Hey everyone - I was hoping I could get some input. At the 5:00 position of the forcing cone on a 686 that I just got there is some sort of mark. I think it is just lead build up or a machining mark or burr, but I'm also wondering if it could be a crack.

I wasn't able to remove it with my plastic UCS scraping tool - haven't tried anything else yet as I don't want to make anything worse.

Here is a link to an album I took.

686 forcing cone - Imgur

Thanks for taking a look.

It's a burr. A lot of the forcing cones are a little rough lately. Won't impact performance. Shoot away.

It is an older 686-3.

If a forcing cone cracks, is it always a dramatic event that is very obvious as seen in the pictures of K frame cracks? I know it's almost unheard of for an L frame to crack there.

roar,

I'm almost certain that that is NOT a crack. A crack would be visible on the inner and/or outer surfaces of the cone. All I see is what appears to be a high spot on the face of the cone.

Regards,
Andy

Thanks for the input snowman.

Not a crack, just very rough tool chatter marks.

Thanks for the reply Kurac.

Roar, Keep an eye on it, In your last two pictures you got the lighting just right and it does look like a crack just beginning. It appears to run from the face of the barrel to the beginning of the rifling at the edge of the land. Hope not. Dave

I think it looks like chatter marks; "rough" machining.

Why take a chance? It looks to me like a the beginning of a crack. Great photography by the way. Send it to S&W and have it checked out. They will also check out the timing, which may be a issue. Years ago, I bought a used Model 28-2 for a good price but with some timing issues. I sent it to S&W for a check-up, where they found a cracked forcing cone that was not visible to me (harder to detect on a blue gun). The fixed everything for about $120.00 but it was well worth it, not to mention the peace of mind. The gunsmith at S&W that fixed my gun was Gene Sypek, one of the top master gunsmiths at S&W and a really nice guy over the phone. If you decide to send to S&W, talk to Kate Fredette 1-800-331-0852 in customer service or email her [email protected]. Good luck, S&W has always treated me fair and I have used them many times over the past 25 years.

__________________
Tim

Tsk, tsk...when I was younger, $120 would buy a brand new M-27. How time have changed.

I think your M-28 was the victim of a handloader who overdid things. Glad you were able to get it repaired.

Thats just the way metal "smears" some times when it's cut. It can be caused by many things, dull tool, not enough RPM, feed too fast or a combination of these. What happens is the metal doesn't get cut cleanly and it gets rubbed off.

No worries, it's not a crack. It you wanted, you could take it to a machine shop and have it magnafluxed. But, no need for that, you're good.

ETA
If you look closely, you can see another at about 6:30 and almost 12:00.

Crack? I vote "no." Go shooting.

I see no crack. Shoot it,enjoy it.

FWIW, based on the pics, I don't think it is a crack either.

I would get a lead-away cleaning cloth and clean up the face of the cone as good as possible to further inspect to be safe.
Since the light source is coming from the right in the picture the slight raised up area that you think is possibly a crack is getting a shadow cast along it that is enhancing the edge and making it look dark and like a crack.
It does appear to be simply a lead or build up of deposits and should clean off.
Try taking same picks with light source on opposite side of the gun and see if it shows up the same perhaps.

Karl