686 cracked frame

[muddocktor]

Glad to hear you got your repaired 686 back and shot it some. Now enjoy yourself and shoot it a bunch more. I have a good buddy who has a no dash 686 and it's a nice weapon and fun to shoot. But I rather my N frame 27's personally.

 

[rwsmith]

Was this due....

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.


This is A LOT of lead!

Was this due to the firing pin/bushing recall??? Did they stamp an 'm' after the model number?

 

[rwsmith]

I have a 686..

I have a Python...No cracks

I have a 686....No cracks.


I'm sure that there were zero defective Pythons.

 

[bigwheelzip]

....... I still can't help but feel they were more interested in sending out new guns over replacing mine.

Soon the annoyance and aggravation will fade into a distant memory, but the appreciation of that fine firearm will remain.

I'm glad your all settled and enjoying that fine firearm.

 

[jymer]

686-6 Cracked Frame

Hello guys, I just received this 686-6 plus after purchasing used online. The gun arrived today and when I opened the box I found this. Obviously, I contacted the seller with these pics and I'll see how that goes.
My question is... does anyone know if this would be under any warranty? or if not can it be fixed?
Keep in mind I'm in Canada and not sure about my options with this. Have a look at the pics. I appreciate any feedback.

 

[mod29]

Nothing wrong with that gun that I can see.
Don't confuse the sideplate - frame line as a crack, it ain't.

 

[s&wchad]

Hello guys, I just received this 686-6 plus after purchasing used online. The gun arrived today and when I opened the box I found this. Obviously, I contacted the seller with these pics and I'll see how that goes.
My question is... does anyone know if this would be under any warranty? or if not can it be fixed?
Keep in mind I'm in Canada and not sure about my options with this. Have a look at the pics. I appreciate any feedback.

As mod29 said, that's the sideplate seam and NOT a crack.

 

[jymer]

Thank you, guys!! That is a big relief.

It's my first revolver and I thought it was cracked.

This is great to hear.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Thank you, guys!! That is a big relief.



It's my first revolver and I thought it was cracked.



This is great to hear.

Happens all the time. Welcome to the forum.

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[ggibson511960]

I wonder if these cracks are caused by ham handed barrel fitment. N, K and J framed S&W's have been around for many decades with barrels fitted and indexed with a combination of compressed thread fit and pin. Eliminating the pin makes the compression fit critical. An assembler might be tempted to over-torque a barrel to get it clocked in. Repeated disassemblies to fit a barrel without a pin might go wrong. Other than M-19's cracking from magnum loads, has anyone ever heard of a P&R frame cracking?

 

[dogdoc]

I wonder if these cracks are caused by ham handed barrel fitment. N, K and J framed S&W's have been around for many decades with barrels fitted and indexed with a combination of compressed thread fit and pin. Eliminating the pin makes the compression fit critical. An assembler might be tempted to over-torque a barrel to get it clocked in. Repeated disassemblies to fit a barrel without a pin might go wrong. Other than M-19's cracking from magnum loads, has anyone ever heard of a P&R frame cracking?

The pinned barrels are fit exactly like the non pinned barrels. 1/8 turn crush fit or compression as you said. The pin is redundant and always has been . If you have replaced or turned back barrels, you know this. So many do not understand this.I suppose the pin will prevent you from unscrewing the barrel completely off. Reference any gunsmithing book such as kuhnhausen or Sweeneys book for corroboration of my statement.

Dogdoc

 

[H Richard]

I've got a 686 (no dash) I bought in 1984, and it has shot in USPSA competition, IHMSA Silhouette competition, Bowling Pin shoots, A little small game hunting, and no problems. I think you had a uncommon defective frame that cracked after minimal stress of shooting was put on it. In any manufacturing there is an occasional (unicorn) that has internal defect, not visible to inspectors, that gets made up. Rare occurrence, and the company stood behind it.

 

[wood714]

Thank you, guys!! That is a big relief.

It's my first revolver and I thought it was cracked.

This is great to hear.

Few years ago my parents met a guy to pick up a model 10 that I wanted. He lived in their area of Florida, and got it on the way to visit me for the day.

On the way to my place my mom called me in a panic saying the gun had a big crack in it. At first I was like...OH NO!

Then she explained where the crack was. It was the side plate.

 

[TheHobbyist]

H Richard hit the nail on the head.

You have to keep in mind that this is manufacturing, even a negligible defect rate in PPM can and will happen with ALL brands and ALL variants.

A 5-week lead time is actually pretty good in this day and age, as well. It may not seem like it, but there are a lot of moving parts that the customer does not see.

 

[BrovoEchoSierra]

Good to hear that they took care of you, and fixed the gun.
I am sure its a fluke deal. The L Frames are great shooters, and I am sure that you will like it, once you are over the aggravation that it caused you.

 

[S&WIowegan]

Cracks Happen

A local friend had a 617 4" bbl. 22 LR caliber; he shot it a bit, then sold it to a shooting buddy. The new owner found exactly the same crack shown in the original post and gave the gun back to my buddy. He sent it to S&W and they replaced the frame but he had to wait 6 months until they made more stainless K-frames. Apparently the frame cracks happen from over tightening during manufacture. There's a thread on this forum by someone else who had a cracked 617.

Obviously 22 LR ammo doesn't crack frames.

 

[GerSan69]

Other than alloy frames, a cracked steel frame is almost unheard of. Anything's possible, though. Personally, I wouldn't think of it any other way and wouldn't think twice about shooting and carrying it.
Of course, if it's an issue for you, you'd have no problem selling it right here in the forum's For Sale page.

 

[YeshuaIsa53]

On a different and similar note: If a barrel is overturned an 1/8 rotation or more, turning it back doesn't seem like a good idea with repeated magnum loads. Maybe things aren't always as they seem.

 

[sodacan]

"Say no to crack(s)!" LOL.