My M-642 was 20 years old and had more than 5,000 rounds through it when it cracked. Even if S&W had not replaced it with another one, I would have considered that I had gotten my money's worth from it.
"My gun broke" gives one reason to post because it is an anomaly. "My gun didn't break" is the average experience and thus is less likely to prompt one to write about it.
The transmission in my 20+ year old pickup truck has failed. That truck cost me a whole lot more than any gun I have ever bought. The truck has given me a lot of good service. Ford isn't buying me a new truck because the old tranny failed. I'll get the transmission fixed and go on with life.
People shoot more than they used to, partly because of high capacity reloading machines and partly because the internet has given us a nation-wide marketplace for ammo and component shopping. The increased concealed carry market has put an awful lot more lightweight guns out into the world. It has also made it easier for us to find out about other people's problems with their hardware.
S&W, like other large businesses, researches their failures to improve their products. Warranty claims reduce their profits. I am sure that what they learn about yesterday's and today's broken guns gives us better guns tomorrow.
Yes, I had one failure. I have a number of other aluminum frame S&W's that haven't cracked. I have another 642 that hasn't cracked. I don't call what I am reading about an epidemic by any means.
