S&W 442 airweight cracked frame

asp

asp

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I carry this gun a lot and shoot it a little. I was blowing the pocket lint out of it tonight when I noticed this but I have no idea how long this crack has been there. A quick google showed that I'm not the first one this has happened to - see here and here. I'm going to send these pics to S&W and see what happens. Anyone else have any experience dealing with this sort of issue? It's a -1, so I'm sure it's way out of warranty [sad2]

IWTriRE.jpg


Nbmg1IO.jpg
 
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I hope so. I'm not the original owner. Google just told me their lifetime warranty went into effect in 1992 and the 442 was introduced in 1993, but I haven't read the fine print yet.
 
They will take care of it.
dont waste your time w S&W email...they suck at it.
Phone only.
 
442 and 642s have this once in a blue moon but it is a pretty rare sight. It happens way more often with those ****ing 12 ounce .357 magnums they used to make. Those guns pretty much blow up/crack when you look at them the wrong way.

-Mike
 
Squatch, my girlfriend asked "what would have happened if you shot it?" Other than "bad things" I couldn't come up with a specific answer. I assume the barrel would have popped out of the frame, the rest of the frame would have twisted up, and I'd be lucky if my hand didn't get mangled in the process. Is that about your experience?

Thanks all. I'll call them tomorrow.
 
Wow! What were you shooting through it? Either way shouldn't happen. S&W have lifetime warrantees so they will deal with it. I have found their service dept to be excellent but I am seeing more and more a lower level of quality control across the board from them. Ugh. Glad you are ok. That is a catastrophic failure if ever I've seen one.
 
I don't think I ever shot it like this, but I am honestly not sure. I don't know if this happened during shooting, carrying, or sitting in my safe. The gun has seen reloads, factory ammo, and defense ammo while in my possession. We'll see what happens. I really don't want to get stuck with a newer locking frame.
 
When you send it in, be sure to include the fact that you want the no-lock frame as a replacement when writing the note. They make both styles for the Airweight snubbies.
 
I expect they'll replace it. If you hurt yourself firing it they'd be sued and they know it. But S&W has good service.
 
A friend of mine was at the Smith range in Spfld and shooting an old police .38. Well, the barrel fell off and they took it and rebuilt the whole thing and sent it back to him. It was no charge and he was not the first owner of the pistol.
 
drgrant said:
442 and 642s have this once in a blue moon but it is a pretty rare sight. It happens way more often with those ****ing 12 ounce .357 magnums they used to make. Those guns pretty much blow up/crack when you look at them the wrong way.

-Mike
Click to expand...

Hey, I resemble that remark. My 340PD is going strong still. Its probably only seen 500 rounds of .357. The rest has been powder puff .38 reloads that I make up for it and some SD .38 spcl +P that I carry in it.

I won the gun in an IDPA Raffle, otherwise I'd have gotten the .38 equivalent, the 342.

Don
 
When shooting 357 mag from the 340PD, does your wrist stay conected to your arm?
hehe just giving u hard time.
i can only imagine a 357 fired from 11oz gun. Two words: no thanks.
 
I've been shooting for 30 years. I'm pretty recoil-proof. But I'm also a realist.

Its just too much for me. Its not that its a super hard push. Recoil is less than hunting loads through my 6" 29. But it if very snappy. It hurts your hand more than the 29. Its a faster recoil.

Also, my shot to shot times are terrible. I'm 2x as fast with 38 Spcl +P, so I shoot those.

For years, engineers have tried to cram the most powerful handgun cartridge into the smallest defensive gun. For years this represented real progress.

With guns like the 340 (with .357s) and the Kahr PM40, we have gone past the point of diminishing returns. Most people shoot these guns so much worse than their less powerful equivalents (342 and PM9) that they are better off with the lower powered versions.

Don
 
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dcmdon said:
It hurts your hand ... Its a faster recoil.
Click to expand...
I think I can tolerate quite a lot too, but it feels like when a steel punch vibrates in your hand from a bad hit. It's just a total shock to your hand.

I talked to S&W today. They will be replacing it free of charge, no questions asked and they send me a no-lock frame. I'm very happy concerning my dealings with S&W. The only thing that bugs me is that I have to pay the transfer fee at a FFL to accept back "my own" gun. Gotta make sure the FFL will transfer a "new" no lock frame to me tho.
 
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dcmdon said:
ASP - can you get it done at the FFL you purchased it from?

I don't know any dealer who would charge for a transfer of a warranty replacement that they sold.

Don
Click to expand...
I purchased it used from another NES member, otherwise that would be my first choice.
 
It's a well known problem and they will repair the gun for you. The 442-1 was the first major revision and is when the frame was changed from the original to the "magnum" frame. They will take the guts out of your gun and install them into a new frame and barrel. If you have any modifications, such as a different rebound spring, take it out and put the original back in because they will discard those and put in the factory part.

My gun was an original frame version, so I got a whole new gun because they don't make that frame any longer.

As they say in the scooter commercials, "At no charge, absolutely no charge to me!". In my case I got the choice of a 442 or a 642 because mine was done in "Satin Nickel" finish, which they don't make any longer. Also, because mine was a no lock gun, they agreed to replace it with a no lock 642.

Call them, don't email them. Customer service is great on the phone, but so-so by email. They will send you a prepaid label to ship the gun back to them, you won't have to go through an FFL.

Interestingly enough, people who have shot them with cracked frames have not reported the barrels falling off. I don't know how many rounds I put through mine before I stumbled on a post over at the Smith-Wesson forum and looked at it. Cracks vary in width, but I doubt that they get smaller as time goes on.
 
There is no reason that they shouldn't do the transfer. Locks are not required on revolvers in MA.

asp said:
I think I can tolerate quite a lot too, but it feels like when a steel punch vibrates in your hand from a bad hit. It's just a total shock to your hand.

I talked to S&W today. They will be replacing it free of charge, no questions asked and they send me a no-lock frame. I'm very happy concerning my dealings with S&W. The only thing that bugs me is that I have to pay the transfer fee at a FFL to accept back "my own" gun. Gotta make sure the FFL will transfer a "new" no lock frame to me tho.
Click to expand...
 
Garys said:
There is no reason that they shouldn't do the transfer. Locks are not required on revolvers in MA.
Click to expand...
Good to know. I never have much faith in what the almighty AG has decided and as such I don't keep close tabs on those things.

Thanks for the heads up about the parts swapping... I don't have any original parts and I am pretty sure it has been worked over internally. I might just ask for all the original parts back except the frame and swap them in myself later if I feel it needs it. If not - spare parts.
 

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