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

scout II

scout II

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I bought this model 357PD almost three years ago about the same time I bought a 357 Night Guard. I did shoot the Night Guard and it was a brute, so I never did fire the 357PD. So I decided to sell it because I never fired it, although it has been fired from the previous owner. Well I was going to the range one day and decided to bring it along before I sell just to say I have fired it. I put exactly 6 factory rounds of ammo through it, and it is a brute also. When I got it home to clean it, I found "The Crack". I am very saddened and disappointed to say the least. I called S&W customer service and described the crack and the very nice lady sent me a shipping label right then while I was still talking to her on the phone. I dropped it off Tuesday at FedEx. The S&W lady said 3 to 5 weeks before I hear back from them. So now I am wondering what they will do. I read the thread from mdme3006 about his broken gun and hoping they will offer me something to replace it with. Here are a few pictures.

vriejS8l.jpg

mszib2Ul.jpg

vVmg441l.jpg

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The theory behind the frame crack with a new gun is an overtorqued barrel at assembly putting extra strain on the thinnest part of the frame, although this has also happened with using the gun as well. So the type of ammo used may or may not make a difference.
 
I had my 340PD crack in the same place. Just like you, S & W had me send it to them. They then provided me with a new 340PD a few weeks later.

JPJ
 
Very unfortunate and hope it works out for you...

I bought both the 357 PD and NG as soon as they came out...hated both of them from the very first shot even after putting the Hogue 500 Magnum grips on the PD...both went down the road...

People look down their noses at Taurus revolvers but I have a 4" Titanium Tracker that shoots rings around the 357PD...I still have it and is my favorite woods walking gun...28 oz. loaded. Makes the perfect .41 Special...

I no longer will buy S&W alloy frame guns of any kind. Of the four Airweight snubbies I have had two cracked...no thanks...no more.

Don't know if it is true or not but read that when S&W came out with the Airweights back in the 1950s the expected service life was 300 rounds...

Bob
 
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Seen way too many of these and other durability issues on the S&W scandium and aluminum revolvers, both to my own revolvers and and to those of others. I've got a scandium j frame back with the mothership now, and I think if they replace it it's getting sold and replaced with a steel smith, or more likely a ruger.
 
You just have the start of a crack. These usually go all the way through

All Smith & Wesson alloy framed revolvers have been cracking at this same location for 6 or 7 or more decades now. . . . This is nothing new

I have had two cracked frames during the last 40+ years of shooting. The Factory took care of it

What has changed is the use of alloy frames for firearms that use Magnum ammunition

The rifling twist of the barrel tightens itself every shot from the torque of the bullet that is fired.

In the olden days, when these were just 22s, 32, 38s, etc, If the frame did not crack at the Factory, these cartridges did not generate enough torque for it to happen very often

Now that we are shooting Magnums there is MUCH More torque each time the gun is fired. Use a Titanium cylinder to lower the mass of the gun and torque increases more.

This is why it is nice to be the original owner of the firearm, you have the Lifetime Warranty. While the Lifetime Warranty does not pass on to the subsequent owners, Smith & Wesson usually overlooks that fact and fixes it anyway.

We all know alloy guns will not last as long as steel. This is the tradeoff for the light weight

The Scandium N-frame revolvers are still being produced as 327s and 329s. The factory will take your parts and put them on a new frame. You might have to wat for the next batch of Scandium frames to be produced so that it can be correctly marked as a Model 357 or you might get lucky and they will have an unmarked frame on hand for replacement purposes
 
I was looking to purchase a 325 thunder ranch.
As 45acp is lower pressure and slower moving than magnum rounda, Does this have the same chance of cracking?
Anyone have/ had a low pressure round that cracked the frame?
 
What wold actually happen if the OP just continued to fire the gun with this hairline crack?
Just wondering....

Randy
 
I've experienced cracked frames twice; once with a Model 49 and another time with a Colt Agent. I was using factory equivalent handloads with 160 grain cast SWCs on both occasions.

