These photos got me wondering about carrying my 340PD. Might have to use another J-frame for carry. Possibly will have to break out a decades old S&W model 49. Sent it off to Mahovsky's Metalife for plating years ago. It originally came in blue, but has a nice stainless steel look to it now.
I've shot the piss out of my 340 M&P with 38+P. If it breaks, I'll make them fix it.
I tried that with my cracked 325 PD. They told me, in so many words, to go perform an unnatural act. I don't buy new S&W firearms anymore.Originally Posted by paherne
YMMV,
Dave
Unless you have a badge or retired credential they won't fix it. Current production S&Ws are expensive disposables.
Outpost,
When I talked to S&W Customer Service on the phone about my cracked 325 PD, they were unimpressed with my retired LEO status. Buying the gun used was the kiss of death.
Dave
So.... you shoulda bought a used Taurus?
ROTFLMAO!
Dave
I didn't say that right.
It seems like when the Model 12 gets mentioned at ranges or gunshops, somebody will say "That's the Air Force one that can't handle regular ammo without cracking or breaking, isn't it?". When pressed, they've never actually seen one, but are simply stating what "everybody knows" is true. Sometimes the story is "Its that special Air Marshalls gun". This has caused me to disregard maybe the majority of cracking statements, after feeling them out a little. They decided long ago that an Airweight K is as durable as a Model T with a blower, and that's that.
Oh, I have read the cracked frame threads. And I've seen plenty of pictures of them cracked right where you say. I've seen at least one myself.
So I know the frames have cracked. I'm just not sure how it happened.
I've seen some where people had found them cracked there without ever firing a round of +P, and a couple of times where they had not fired a round of anything- they came that way new.
This has made me suspect the factory might have been the source of most, if not all, the cracked ones. At least one person has told me they would check every new one that came into their store, and would find a " factory cracked" one now and then. If there is even some truth to that, it is Interesting at the least.
Adding to my suspicions of the factory cracking frames at barrel installation are the accounts of (attempted) barrel removal from Model 12s. I have never heard of a successful one. Every attempt at rebarrelng I've heard of resulted in a cracked frame at removal.
Something is/was not right there.
Edit:
It just hit me... As much as I hate to say it, this gun might be the case for the two-piece barrel. Maybe the 12 is the gun that needs it. Perhaps the two-piece barrel installation is the way to ensure the barrel gets on without wrecking frames.
Hey, if that's what gets them back, I might can accept it.
Last edited by BarryinIN; 10-06-2021 at 07:23 PM.
There was a thread over on the bookface where a guy built a 3” M12 using a 12-4, a 3” M10 barrel, and a boatload of croil and torque. His frame didn’t crack and as far as I know, the pistol has held up fine. I’m fairly confident that the cracked frames are due to over torquing at the factory weakening the frame.
The M13, not to be confused either the S&W Model 13, Aircrewman predates the Model 12. It also supports my belief that a revolver needs a certain amount of weight and mass to manage recoil properly without beating the gun up.
Men freely believe that which they desire.
Julius Caesar
For anyone who has limited hand strength/dexterity the correct answer is a Ruger LCR in .327 Magnum.
Let's enumerate the reasons why:
1) Better trigger than any stock J or K frame and many tuned guns too.
2) Vastly superior sights to any stock J or fixed sight K. With a pinned interchangeable front sight with some big orange or green dots available.
3) Superior grip design out of the gate for recoil and general control.
4) If it breaks Ruger will fix it
5) J-frame sized, K-frame capacity
That doesn't get us into other bits of things. Like that the .327 and .32 H&R Mag loadings have better terminal performance from 2" barrels compared to .38 Special +P. And if you load wadcutters the 85-grain .32 S&W Long target wadcutter is ridiculously accurate while feeling like a .22 when shooting it.
The real con of the LCR is it is ever so slightly larger than a J-Frame in the critical dimensions for pocket carry and it's a couple of ounces heavier than an Airweight J. And obviously then quite a bit heavier than a Scandium J. But since Scandium Js should absolutely, positively, not be given to people with weak grips, that's a moot point IMO.
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