M&P 2.0 Cracked Frame

[TRICH009]

I purchased a M&P 2.0 less than a year ago. I probably have less than 100 rounds through the gun. Just recently, my wife and I was at the range and the gun choked, as in, the round cycled did not fire. Also, the round would not easily eject. The range guide came over and by pulling repeatedly managed to get the round out. However, after inspecting the gun, he mentioned that the case of the gun was cracked.

I have since sent the gun back to S&W and they claimed the cracking problem was caused by the ammo and would not honor the warranty. That seems odd, since I was shooting CCI Blazzer 115 gr, 9mm ammo and my wife's Glock 43 shot the same ammo and did not have a problem. I looked online and the M&P is known for cracking.

I explained to the customer rep. that I shot the same ammo as my wife's gun and it cycled just fine.

A little background, I just recently retired after serving 31 years in both the army (first) and then the Navy. I have my share of wars and experience with side arms. Now, I'm retired and on a fixed income. The M&P was purchased at the beginning of the COVID epidemic, because at the time, we had no firearms in the house. Both guns were purchased at the same time from the exchange (receipt sent to S&W). S&W is adamant that this problem of the cracked frame was not due to a known cracking problem but due to ammo. So, which ammo are you suppose to use in your firearms? Because, the CCI Blazzer was purchased at my local range.

Since S&W offered to me, to purchase yet another gun for what they claim is a discount $499.00. Why would I purchase another gun from S&W when they refuse to honor the warranty on the first, and if the second gun fails from the same problem, they will not honor that warranty either. Lastly, at that expense, which I cannot afford at this time, I could have purchased a steel frame gun, without a know cracking problem.

Ultimately, I only want my gun that I purchased to have been fixed or replaced, which, seems is the right thing.

 

[Rastoff]

Welcome to the forum.

Let me correct one thing right off, the M&P line is not "known" for cracking. If you found that info on line somewhere, please post a link to it.

I'll leave the rest alone for now except to say that a pic of the issue would be helpful.

 

[Saudade]

You should contact the ammo manufacturer and explain to them.

 

[jjmIII_Ruger]

Or call S&W back and try again. From what you're saying, they should want to see that gun.

 

[lhump1961]

Sorry to hear of your problem. I have sent a few things in over the years with no problems and no questions so odd to hear your story. I recently bought a 5" with poor milling in the slide. When I called they simply sent the return label and warned of extended turn around times. No hassle return that I'm confident will be corrected by around April...not happy about that part! Being curious I called Ruger to inquire about their turn around times and was told that it had gotten down to about 3-4 weeks lately but was also out at 8-10 weeks at times.

Call again and see if you can get some resolution. Seems like you shouldn't have to go through hoops but I wouldn't give up on it. Unfortunately sometimes it depends on who you talk to. Being nice to the CS rep is always a good idea.

I know it is very frustrating but patience is your only option. Also I don't believe cracked frames are an issue with the M&P line.

 

[LVSteve]

Where is the frame cracked? If you didn't feel a round with an extra dose of recoil (overcharge) then I don't see how it could be ammo. Some pictures would be great.

When you say you bought it "at the exchange" do you mean brand new at a BX? Depending on the damage, i wonder if it got dropped before you bought it.

 

[kbm6893]

Why bother to have a lifetime warranty if they're not going to honor it? They didn't even look at the gun and the blamed the ammo. I'd keep at it.

My friend's dad died like 10 years ago and my friend inherited his Ruger Security Six. 35 year old gun with tens of thousands of full power .357. That was the first .357 I ever shot when I was about 16. Gun was a bit loose so my buddy called Ruger. They said send it in and even paid shipping. Completely restored the gun to new and even re-blued it after asking my buddy. Sent it back. Total cost was zero. And this was a gun they didn't even make anymore.

8 month old brand new gun should be covered. No questions asked.

 

[murphydog]

Sorry for your troubles.