I doubt any of these guns were intended to be fired very much, and for years, that's what happened. Chambering in .357 Magnum and actually using magnum ammo along with the the fact that some people shoot these revolvers more nowadays has considerably aggravated the situation.

Whether there is anything to the over-torqueing or not remains as nothing more than speculation and no one knows how many rounds of ammo these guns can endure before failure. If your going to shoot much get an all steel gun. The few ounces saved by getting a lightweight is hardly worth dealing with a prematurely ruined gun.

I still have an old Colt Cobra and an S&W 638 that have held up well to shooting, but I probably won't buy another alloy-framed revolver.
 
growr said:
What wold actually happen if the OP just continued to fire the gun with this hairline crack?
Just wondering....

Randy
Click to expand...

Eventually there will be problems but not immediate ones. I had a Model 38 with the crack, didn't notice it for who knows how many rounds. Eventually decided to see what happened after firing it via string for a couple boxes, the barrel rotated in the frame noticeably but it still fired. Not sure how long that would be the case for and I'd sure be concerned about trying it.
 
Not to hijack but like lotsa others, I like big-bore snubbies.
The 625-10/-11's are among the snubbiest but since they're alloy frame, I just created my own from a 1917 and 625-10 barrel.
Groups very well at SD distance (10 yds). Here it is after being RBed to K size. Pic is a repost and sorry for any thread drift but having an alloy frame crack before, just another thing not to be as concerned about.
Hopefully factory can resolve even if using 329 frame. Keep us posted.

cb365d8dcfd2a6ce4a202cbd4cb16e16.jpg
 
3rdgeargrndrr said:
I was looking to purchase a 325 thunder ranch.
As 45acp is lower pressure and slower moving than magnum rounda, Does this have the same chance of cracking?
Anyone have/ had a low pressure round that cracked the frame?
Click to expand...
Since these have cracked with 32s and 38s, a 45 will not be exempt

What you have to realize is that for every cracked one that makes itself known on the Internet, there are many tens of thousands of happy customers that have no crack

The odds of any single frame cracking is very low

I would never let this issue stop me from buying an alloy gun.

We currently own and my family shoots 4 Aluminium alloy Smith & Wesson revolvers and 8 Scandium framed Smith & Wesson revolvers

We will deal with any of them ever developing a crack if and when that happens
 
I have 2 325s and no problems, guys have fired thousands of 44 mag rounds from 329s and they kept on working with no problems. Ya, steel is better. it is also heavier. If I fire 24 rounds a month from my carry 325, that is 288 rounds a year and in 20 years when I am 90 a total of 2,880. I have steel guns for firing a bunch of rounds at the range.
 
I try to keep everything real by having it steel. I think they thin the alloy way too much in certain areas around the barrel. There's a lot of force around the forcing cone area the crack location proves that. Being a retired lead eng tech the s&w engineers in there r&d lab should be all over this problem. An engineering change is in order. Even a recall. I worry about it failing when its most needed.

Has anyone checked this model revolver with a range rod to check the cylinder vs barrel alignment? If both mating parts are at the high end of the tolerances that could be a problem.
 
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I am always going through the S&W revolvers offerings available at GI, GA, GB etc. The majority of the postings are alloy frames, take this as you may.
 
Oh man I know that feeling too well many years ago I had the same thing with the SW 340 PD. I think it was around 2005 ish same thing I only fired 50 rounds of American Eagle ball ammunition put it away. One day a friend of mine who had the same 340 model told me that he sent it back to Smith he believed it was a crack they sent it back saying know. Then he sent back 2nd time and outlined it with white out circled it and it turned out to be a crack. I went home took my gun out and checked and sure enough it had a crack in it not sure if it was done when they pressed the barrel in and I just didn't know if it was when I shot the 340 PD. Smith did replace the gun but it was a different serial number. Sold it and then many years later bought the same gun with no internal lock only put 50 rounds through it checked it and I just carried it. Good luck sucks though
 
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Get a 686 with a six inch barrel. That'll fire serious .357 loads.
 
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