Just picked this up yesterday and after a close exam, I see what appears to be a crack in the frame under the entrance to the barrel.... is this a cracked frame and if so, should I offer it back to the seller or will Smith and Wesson take care of me?

Hi:
1. Offer it back to the seller
2. contact S&W

Yes - Cracked

What JimmyJ said

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Sceva
OGCA SWCA NRA

Yep - that's a crack. I'd hope no one would knowingly sell one off in that condition but we have one who posts here occasionally that did just that and got his undies in a twist when some called him on it.

I'd hold the seller's feet to the fire. S&W would be my second option.

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Qui plantavit curabit

Thanks for the confirmation...... I sent the seller an email and asked that he give me a refund......

yes it is a crack!
i almost bought a 637 at a local pawn shop, but discovered the crack after hearing about them on this forum.
the dealer sent it back to s&w and they are sending him a new gun, no charge.

I contacted Smith and Wesson Customer Service at 800-331-0852 and was told that because the revolver was made prior to 1989 they are not obligated to perform any repairs. Had it been made after this date, it would be covered by the S&W Lifetime Warranty.... The technician told me that if I would like to ship it to S&W at my expense, after they had an opportunity to exam it, they might POSSIBLY offer me a discount on a new firearm purchase.... He further stated that it was my fault because the revolver was not made to withstand +P ammo and I must have used this type of ammo resulting in the crack.....

Update.... the Seller offered to refund my money today!

EXCELLENT NEWS - good that you were dealing with a Stand-up and Honest Seller.
I love a Happy ending!

I'm glad the seller did the right thing but I've got mixed feelings on how S&W handled it. Before buying any S&W revolver especially from an online auction I would have a written assurance from the seller that the frame was not cracked in that area. Good clear pictures of that area will be a must for me. I'm glad it worked out for you.
Len

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Endeavor to persevere

That happens to renew my faith in my fellow man. When I first started to read this, my first thought was "not a chance, bud" that fishing weight is yours! Thanks for taking it off my hands.

I don't know what year the gun was produced, other than before 1989 which is apparently when the lifetime warranty policy started, but I have a 1971 model 36 owner's brochure which states that they will "replace or adjust" free of charge for one year from date of registered purchase. It'd be nice if they made this one right for free, but let's be fair to S&W-- with only the original one year warranty in effect, that'd be way above & beyond the call of duty. They may not even have any pre-magnum-sized alloy j frames in stock anymore- I believe they made a run of 37-2's around 2005 or so with this frame & they may have used them all up.
I'm glad the seller is taking it back, but I feel bad for him being stuck with an unsellable gun. Strip it for parts I guess? Does anyone offer suitable repairs for a problem like this, such as heliarc welding the crack?

The parts might go for a good amount. Barrels are always in demand.

As for welding the frame? No way, no how! Even if a skilled welder makes a good weld, the heat affected zone will never be as strong as the original structure. Grain structure will be affected and getting the heat treat right still won't help that condition. It's toast.

Looks like a crack. Get a refund.

By all accounts, the "lifetime warranty" S&W offers is mostly useless because:

1. it's applicable only to the original owner
2. it's only as good as they have parts. Apparently S&W does not have parts for anything made more than 2 weeks ago

If it aint a (plastic) M&P or a recent stainless gun, chances are they wont be able to fix it or wont because you arent the original owner. There are stories here posted all the time about stuff like this. Like S&W replacing a failed cylinder of a blued gun with a stainless piece, them not having pre-MIM triggers, hammers, firing pin bushings, etc

Just ask all the people who bought used 5906's and 6906's recently who tried to get S&W to fix an issue.

But yea, that's a cracked frame.

It's back in the owner's hands now and his issue..... but I learned a valuble lesson......

At a recent SWCA gathering, a model 12 Airweight was shown that had a similar frame crack repaired by a prominent gunsmith and guaranteed not to crack again. Having said that, good for you that the seller agreed to take his model 37 back.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I am happy it has worked out for the best. The 37 is a terrific gun, don't be discouraged away from the model because of this issue.
A couple of further points:
1. I realize there are 2 sides to every story, but I fail to believe that the seller didn't know,
2. I am skeptical that +P ammunition would cause a straight line, linear crack like that, in that location. Unless someone can convince me otherwise, I'd say the frame was weakened when the barrel was installed.

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Geoff. Since 1960.

"He further stated that it was my fault because the revolver was not made to withstand +P ammo and I must have used this type of ammo resulting in the crack....."

The rep was out of line to make assumptions without any first hand knowledge. That's disappointing to read.

To get back to the crack-- What's the concensus? Is the crack caused most often by a great number of rounds in rapid succession, and the resulting different rates of expansion? Or is it a result of internal corrosion/ electrolysis in the aluminium alloy and steel thread?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks in advance to the experienced in this issue.

Most likely caused by over-torquing the barrel when installed.

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Qui plantavit curabit

The crack is flush to the muzzle end of the frame. It does not appear to go through the entire length of the frame toward the cylinder. To me, this would seem to show that the force that created it came from the muzzle end of the revolver, and the only force coming from that end is the barrel being screwed on to the frame.

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Geoff. Since 1960.

The 37 was returned to the seller today and he was a real gentleman... he stated that he had fired the revolver about 20 rounds recently and had no clue that it was cracked... He will not fire it again and attempt to get satisfaction from S&W....

The crack runs from the cone to the end of the frame....

As I recall the lifetime warranty only applies to guns made after Feb 1 1989 ,
That Model 37 kinda looks like an older version .

That makes sense.

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Halfway and one more step

The 1989 info is correct. I bought a Model 042 at a gun show. I firmly believe the seller didn't know it was cracked; he deals and trades a lot. Called S&W, and within two weeks I had a brand new 442 no lock. S&W told me that the gun was made in 1992, and, even though I wasn't the original owner, the lifetime service policy still applied. I personally think their CS is awesome. They've sent screws and numerous small items like that to me before at no charge. That's one reason I'm such an S&W fan.

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MARK

That is simply not true. Myself and many others who were not the original owners have had guns serviced by S&W under their warranty. I have never even been asked if I was the original owner. Your 2nd point is true. If they don't have the parts available anymore (i.e. K-frame barrels for some older guns) they can't repair them.

Read post above: "...even though I wasn't the original owner, the lifetime service policy still applied."

In regards to #1, it must have to do with who you get on the phone, as they will not service my 5906 and I have heard this complaint by several others who have tried to have secondhand guns serviced. Including revolvers, but mostly autos.

Quite possibly, they may have some serial numbers on file if it's been serviced before, and if your name does not match, they wont service it.

If you read their actually policy, it's there in plain english. So if you get work done, great, but dont depend on it.