New to the board.

I recently aquired a M37 in a trade last Friday. SN puts it at 1974 vintage. While trying to learn more about the gun (Very little revolver knowledge) I came across info that some of these j-frames were suceptable to cracks.

I went and grabbed mine and opened up the cylinder and underneath the barrel where it screws into the frame are what appears to be two small cracks running parallel with the barrel on the underside of the frame. I immediately felt sick to my stomach.

With this gun being 39 years old I'm sure it falls outside of the warranty. I read where S&W might offer me a replacement gun at a reduced price but I cannot afford that, things are very tight in my house financially...hence the reason I traded for this gun to begin with.

So I am seeking advice from you S&W gurus. I'm not going to try to talk to the guy that I got it from. CAVEAT EMPTOR! I should have known what to look for prior to getting it.

Can the cracks be welded by a gunsmith? Can I shoot it sparingly? Is it going to blow up in my hand the first time I fire it lol? It is desperately needed as a carry/home defense gun.

Thanks for your imput.

I just got a 1975-76 mod 38 myself and i had reseached the gun before buying and knew to look for it, i'm thinking all these cracks are from some+P 38sp myself as yours should be a pinned barrel gun and rules out the overtighting i would think.

Just give them a call and see what they say. After that you will know what needs to be done. To my knowledge there is nothing that can be done as the frame is just too thin there.

A few custom gunsmiths will weld up the cracks, but other than this I would guess your only option is to find an uncracked frame and install all of the other parts on it, or find another gun.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Forget welding frame cracks. The integrity of the frame is compromised, end of story. Contact S&W and see what can be done. You never know, a no-cost replacement could be offered.

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I'm with the banned ...

What he said, you're best bet is to check with S&W.

The obvious first thing to do is contact the person you traded with and explain all this. If they have integrity then the trade should be nixed, each of you take back what you traded. I don't get the "I'm not going to contact the person I traded with" thing.

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Geoff. Since 1960.

A third vote for contacting S&W. If you have a competent revolver gunsmith in your area it might be worth having him look at it as well.

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Even older, even crankier....

Pinned barrel does NOT eliminate the possibility of overtightening. The cracking problem existed long before the pin was eliminated. The consensus seems to be that a cracked frame under the barrel has nothing to do with +P, everything to do with initial manufacture, and S&W seems to be pretty liberal about taking care of those occasional errors. I'd try the seller first, but there is certainly a chance that S&W might take care of it, even for him.

can you post a good pic of it?

I have an Iphone but I'm not the most tech savy guy. How would I post a pic from the phone?

If the seller guaranteed a perfect gun, you'd have a case. But most guns, just like cars or anything else, are sold "as is where is" and most if not all sales are final. If the seller was trying to pull a fast one, that's one thing, but chances are the seller was just as unaware of the cracked frame as the buyer. Doesn't hurt to talk to him, I guess, but don't get your hopes up and don't get pissed if it gets you nowhere. IMHO ditto for S&W-- after all, that gun left the factory 39 years ago..