A 4006 recently sold on GB. Seller listed it as "XLNT" and "97-98%". (I don't know seller or buyer.)
Looked like a bead-blast job but that was not what concerned me.
It certainly seemed to have a narrow hood barrel in a wide hood slide!
So I ask the experts and armorers: Is this safe?
In any re-cert classes did S&W ever suggest this was OK?
Seems like a lot of .40s&w case head left unsupported.

What say the forum?

John

Not an expert or an armorer, hopefully FastBolt will see your post, but I would not consider that arrangement safe to fire. Especially with the high pressure .40 round.

It seems to me that there are enough case head blowouts in supposedly supported .40 chambered handguns that Id not tempt fate with a mismatched .40 slide and barrel. My 0.02 Regards 18DAI

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7 +1 Rounds of hope & change

Found the thread listed below with some comments and information about the narrow vs wide barrel hoods.


3rd Gen Barrel Hoods: Wide vs. Narrow

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Since the only part of the case which extends under the "hood" is the extractor groove and rim there is absolutely no issue of being "un-supported". There is no safety issue whatsoever. There is an accuracy issue though, as the hood fitting properly in its' recess in the slide contributes considerably to correct alignment of the barrel with the slide/sights. You will likely see groups with greater lateral dispersion as a result.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

Thanks, Armorer!
That was my thread.
Unfortunately, it only addressed why S&W made the change, not the advisability of substitution.

John

Yes, 18. That is my concern, also.

John

I am not inclined to disagree with your opinion, Alk.
No doubt the base is the thickest and strongest part of the case and there is no question that any barrel's accuracy is limited by how reliably it realigns with the sights following each cycle.
My question remains, however, has anyone seen or heard any official pronouncements proclaiming this practice advisable?

John

The case is no less supported with either barrel hood.

They were used in both guns produced, they did not blow up then.

That's the way I see it.

You do know that the breech face machining changed when the barrel hood width changed, don't you?
S&W did not change the barrel hood width arbitrarily.

John

The machining to put the curve in the breech face was eliminated.

the 90 degree cut needed the larger hood tab to align properly for accuracy.

The barrel ramp did not change. No difference in the unsupported area.

Here's a video it's a 1911. But you'll see a loose barrel hood on a production gun. No big deal.

And here is a precision job.

Thanks for the videos, Bruce.
I watched them but they did not answer my question: i.e. Is the narrow hood barrel safe in a wide hood slide?
If it is your contention that the barrel hood is simply an alignment device and has nothing to do with surrounding or supporting the cartridge case head then two questions come to my mind, if I may?

1) Why did S&W thicken the barrel hood in the area of the loaded chamber indicator on TSW models?

2) Why did Remington make such a big deal out of the "Three Rings of Steel" surrounding the cartridge case head when they debuted the model 700? (Granted, rifle cartridges sometime operate in the 70,000psi range, but the 40,000psi range that the 40s&w lives in is nothing to sneeze at).

John