I had a reloaded case rupture while firing. Thank God I am fine, but my new shield is not. The frame is a total loss. (I had to use a dremel tool to extract the slide & barrel.)
After that, the slide seems totally fine, but the barrel is cracked.
(The extra force came out the back of the case downward thru the frame and blew out the magazine and shells. The extra pressure on the feed ramp is what cracked the barrel)
I called S&W after the LGS armorer didn't want to touch this. The man on the phone basically suggested that they would tell me that the gun is a total loss and to buy another pistol. And that it would take them 3 or 4 months if I chose to send it in.
I don't have a problem purchasing another shield. This wasn't S&Ws fault. It is mine, if you make a mistake reloading or don't spot a bad case, you can't blame the gun.
So...
scenario #1 - I buy a 40 cal barrel and a new 9mm shield
- will this give me a 2 caliber shield ?
scenario #2 - I buy another 40 shield and boy where those 2 extra magazines expensive.
S&W not very helpful on the phone this morning once I said this was my fault. So, I am wondering if they will refuse to sell me the 40 cal barrel.
Any advice? thanks in advance.