If you have any leftover rounds in the box of the ammunition you used, I would keep it. I would also call factory customer service again and escalate your request to a manager/supervisor until you get (at least) a prepaid shipping label for the gun to be returned. Offer to have the ammo sent for inspection as well.

Mentioning your long military career probably wouldn't hurt either. Good luck and let us know what happens should you decide to pursue this.

 

[SchemaEnigma]

A number of you have mentioned things like S&W should see the gun and variations on this.

From the OP:

...I have since sent the gun back to S&W and they claimed the cracking problem was caused by the ammo and would not honor the warranty. ...

So, they have apparently examined the gun and declared it was caused by the ammo.

 

[OttoLoader]

Key facts. Repeated to show my understanding of the situation.

You purchased a M&P 2.0 less than a year ago.

Have less than 100 rounds through the gun.

Round cycled but did not fire.

Round would not easily eject.

The range guide managed to get the round out.

However, after inspecting the gun, the case of the gun was cracked. (Describe location).

Sent the gun back to S&W.

S&W claimed the cracking problem was caused by the ammo and would not honor the warranty.

Seems odd, since you were shooting CCI Blazzer 115 gr, 9mm ammo.
No reloads or hot loads.

Facts from previous post. Did I mis-understand anything?

Call CS again

Speak with different CS representative. Do not rely upon email for this case.

Be polite , patient and firm. Describe the frame damage for this new CS rep.

Ask to talk with the CS manager too.

Have the receipt handy.

My question:
Did you register warranty info on line?


My understanding
I see that S&W inspected the gun but judged the cause to be ammo.

Point out to the CS rep that you used CCI blazer 115 gr factory ammo. Same box was good in your wife's gun same session.
Find out why tgey deyerminedvammo as tge cause.

Prior to the call.
Contact CCI too.

Do you still have the ammo box ( for the lot number.)?

Possibly CCI may want the ammo to inspect the ammo and know lot number if known.



If really an ammo problem possibly CCI would help out.

S&W CS

If not an ammo problem then escalate to the manager. By phone not email.

I would contact S&W again. The first CS warranty response may be wrong.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes.

 

[SchemaEnigma]

... I looked online and the M&P is known for cracking. ... S&W is adamant that this problem of the cracked frame was not due to a known cracking problem ...

...and if the second gun fails from the same problem... I could have purchased a steel frame gun, without a know cracking problem.

Ultimately, I only want my gun that I purchased to have been fixed or replaced, which, seems is the right thing.

Since your post, I have done a fairly extensive (but, I suppose, not exhaustive) search of the internet for any mention of this "known problem."

Do you have any evidence of this? I can't find it. Please provide links (there must be more than one for it to be a "known problem"). Otherwise, I am extremely skeptical of your claim.

 

[kbm6893]

A number of you have mentioned things like S&W should see the gun and variations on this.

From the OP:


So, they have apparently examined the gun and declared it was caused by the ammo.

You're right. Missed that he sent it back. I'm still calling BS. What evidence would be left behind that would determine it was ammo related? I always wonder that. They say they won't honor warranty if reloads were used. They weren't in this case, but how would they even know? Do they take some sort of chemical analysis of the frame to determine the powder that was used? I highly doubt it. It seems to be an easy excuse to avoid making good.

Bottom line, it's a 10 month old gun with 100 rounds through it. The OP says it was factory ammo. Unless they can determine it wasn't or they can determine some over charge of the ammo, honor the warranty and move on. They're not even gonna notice the minuscule loss of profit if they replace the gun.

 

[SchemaEnigma]

S&W has a good reputation for standing behind their products.

There must be more to this story.

 

[StephenWhoDat]

Since your post, I have done a fairly extensive (but, I suppose, not exhaustive) search of the internet for any mention of this "known problem."

Do you have any evidence of this? I can't find it. Please provide links (there must be more than one for it to be a "known problem"). Otherwise, I am extremely skeptical of your claim.

I've owned and shot dozens and dozens of M&Ps, and know hundreds of people who have done the same. I've never once heard any stories of cracked frames. The OP must be thinking of those ugly Austrian brick looking guns. I won't mention any names, but they start with a G. And end in lock...

