686 cracked frame

[Boxer rox]

First off I'm not here to bash these guns. I obviously like them as I bought one.

I bought a brand new 686 with a 6 inch barrel on a Friday. On Saturday I shoot 50 rounds of 38 special and a handful of magnums. The gun shot and functioned well. Once I got home to clean it I noticed a crack right under the barrel.

Monday morning it was on the way to Smith. They were very polite once they realized I wasn't talking about the side cover. The guy said he never heard of a 686 frame breaking. They replaced the frame and will send it to my ffl dealer since it has a new serial number now. Today is a month and they promised it will most likely ship next week. Several reps have said they are very busy.

Was this really a fluke? Does anyone here have a high round count through one of these? I bought this gun to shoot and not be a safe queen. I have honestly been debating on trading it for a GP 100 when it gets back. I just really like the look and feel of the Smith better but don't want to go down this road again.

Should I trade it or give it another chance?

 

[David LaPell]

I have heard of the occasional issue with a Model 19 but I don't ever recall a 686 or 586 cracking that I can recall although I am honestly not a fan of the new guns compared to the older stuff, although the 686 would be hardly considered a classic. I know of a guy who has a 4 inch early 686, can't even guess the round count. I had one once and I shot it a lot and bought it used, never an issue.

 

[BB57]

The L frame was the solution to problems with forcing cone cracks in K frame .357 Magnum revolvers.

The L frame is a little larger to allow the barrel diameter at the threads to be increased to .562", compared to .540" in the K-frame, and the deeper frame eliminates the need for a clearance cut for the crane at the bottom of the barrel, and it was the thin spot in the forcing cone that was the most common location for forcing cone cracks.

That's a long way of saying that cracked forcing cones were a low frequency problem in K frame .357s, but cracked frames weren't ever a problem with the K-frame. The slightly thicker L frame (.838" at the barrel and .658" at the thumb latch, compared to .820 and .656 respectively for the K-frame) is even less likely to have any cracking issues.

You just got a very rare bad one.

 

[Zipdog]

Give it another chance. Pretty hard to warm up to a GP100 once you've had a S&W.

 

[Neumann]

A cracked frame under the barrel may be due to overtightening the barrel in assembly. This has been discussed recently on the Smith-Wesson forum. I'm assuming the OP actually meant the frame [as described] rather than the barrel.

 

[Tom Kent]

FWIW, a 4" 686 was my last revolver that I carried on duty before auto pistols were approved. I still have the 686-1 and it has had a few thousand rounds, mostly .357s go down the tube with absolutely no problem. I still carry it as a bug some times when I hunt or woods walk and it has never been a problem or had any issues. What you describe is the first such issue I have heard of. I suggest you look that new one over when you get it, shoot it and I think all your Ruger thoughts will fade away. Those 586-686s are real good guns.

 

[alwaysoutdoors]

FWIW, a 4" 686 was my last revolver that I carried on duty before auto pistols were approved. I still have the 686-1 and it has had a few thousand rounds, mostly .357s go down the tube with absolutely no problem. I still carry it as a bug some times when I hunt or woods walk and it has never been a problem or had any issues. What you describe is the first such issue I have heard of. I suggest you look that new one over when you get it, shoot it and I think all your Ruger thoughts will fade away. Those 586-686s are real good guns.

Bless you. I wanted a 686 bad and several years ago bought one. It was 4" barrel version. I put it in a holster on my hip and immediately decided I would never carry that bulky and heavy thing. Needless to say, any 686s I use are at the range only and carried in a bag.

To the OP, I would give it another chance.

 

[JohnRippert]

Never even heard of a frame cracking on a 686 before.

 

[Texas Star]

Bless you. I wanted a 686 bad and several years ago bought one. It was 4" barrel version. I put it in a holster on my hip and immediately decided I would never carry that bulky and heavy thing. Needless to say, any 686s I use are at the range only and carried in a bag.

