My S&W 357PD has "The Crack" (Update 5-12-21, post 46)

[scout II]

Well that's a bummer that they couldn't fix it.

I wouldn't hurt to ask them if they could use a new 329PD frame & the rest of your 357PD to do the "repair"?

.

I did ask them that and they finally got back to me and said they cannot interchange parts from different guns for liability reasons.

 

[Cooperd0g]

What about asking them to send back the barrel and cylinder off your old gun along with the new 329PD? Then maybe you could have a local gunsmith do it?

 

[Borderboss]

Steel, always steel.

Ding ding ding, we have the winning answer!!

It's not a question on "if" these lightweight guns will fail. It's only a question of "when".

The answer is to buy a steel version and a proper belt and holster so you can carry the weight.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

It's not a question on "if" these lightweight guns will fail. It's only a question of "when".

That's baloney & you have nothing that substantiates that.

I have (10) S&W scandium/aluminum alloy framed guns & none of them have broken & people who have shot theirs more than mine haven't had problems either.

.

I did ask them that and they finally got back to me and said they cannot interchange parts from different guns for liability reasons.

Too bad. I'm sure they're the same frame, just stamped with a different model number.

.

 

[colt_saa]

Ding ding ding, we have the winning answer!!

It's not a question on "if" these lightweight guns will fail. It's only a question of "when".

The answer is to buy a steel version and a proper belt and holster so you can carry the weight.

That is like turning to someone and saying "You will Die" . . . . Of course they will, sooner or later

EVERY GUN ever made will eventually fail

Steel is not the answer to everything, it probably is not the answer even half the time.

My Aluminium Alloy, Scandium or Total Titanium firearms, have tens of thousands of full power magnum rounds through them by now. And they are not yet broken

If and when they break, I will get them fixed . . . . . just like I do when a steel gun breaks

Since Smith & Wesson has been manufacturing and selling light weight revolvers since the early 1950s, I have to believe there are many, Many times more folks that have had ZERO problems than folks with problems

 

[scout II]

Well my new replacement S&W showed up at my FFL dealer last week while I was on vacation. I picked it up yesterday. They replaced my S&W model 357PD in 41 mag with a 329PD in 44 mag and I am happy that they replaced it free of charge. S&W's warranty department was very helpful and actually easy to deal with. That goes a long way in my book how warranty department folks treat you, and S&W is right on top. It is a beautiful revolver but, I sure wish it was in 41 Mag and not 44 Mag. I like the wood grips on this compared to the wood grips that came with my 357PD, the checkering looks really good I think. I don't plan on trying to stock up on any 44 ammo to keep and shoot this gun so I think I am going to put it up for sale on GB.

 

[Cal44]

Looks very nice. I'd keep if it were mine.

 

[Nick B]

Why don't you sell it on this forum ?

 

[SLT223]

I'm a little surprised to hear you want sell that. I guess you don't reload. A lot of folks who shoot 44 reload. I would have thought even more who shoot 41 reload. At any rate, if you no desire to shoot some form 44, this gun has no use for you.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Bummer. Since they no longer make this one, now would be a good time to peruse the factory's current offerings since they will likely offer a discounted to free replacement.

That's the S&W policy. Get ready with a choice my friend!

 

[Giblett]

Mine was cracked in the same place. I called. S&W today to make sure they had received the gun. Carrying my r8 for the time being. Put some x frame grips on that 329pd and it ain't too bad too shoot. I did ask them if they could put a green fiber optic tube on my front sight if possible.

 

[scout II]

Why don't you sell it on this forum ?

Good idea, I think I will post it up here for sale next week and see if anybody is interested in it on this forum.

I'm a little surprised to hear you want sell that. I guess you don't reload. A lot of folks who shoot 44 reload. I would have thought even more who shoot 41 reload. At any rate, if you no desire to shoot some form 44, this gun has no use for you.

I do reload for the 41 Magnum. I even make 41 specials for my model 57's and 58's, plus a few lever action rifles. I just don't want to buy dies and bullet molds for another caliber let alone use up my precious primers and powder and lead on just one 44 caliber gun.

 

[murphydog]

See post #46 - the OP got a new 329PD.

 

[Alan0354]

I am new on Scandium alloy. I know it's light, is it as strong as the regular alloy frame on those Air Weight ones?


Sounds like people know to be careful on using lower power rounds on the Aluminum Alloy frame Air Weights, BUT people just put high power rounds through the Scandium ones and that's the problem.


Is the strength of Scandium frame in the middle between alloy frame and steel frame?


Last question, Is Scandium alloy BRITTLE like aluminum alloy that you bend it, it crack, unlike steel that you can bend it?

 

[Beju]

The S&W "scandium" frames are 87-90% aluminum, and only 0.05-0.15% scandium.

As such, they are more like the "aluminum alloy" (Airweight) frames than they are the steel frames, but still quite a bit stronger than the cheaper aluminum frame models. The small added amount of scandium makes them as strong as some of the stronger, more exotic aluminum alloys like 7068, but not as brittle.

The "scandium" frames are indeed in-between the "alloy" and the steel frames in strength.

There was a 1911 forum post by a guy who reported that his scandium SW1911 frame cracked, but estimated that he'd put 45,000 rounds through it.

 

[colt_saa]

Scandium alloy revolvers from Smith and Wesson have been around for roughly a quarter of a Century now.

I bought my first model 340 back in 2001. It has never fired anything other than full power 357 Magnum ammunition. A mix of more than 7,000 rounds of 125 grain JHPs and 158 grain JHPs. The ratio is probably 65% to 35%.

I qualified with this revolver in our off duty firearm course several times, additionally I allowed about 100 of my associates to also shoot the revolver through the off duty course over the years. I would say that probably 3/4s of them also qualified

This first Scandium alloy revolver has held up very well over the years

The strength of Smith and Wesson's Scandium alloy is much closer to steel than it is to aluminum alloy.

