cracked frame onlight wt.guns

[walter o]

I have heard of some cracks on light wt, guns under the forcing cones . ran into a mod 38 with that problem ,others also.
never heard of it on a m-37.Any one know if they also have the problem ?

 

[Beemer-mark]

Lightweight bullets at magnum loads in L frame was common.

 

[walter o]

That's one i have never heard of ,an l frame cracked I will have to check my 69

 

[DWalt]

The main reason I avoid alloy frame revolvers. Once I nearly bought one but discovered a crack first. I have seen maybe three or four cracked frames over the years, but once was enough to sour me on alloy frames.

 

[weatherby]

I have a pre model 43 with a Crack there.

It still gets shot by me.

 

[Baxter6551]

Sent my early non plus P 642 back to Smith for cracked frame under forcing cone. They paid shipping and replaced it.
See photos. Check carefully. That’s tip of my knife pointing to the crack. Almost looks like a hair

 

[S-W4EVER]

I only have a couple Airweights, they’re carried often but seldom fired.

 

[Rpg]

I’ve never personally seen an example of the infamous crack, and I’ve been shooting M38s since 1980. Nevertheless, they do occur.

If you talk to customer service nicely, they’ll often replace the gun at no cost. Seems that over tightening the barrel on assembly is the culprit.

 

[Baxter6551]

Rpg - see my post 6. My 642 was an early one before they rated them for plus P - the ones with the finish issue they couldn’t match color / shade between barrel / cylinder and the frame. It was my BUG at work. Carried a lot not shot a whole bunch and never with plus P. I read about it on the forum, checked mine and … viola there it was. Called customer service. They sent me a FedEx label. A month later told me they were replacing. I requested a 442 to get the black finish.

 

[S-W4EVER]

It has probably been close to a dozen years since I bought my 442-2, I carry it every day in a leather OWB holster, and it still looks as good as the day I bought it. S&W really got it right.

 

[alwslate]

Some may crack immediately, some may never crack. There has been much discussion about this issue. S&W will help because the cracks may be caused by over tightening of the barrel during manufacturing.

 

[rockquarry]

I've had a Colt Agent and an S&W Model 38 crack in the usual place. If you'll look at how thin the frame material is below the barrel, it's little wonder that the crack occurs. Whether the often-claimed "barrel overtightening" is the cause, I don't know.

 

[waffles]

I've had a mod 38 and 642 crack where the barrel screws into the frame. I've also seen this in person on a mod 37 and a couple or 12s.

Between that and scandium issues I've had SW airweights are generally a no purchase item for me, and absolutely never without being able to see them in person.

 

[DWalt]

The cause of the frame crack is somewhat of a mystery with several possible causes. It could be metallurgy or overpressured ammunition or barrel over-tightening or design. Whatever the cause, there is no way to repair a crack. Whether it is safe to continue firing a revolver having a crack has not been addressed that I know of. At least to me, the cause is irrelevant and the best approach is prevention by avoiding all revolvers having alloy frames, even though the probability of experiencing a frame crack in any given revolver may be minuscule. Why take unnecessary chances by buying any revolver that could instantly become a parts gun at the next shot?

 

[rockquarry]

The cause of the frame crack is somewhat of a mystery with several possible causes. It could be metallurgy or overpressured ammunition or barrel over-tightening or design. Whatever the cause, there is no way to repair a crack. Whether it is safe to continue firing a revolver having a crack has not been addressed that I know of. At least to me, the cause is irrelevant and the best approach is prevention by avoiding all revolvers having alloy frames, even though the probability of experiencing a frame crack in any specific revolver may be minuscule. Why take any chances?

Certainly no one would fire a gun with a cracked frame they knew was cracked? That sounds more like a stunt for the YouTube experts and their disciples.

When my S&W Model 38 cracked, I had been firing at a 25 yard target. The group size enlarged so much immediately that few rounds were even hitting the paper. It was obviously a gun problem. The barrel was still a little too tight to remove by hand, but the crack was apparent.

When the crack developed on my 1960s Colt Agent, the barrel turned 90 degrees in the frame; very loose.

 

[Marshal Tom]

I had a beautiful condition 2" 12-2 that I actually owned twice. I sold it and was talked into buying it back. I never fired it due to the frame cracking situation I had read about here on the forum over the years. Also the anodized frames are prone to wear if carried. This gun was like in new condition. I finally sold it. I also just sold my M&P 340 that I had and carried for many years. I purchased a 649 ND and really like it. It's much more pleasant to shoot than the 340.

 

[Warren Sear]

I have two Model 642-2 revolvers. One has hardly been shot, the other has been shot a lot with +P ammo. No crack on either frame.

 

[shawn mccarver]

I have heard of some cracks on light wt, guns under the forcing cones . ran into a mod 38 with that problem ,others also.
never heard of it on a m-37.Any one know if they also have the problem ?

I do not think the problem of a crack in the frame where the barrel shank is screwed into the frame is predictable among the various J Frame Airweight model numbers. That said, I believe the problem is very rare, and I have never had it happen to me, nor have I seen it in person since I began shooting in the 1960s. First point, the Internet always seems to amplify the frequency with which any particular problem occurs. Second point, my best shooting friend keeps a little notebook with every one of his guns and he shoots four times per week and has been doing so since the 1960s. He has a number of different firearms that he shoots, and the notebook for his model 37 records close to 20,000 rounds since the early 70s. There is absolutely no sign of a crack in the frame. I am not an engineer, nor do I play one on television. That said, I have always read that the problem is not one of round count but of improper assembly, perhaps over-torquing.

 

[mscampbell2734]

Lightweight bullets at magnum loads in L frame was common.

"L" Frame??? Really??? The frame designed specifically to address wear issues when shooting magnum loads in K frame guns???

 

[colt_saa]

I LOVE the alloy framed Smith & Wesson snubbies. Now in my older years I carry a Model 340 as my daily personal protection. I currently own 12 alloy framed Smith & Wesson snubbies. Most of these are Scandium alloy revolvers. Among them is a pair of Scandium alloy framed 2" Model 340s.

A Model 340 or 360 is roughly 10 ounces or 40% lighter than a similarly chambered model 60 or 640

One of my two Model 340s has just about 7,000 full power FACTORY Remington 357 Magnums through it. Neither has ever had any of the 3 shorter and less powerful rounds fired in them and both are still going strong after 20+ years of service

Probably 100 of my associates have used my Model 340 to shoot the off duty qualification course. About 2/3 of them qualified and about 1/2 now own Model 340s as BUGs

That being said, you need to realize that "light weight" has trade off with the Smith & Wesson design.

Since the introduction of alloy framed snubbies about 75 years ago, ALL alloy framed Smith & Wesson revolvers from the J-frame up to the N-frame are much more prone to frame cracks then their carbon steel or stainless steel counterparts.

This frame crack is not a catastrophic failure and in a life threatening situation I would not hesitate to use one for an additional hundred or so rounds. However, I would replace a revolver with the crack as soon as I learned of it.

EVEN if purchasing a NEW alloy framed revolver from the Factory, you must inspect it for the crack BEFORE your fill out your 4473.

I have seen a Model 327 come into the shop with a cracked frame and that revolver only fired the 3 Factory test rounds.

This crack is not an issue that the Factory will repair, but they will replace the firearm or offer a credit toward a different model