Cracks in my brand new Smith and Wesson 986

D

dale.gribble

Inactive
Well my Brand new 986 came in the mail today. I was very excited. The gun looked mint, until I looked at the crane of the revolver. There was a couple gouges and a hair line crack.

Now I am going to run this gun hard, should I be worried about the crack and return it or just keep it and shoot it. This is not going to be a safe queen.



 
Brand new to me means straight from S&W. If that's the case I'd send it back for sure.

If it's only new to you I'd still get a smith to have a look.

Potential cracks and controlled mini explosions don't play well together.
 
That's not a crack, that's just machine marks. If the scratches bother you, send it back.

I'd be more worried about the butcher job someone did with the punch where it looks like they added their initials, and that's only because of looks, not any mechanical concern.
 
Not an expert but I agree they look like machine marks rather than cracks. Fifty years ago you wouldn't see sloppy machine work on a S&W but today it's probably common.
 
Those are NOT cracks.
They're just machining marks, as 45 says.

Cracks never form in perfectly straight lines & angles.
Go shoot the thing.
Denis
 
i agree, definitely not cracks. they are coated for one. I wouldn't be concerned, maybe keep an extra eye on the top one for a little while.
 
The serial number is laser etched but the "986" is stamped; the four short lines are from the stamping machine. They shouldn't be there but will be no problem. The other line on the crane appears to be a finish crack. In an effort to get parts made of different metals the same color, S&W has coated some of the parts on its guns. Some of the coatings used cracked and chipped, causing a lot of alarm among owners. S&W will fix the problem.

Jim
 
Not an expert but I agree they look like machine marks rather than cracks. Fifty years ago you wouldn't see sloppy machine work on a S&W but today it's probably common.
Click to expand...

You don't have to be an expert to notice this. I wasn't buying guns fifty years ago but today it seems far too difficult to find one without dings, scratches, shoddy workmanship, etc. This wouldn't fly in other industries but for some reason, it seems like the norm in this one.

BTW, I know it's good to test guns before they leave the factory but it bothers me that S&W ships dirty guns. Yeah, it would take extra time to clean and lube them but leaving them filthy just doesn't sit right with me. With price tags approaching a grand, am I wrong for wanting better?
 
If you are talking about the marks on the front of the cylinder, they are left so final inspection knows the gun has been proof fired. Plus cleaning does take time and, since S&W doesn't have any of those little elves, costs money. Which you will pay.

Jim
 
I wouldn't go as far as to say that you are "wrong" for wanting more for your money, but I might argue that we simply live in another time and place these days and while fifty years ago is certainly worth talking about and worth reminiscing about... it seems almost close to being irrelevant to what is being produced today.

You can pick up any consumer product on the market today and compare to what was offered fifty years ago and it is great to have a discussion about it, but in the end... you won't have really gotten anywhere. What we have right now is pretty much what it is.

We most likely feel quite similarly...
Almost without exception, the only gun shopping I really care to do for myself is for older (sometimes much older) guns.
 
"...but I might argue that we simply live in another time and place these days..."

Yes, we do. Now you can buy five or six items and the cashier will just stand there after taking your money.

Oh, you want a bag for that stuff? You have to ask.

You're still here? What now? You want a receipt, too? Geez. :D
 
Some of us remember the "good old days" and some of them were good. But some were not. Many products are better today. I remember when a car that went 100k was something to marvel at, and most OEM tires got 15k miles. But that mileage came cheap with gas at 9 cents per gallon (WWII controlled price). And in the 1950's plane crashes were a near-daily occurrence, as were train wrecks.

Basically, no era is perfect, we are lucky if we live in one that is merely OK.

Jim
 
I don't have to remember the good old days.
I'm still shooting them. :)
Have others in reserve.
I can't possibly live long enough to wear out or run out. :D
Denis
 
The Good Old guns were not perfect either, machining imperfections were just much harder to see with a blued finish. Open the cylinder on that perfect 1960 k frame gun and look at the crane and frame recess closely, you will see lots of imperfections.
 
Yes, the old guns WERE perfect.
Not a scratch, not a scrape, not a ding, not a dent, not a flaw, not a fault anywhere.

A sad world we live in today.... :D
Denis
 
"Yes, the old guns WERE perfect ... not a fault anywhere."

Hmmm. I seem to recall that I did trigger jobs on S&W revolvers because the internal tool marks had to be smoothed out or the gun would feel like it was full of sand. Guess I was wrong.

Jim
 
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