards off the yoke tube. The lug at the rear bottom of the cylinder opening is supposed to prevent this but it is to low.

This is shocking that Smith and Wesson will not do the right thing that’s a high dollar gun regardless of the dollar amount that’s a defect. I remember some years ago I saw a video on a person that had a either 642 or a 637 that that happened with the cylinder past that cylinder stop and they replaced the frame giving them a new gun. I would try and call up Toni Mylie Don’t know if that’s the correct spelling of last name from the performance center he overseas a lot of things and possibly do something for you even if you have to pay a small amount to buy another model from Smith. That gun should be warranted for life it’s not made in earlier years when they stopped or didn’t have that policy. Good luck on this matter not right now it’s a high dollar paperweight not fair at all.

I wouldn't own one of those but, leaving that out, S&W usually will replace a gun at their cost, at the very least. Speak to customer service about that; that used to be the policy.

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Come and take it!!

As steelslaver stated, when you swing out the cylinder & tip the nose of the revolver up, the cylinder will slide off the yoke without something to stop it.

That's what the frame lug does. It stops the cylinder when you tip it up to eject the fired cartridges (down &) out of the cylinder.

With minimal interference between the edge of the cylinder & the frame lug these seem to be susceptible to damage resulting in the cylinder no longer being stopped.

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-arrow points to damaged cylinder stop frame lug -
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Waiting for the break of day

I'm at the age where money doesn't matter too much and I was seriously considering buying an M&P 340 with a scandy frame. So I am very disappointed to read about the trouble the OP had with both his similar revolver and with Smith and Wesson corporate.

I'll probably end up buying a Ruger LCR. I wish Kimber would make a light-weight "K5" revolver because I would buy it in an instant.

If you are ultimately stuck with keeping your defective S&W revolver, is it possible to use a quicksetting steel epoxy like JB Weld, applied in thin layers on the problem area? I think (not sure) that JB Weld now offers a paintable expoxy.

This is the reason some guys remove the cylinder when cleaning air weight guns. Back and forth with the bore brush each time the cylinder hits the stop again and again causing wear. Is stainless guns it not an issue steel against steel not a problem. Smith would have to make new dies with an increase for the cylinder stop guess it’s not worth it to them. If you do a search there are many threads about this. When I clean my 442 I hold down on the cylinder so is doesn’t move.

Probably just change the code in the CNC program so the tip of end mill stays a bit farther out. I don't think the aluminum or scandium frames are forged. Like I said before if the present lugs were just a bit thicker the cylinder would have more engagement when against it, therefore wearing less and the problem would not occur

But, the hammer and trigger studs as well as those for the rebound slide and cylinder stop are steel inserted into the frame. There is absolutely no reason the same method could not be used to install a old style steel frame lug.

Smith die hard fan here. I have had dozens of Smiths over the years, still have some really nice ones that I love to shoot. But, the company of today is very different from that of yesteryear.They have made the deliberate decision to make the lightweight revolvers as cheaply as possible, because they are counting on the premise that the modern consumer may not even shoot it. If they run into the rare situation where a shooter actually buys and breaks one, they can decide at that point whether to do anything.
I shoot my guns, so that formula didn't work for me.
Enter the LCRX. I have the .38 with hammer. Great carry revolver, I shoot the **** out of it, the barrel cannot be misaligned and the trigger, grip, and sights are better than the j frame.
It's 2 oz.heavier than my old 342 Airlite Ti, and weighs about 2 oz. Less than a 442, albeit with a little bigger frame. Great lightweight carry gun. Check one out of you havent.
Btw, I also have a kimber K6s with hammer. Another great revolver but too heavy for the pocket.

So quick update, called smith yesterday morning, was told the woman who handles things like vouchers or replacement guns was away from their desk and that I should provide a number to be called back. Of course I was never called back, so I'll try again Monday and see what I can make happen. Forever fun times.

Update on this! Never got a call back of course, so I them called today. Was told today that it wasn't a defect, that if someone was going to get back to me it would have been recorded somewhere (several people now have said I was marked down for a callback), and that that's all they could say. I've spent a lot on S&Ws over the years, new and used, and this CS is where I back out. I'm sure I'll find a used steel J that gets my attention in the future, and still love the old stuff, but I'm going to consider this incident the end of my ever considering a modern S&W product.

Well I guess its how much energy you want to put into it. I would not take NO for an answer. They WOULD fix it if it was mine. It IS defective. Go right up the chain. Might take a few days or weeks on and off the phone, emails, etc.. If you let it slide then the company just gets crappier and crappier until they our bought out by the Chinese or some such thing.

Perhaps "Steelslayer" would be willing to do it. Just a thought.

I have posted before that this exact thing happened to me. S&W replaced the frame and swapped over all the other parts.

I would not give up so easily if I were you. Maybe it's just not worth your time and energy to fight with them. I had a pretty easy go of it, two phone calls and a label and new gun in the mail a week later.

Perhaps starting the call with - 'I have called numerous times and don't feel like explaining this to 10 more people, let me talk to the repair supervisor (customer service supervisor) and then get the full name, phone extension, email address, and any other relevant info so that you can document who-when-where ect, then tell the story.

Good luck, and I hope that they take care of you in the end.

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On the Oak Savannah

Would a skilled micro tig using welder be able to build and reshape the stop without further damage to the frame?

Two data points on S&W:

I bought new an early production 340PD and probably have close to 3k rounds fired through it, mostly in police qualification shooting and practice. My hand is slowly healing...
Perhaps part of the picture is that although I give the extractor rod a hard smack with my right hand while holding the gun in my left hand, I wrap the left hand tightly around the cylinder for the ejection strike and so there is virtually no push against the cylinder stop on the frame.
Or maybe waffles is just unlucky.

Last Fall I bought a new 19-9 "Classic" that, among other problems, was spitting so badly that even .38 jacketed loads would sting my face.
Flash gap was over .010" and the forcing cone was rough. I sent it back under warranty, took 2 months during Covid but came back perfect. They even emailed me to see if I had been injured by the spitting (yes, it was that bad). Maybe they were worried I'd sue? They set back the barrel so the gap was .070 and smoothed the forcing cone. Overall good service.

I can recall buying several S&W revolvers during 70's and 80's that wouldn't come up properly (timing) right out of the box, so problems are nothing new.

"(Name)

The cylinder stop and frame lug was damaged beyond repair. This was due to improper handling and was not a warranty issue. For these instances we do not provide discounts, vouchers, or replacements. I do apologize for the inconvenience.

If you have any other questions please feel free to contact us

Thank you and Have a Great Day!

Smith&Wesson values its customers and we are happy to have served you today. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require further assistance."

In response to my last email. I followed up asking what the improper handling was, I'll see if I can get a reply.

I wonder what they saw that made them think you abused the gun?

Stay after it.