I really hate to see this happen. The only S&W revolvers I buy are classic older models in the used gun case. All the best...
Gil

I have three S&W .357s, never had a problem with them,but they are all at least 5 years old. I will have second thoughts about buying another.Not that I was planning on it anyway.I did have problems with a S&W 629 .44 though.

As there is a problem with the revolvers I have been doing a bit of pondering as to what may be the problem with the revolvers in question. I have also been asked to provide my insight due to my previous qualifications as an S&W Armorer.

As I passed on via my Institution's Chain of Command to the DOC main office: "This is a very short version."

It appears that the revolvers in question have been those that have only seen service for training. None of the revolvers in question that have failed have been in regular service. This being the case it can only be estimated with some accuracy that if an institution uses only 15% of its inventory of revolvers to handle 100% of the Annual Training that each of these revolvers have shot well in excess of 75,000 rounds of mixed ammunition, from 110 gr. & 125 gr. +P .38 Special and 110 gr & 125 gr .357 Magnum. This along with the fact that these weapons do not receive a complete cleaning due to constant use and they are used in all forms of weather conditions possibly contributes to their failure along with another possible factor. In my observation of the failed barrels I lean toward my experience as a machinist and metal worker. The area of failure is where the barrel bears up against the frame after being tightened. It appears that the step in diameter is a sharp 90-degree angle with no radius. The cracking follows a path that begins at this angle in toward the bore of the barrel. The failed barrels appear to show some discoloration that may be corrosion. Even though these revolvers are made from “Stainless Steel” this does not prevent them from corrosion. Once a slight crack develops continued firing causes heat build up, many of these revolvers fire a course of fire of 50 rounds followed by another and then another, at times they may individually be used to fire up to 15 rounds of 50 shots each in a day. With each 50 round course being shot within 15 minutes +/- 5 minutes, with only 5 – 10 minutes between courses of fire. Add to this it may be very humid or raining, moisture becomes trapped within the barrel junction and contributes to the corrosion. One other point may be the harmonics of the ammunition/bullet going through the forcing cone and assisting in the cracking of the barrel at the sharp angle that was cut at the factory.

As I stated this was only an observation that I was asked for, I do not have a lab to delve further into this but I have received numerous calls from other Armory Officers from within the state that completely agree with my limited observations as do several who are actively involved in the investigation.

Hopefully this may shed some light on the situation, to me it appears that S&W is not the only party at fault. Poor cleaning, continued use of limited number of revolvers is as much a problem as is the apparent sharp angle of the cut on the barrel. IMO the problem can be easily corrected in future procurements and a change of policy in rotation of firearms used in Training and Duty use.

The photos:
[img]http://glocktalk.com/attachment.php?s=b6b9259dd37aa27952d93605eb71ad95&postid=5869635[/img]

[img]http://www.glocktalk.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=5869586[/img]
Photo source: glocktalk.com
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The Story:

Sunday, March 19, 2006
State asks gun-maker to replace faulty guns
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RALEIGH
Faced with problems ranging from misfires to barrels breaking off, the state has asked gun-maker Smith & Wesson to replace hundreds of revolvers carried by probation and corrections officers.
None of the revolvers have failed in the line of duty, and for now, the department is keeping the guns in service. In testing, about one in four revolvers didn't fire when the trigger was pulled. In some cases, the barrel of some models broke off when the gun was fired.
"In one sense, it's funny," said Dan Stieneke, the chief deputy correction secretary. "In another, it's alarming."
So far, the state Correction Department has asked Smith &Wesson to replace only 500 Model 64 revolvers bought in 2004, although there have also been problems with two other models. Officials could wind up asking Smith & Wesson to provide replacements for all 5,000 of the department's revolvers.
Last month, Smith & Wesson representatives got a live demonstration of the problems. During test firing of about 30 revolvers, four misfired. The barrel also broke off a different model when it was fired, something that has happened 14 times in practice firings since 2003.
"On the one hand, statistically (the revolvers' performance) is not bad, but it's just the safety issue," Stieneke said.
Officials at Smith & Wesson did not return repeated calls seeking comment.
For at least 20 years, state prison officials have used Smith & Wesson revolvers. The guns cost about $320 each, and it would cost the state more than $1.5 million to replace them all. That doesn't include the cost of buying new ammunition, holsters and other accessories and retraining officers to use a new model of gun.

Source:
www.journalnow.com/scr...ty!&s=