To the OP, I would give it another chance.

I think you're either too weight sensitive or had the wrong gun belt. You need a sturdy belt and holster of the right design to minimize that weight.


I'm baffled by where this frame crack was. Can you post a photo?


BTW, that "side cover" is called the sideplate.

 

[jaymoore]

I've shot several 686s multi-thousands of rounds in competition, both for the "run and gun" sports and for accuracy without drama. One has so many rounds through it that the rifling just forward of the forcing cone is pretty much gone for about 1/4". Still shoots well enough for DA work.

Like the folk above, never considered the 686 anything but heavy duty gear!

 

[AzShooter]

I had to send my 929 in for repair. They needed to replace it instead of being able to fix the problem. After one month I started getting anxious for my gun. I called Customer Service and was told it would be 2 more weeks.

When it didn't show up I sent and E-mail and called again. I thought the service rep was pulling my leg after my third attempt to get my new gun.

All in all, I sent 4 E-mails and 5 more phone calls. I kept asking for the supervisor, then their supervisor all the way up until I got out of the service department and into the corporate office.

Corporate was able to get the gun to me in two days.

You need to talk to the right person. But when I got my new 929 there were absolutely no problems with it.

 

[bigwheelzip]

A cracked frame under the barrel may be due to overtightening the barrel in assembly. This has been discussed recently on the Smith-Wesson forum.

^^^^^ This ^^^^^^

Photo's showing a couple of instances of this occurring have been posted on this forum since I joined.

 

[BB57]

Bless you. I wanted a 686 bad and several years ago bought one. It was 4" barrel version. I put it in a holster on my hip and immediately decided I would never carry that bulky and heavy thing. Needless to say, any 686s I use are at the range only and carried in a bag.

I think you're either too weight sensitive or had the wrong gun belt. You need a sturdy belt and holster of the right design to minimize that weight.

I agree. I can't speak to the 4" version but my 2 1/2" 686+ fully loaded with 7 rounds weighs right at 40 oz.

That 40 oz compares to:

2 3/4" Speed Six, 38 oz;
3" Model 13, 36.7 oz;
2 1/2" Model 66, 36 oz;
3" SP101, 29.6 oz; and
3" Model 60, 26 oz.

With a good double thickness leather gun belt and a good IWB holster I don't notice the extra 10 to 14 oz of the Model 66, Model 13, Speed Six or 686 when carrying them, but I sure notice the lack of that 10-14 oz when shooting a Model 60 with .357 Magnum loads and the 30 oz SP101 isn't much better.

 

[Boxer rox]

Here is a picture of the crack. It was actually in the frame. The overtightning of the barrel does make sense.

 

[Collo Rosso]

I'm guessing the barrel was over torqued. Looking at the line on the barrel where it meets the frame sure doesn't look lined up. Give S&W the chance to make it right. I bought a 2 month old 686 from a guy that was supposed to have a box shot out of it. Ran great till I shot full on magnums and the cylinder would lock up. Probably why I got it so cheap! S&W sent a return tag and about 2 weeks later I got it back. About 2K rounds now, half full magnum and no problems.

One has so many rounds through it that the rifling just forward of the forcing cone is pretty much gone for about 1/4". Still shoots well enough for DA work.

This is A LOT of lead!

 

[Macinaw]

My 617 that I used in Steel Challenge competition for years developed a crack under the barrel. I had a new gun in fifteen days from S&W.

 

[zelda]

I have a Python...No cracks

 

[TAC]

Never even heard of a frame cracking on a 686 before.

As they say, pictures, or it didn't happen.

 

[TAC]

^^^^^ This ^^^^^^

Photo's showing a couple of instances of this occurring have been posted on this forum since I joined.

All the ones I saw were aluminum J-frames, not L-frames.

 

[TAC]

Well I asked for pictures... I'm shocked, I really am. That has to be a rare occurrence.