I currently own about a dozen Smith and Wessons with Scandium alloy frames. These are chambered for the 357 Magnum, 41 Magnum, 10MM Magnum, and 45 Long Colt cartridges.

Will a Scandium alloy frame wear out sooner than a steel frame? My guess is YES. However I have not yet fired enough ammunition to reach a valid conclusion.

Truthfully I cannot recall ever buying a product based on my belief in when it would wear out. Because the lighter weight Scandium alloy frames transfer more recoil energy to the shooter, it is highly doubtful that the majority of American shooters would ever fire enough ammunition to wear one out.

Most of these, at least in the smaller frames, are not fun to shoot. The benefit of a Scandium alloy revolver is that the lightweight makes it much more pleasant to carry, which means that most civilians will carry it more frequently. While it is still strong enough to chamber and fire powerful ammunition.

Scandium frame revolvers chambered in Magnum cartridges are not going to be for everybody. And there's nothing wrong with that. This is why both Ford and Chevy make pickup trucks.

If these lightweight powerhouses are something that you can use there's no reason to be afraid that they're not going to be strong enoug

We do not carry hoping to shoot, we carry so that when we turn down the wrong corner and step into something unexpected we have a tool to help us get out of the situation.

 

[Alan0354]

Scandium alloy revolvers from Smith and Wesson have been around for roughly a quarter of a Century now.

I bought my first model 340 back in 2001. It has never fired anything other than full power 357 Magnum ammunition. A mix of more than 7,000 rounds of 125 grain JHPs and 158 grain JHPs. The ratio is probably 65% to 35%.

I qualified with this revolver in our off duty firearm course several times, additionally I allowed about 100 of my associates to also shoot the revolver through the off duty course over the years. I would say that probably 3/4s of them also qualified

This first Scandium alloy revolver has held up very well over the years

The strength of Smith and Wesson's Scandium alloy is much closer to steel than it is to aluminum alloy.

I currently own about a dozen Smith and Wessons with Scandium alloy frames. These are chambered for the 357 Magnum, 41 Magnum, 10MM Magnum, and 45 Long Colt cartridges.

Will a Scandium alloy frame wear out sooner than a steel frame? My guess is YES. However I have not yet fired enough ammunition to reach a valid conclusion.

Truthfully I cannot recall ever buying a product based on my belief in when it would wear out. Because the lighter weight Scandium alloy frames transfer more recoil energy to the shooter, it is highly doubtful that the majority of American shooters would ever fire enough ammunition to wear one out.

Most of these, at least in the smaller frames, are not fun to shoot. The benefit of a Scandium alloy revolver is that the lightweight makes it much more pleasant to carry, which means that most civilians will carry it more frequently. While it is still strong enough to chamber and fire powerful ammunition.

Scandium frame revolvers chambered in Magnum cartridges are not going to be for everybody. And there's nothing wrong with that. This is why both Ford and Chevy make pickup trucks.

If these lightweight powerhouses are something that you can use there's no reason to be afraid that they're not going to be strong enoug

We do not carry hoping to shoot, we carry so that when we turn down the wrong corner and step into something unexpected we have a tool to help us get out of the situation.

Thanks


I am just doing research. Still debate between M&P 340 vs 340PD or 360PD. I will never fire 357 mag in it. Most likely using a +P with the lowest power JHP. Any suggestion on a weak +P JHP? I am sure it's going to be more powerful than a regular 38 Special.


Or even suggestion on a strong 38 Special that is not +P yet.


Thanks

 

[colt_saa]

Thanks


I am just doing research. Still debate between M&P 340 vs 340PD or 360PD. I will never fire 357 mag in it. Most likely using a +P with the lowest power JHP. Any suggestion on a weak +P JHP? I am sure it's going to be more powerful than a regular 38 Special.


Or even suggestion on a strong 38 Special that is not +P yet.


Thanks

Speer offers what they call Short Barrel ammunition

​

While this ammunition is loaded into 357 Magnum cases it is nowhere near 357 Magnum performance. However it is loaded beyond 38 Special +P standards. This is great ammunition for folks who are looking for lower recoil than the 357 Magnum offers but still superior performance for personal protections

Unfortunately due to its good qualities and the current state of sphere having been sold to an owner recently the ammunition has always been hard to find. It sells out almost immediately upon arriving in the distributors warehouses so you need to set up some notify alerts on your favorite websites if this is something that you are interested in

 

[Alan0354]

Thanks


I have both the all steel and Air Weight J frame revolvers, They kicked really hard on just regular 38 Special. Even the lightest 357 is way too hot for me. I am really looking for a weak +P or a strong regular 38 JHP. That's good enough. For the weight, I am sure the 360PD is still better than a .22 or even .32 or even the 380ACP.


Thanks

 

[Alan0354]

Back to the crack frame in the original post. I bet the barrel was over tightened in order to match the barrel to the gun. I always feel that is so stupid of the design, one has to really carefully file down the frame or barrel so when the barrel is tightened, it is just right, OR ELSE, the barrel will be either over turn or under turn and won't look right.


I bet in the older days, assembler were more skilled, took their time to fit it perfect. Now, people are sloppy, if it's not quite there when torqued to the correct torque, they just crank it a little more to get the position right. At the process, over tightening crack the frame.


That's part of the reason before I buy the scandium gun, I want to confirm the new design is using an extra inner tube to screw the barrel on. This would be a much much better design as they can put the barrel in perfect position, then just tighten the inner tube without worrying about the position of the barrel like before.


I wonder who came up with the original stupid design that caused so much more work to fit the barrel. I notice a lot of other brands copy that stupid design also. Didn't they ever think of using an inner tube>