 

[WR Moore]

While not every customer service rep or transaction is a model of customer care, this seems a bit..........unusual.

I think I'll leave the comments at that.

 

[Echo40]

Assuming that this is legit and not just a drive-by, I would like to see some pics of this crack. Sorry, but you'd be surprised at how often you see posts just like this one, except the topic creator never comes back, never responds to any of the posts, and just wastes everyone's time with a questionable story with no resolution. On the occasion that they do respond, they never stick around afterwards and never follow through with the alleged report to the point of its resolution.

Again, sorry to question the legitimacy of this report into question, but it strikes me as odd how this sort of thing only ever seems to happen to newcomers, never to regular users nor diehard fans who own multiple M&Ps who you'd think would have much higher odds of getting a lemon since they own so many examples and always get the latest models at launch.

If this is real, then you'll want to contact Smith & Wesson again about this and ask to speak with a supervisor or even a manager because this goes completely against their policy and frankly I've yet to hear a single substantiated report of this actually happening.

 

[BSA1]

S&W has after examining the gun says it was not a result of a manufacturing defect and was caused by the ammunition used so that door is closed.

IF the O.P. still has the box that the ammunition was in the next step will be to contact the ammunition manufacturer about your gun. The box the ammunition was in will have the production number and date of manufacturing. The manufacturer will want this information to investigate your claim.

As the O.P. is quick to blame S&W ammunition companies on rare occasions have a cartridge(s) that slip through their safety and inspection steps.A friend had a chamber on a new Ruger Vaquero 45 Colt bulge when he shot a box of Remington factory ammunition through it. He sent the gun to Remington along with the box the ammunition was in. He said he got a phone from a Remington rep. and the only thing they seemed concerned about was if he was injured (which he was not). There was no way for him to know what caused the problem but he received a new Vaquero with neither company explaining what happen and no admission of guilt.

As a new shooter to handguns the O.P. may not recognized a over pressure round being fired.

TRICH000 thank you for your service to your country but it has nothing to with getting resolution to your unfortunate problem.

 

[Tiribulus]

... the gun choked, as in, the round cycled did not fire. Also, the round would not easily eject. The range guide came over and by pulling repeatedly managed to get the round out. However, after inspecting the gun, he mentioned that the case of the gun was cracked.

I am no expert here, but I'm not understanding this.

It didn't fire so it's not a case of an overpowered round or anything like that.

Pulling repeatedly on what exactly? Does this mean the breech/chamber was stuck closed and the extractor was attached to the casing still and the range officer was pulling on the slide? Or the slide could be stopped back, but the round was jammed in the chamber somehow? Or what?

If the round didn't fire then how would it crack the frame? I'm not sure if the force of the recoil spring is sufficient by itself to crack the polymer frame if it wasn't already compromised somehow.

Not making any pronouncements or calling anybody out. Just thinking out loud. I don't get it.

 

[southchatham]

I am no expert here, but I'm not understanding this.

It didn't fire so it's not a case of an overpowered round or anything like that.

Pulling repeatedly on what exactly? Does this mean the breech/chamber was stuck closed and the extractor was attached to the casing still and the range officer was pulling on the slide? Or the slide could be stopped back, but the round was jammed in the chamber somehow? Or what?

If the round didn't fire then how would it crack the frame? I'm not sure if the force of the recoil spring is sufficient by itself to crack the polymer frame if it wasn't already compromised somehow.

Not making any pronouncements or calling anybody out. Just thinking out loud. I don't get it.

Tell this to S&W. Have they stated in writing their opinion? If not get it in writing. It is odd because S&W usually just fixes or replaces guns without question.

 

[Fulton722]

With TRICH009 being noticeably absent from this forum since his FIRST & ONLY post ever, and considering that his complaint with S&W seems very unusual and contrary to S&W's business practices, I think we need to take a deep breath and consider that this entire complaint may be a complete fabrication ! ! !