[Wonderclam]

I dropped the slide on my S&W Sigma .40 and it landed right on the back of the rail, now there's a crack on it:

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/5716/img0239ss.jpg

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/4468/img0240da.jpg

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1653/img0241cu.jpg

Do I have to buy a whole new slide? Is there a parts list I can order it from? Do I send it back to S&W? I bought this gun used a week ago.

[armoredman]

First things first - call Smith and see if it's under warrantee. Do not shoot it. Replace the slide ASAP.

[TX expat]

I doubt S&W is going to cover a gun dropping under warranty, but you could always give them a call and see what they recommend. I had a great experience with their CS dept. when my Sigma had some light striking problems.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wonderclam]

Damn.. the slide almost costs as much as buying a brand new gun of the same exact model.

[DasFriek]

Well i think you was wanting a new gun anyhow from your other thread.
As others said id call S&W and see what they will do, Never hurts.

Im no smith like some of the folks here, But it may be possible to weld that up and then get the slide refinished.
Slides dont cost much more than $40-$50 to finish as long as you do it locally. The question would be if it could be welded and if so how much.

[schmeky]

As a last resort, either have a gunsmith silver solder it, or have the cracked area ground or milled off. Option 1 will ruin the finish, option 2 will make it forever a fugly glovebox gun.

This is assuming it's to expensive to replace the slide.

[AKElroy]

I would PUSH HARD for a replacement. No way you should have that kind of crack from dropping it. Making the slide out of reasonable quality steel is a warranty claim IMO

[DasFriek]

Im no expert in metallurgy, But i wouldn't expect a slide to be so hardened that a drop would crack it. Granted its a corner where the rail is and there is alot of surface area thats hardened in that one spot.
Most slide cracks ive seen which were always shooting stress related started small in most cases and grew over time, This one kind of shattered the edge.

Id still bet money a good smith could tig weld it and get it working and then do a $50 refinish. I just couldn't guess what the welding and work would cost until a real smith here speaks up.

Ive seen some welding done on frames i never thought possible so i wouldn't put anything out of their skill range. Its the machining or recutting the slide groove that will be the time consuming part.

My guess $150 if you find the right person. ----100% guess---

One person i know who would have this kind of info here you could pm who is always helpfull is Mac's Precision who ive seen some amazing smith work from as well as advice.

[Wonderclam]

The problem is that I paid $200 for this gun. If I get lucky and find someone to do it for $150 and $50 for the finish... it's like paying double the amount for this gun..

I'm thinking of either selling it or giving it to someone and buying what I really wanted. A springfield XDM .40

[DasFriek]

I see the problem then.
You could possibly get $75-$100 out of it as parts as the frame has the most value.

[rcmodel]

Call S&W and tell them the slide cracked.

They will probably replace it free.

or giving it to someoneGive it to me and I'll send it in.

rc

[W.E.G.]

Its a SIGMA, not Abraham Lincoln's personal engraved Python.

Forget about it, and just keep shooting it.

[DasFriek]

Its a SIGMA, not Abraham Lincoln's personal engraved Python.

Forget about it, and just keep shooting it.

Yeh a .40 caliber lower end gun with a cracked slide should be shot without fear of any failures. Heck buy some Buffalo Bore ammo and give that a shot as it cant hurt the slide anymore than it is now.
Honestly your comment is about the most non smart post ive read here in a long time.
I tried to phrase that in a way that was as nice as i could put it.

[W.E.G.]

OK.

So what exactly is THAT crack going to do that so disturbs you?

[xXxplosive]

A casting I presume.............they crack easily when dropped. I only buy pistols with slides milled out of a solid billet..........ie. Colt 1911's.

[rcmodel]

Well, it would disturb me, because if the crack progresses on down the rail, you could find yourself with the slide stuck in your right eyeball!

rc

[Wonderclam]

I just bought a Springfield XDM 9mm with Trijicon night sights for $650

[DasFriek]

Very nice gun, Im sure you will like it alot better and be alot more accurate with it.
I know you had issues in your other thread with the .40 Sigma and accuracy.
But the 9mm and better trigger should make life alot easier for you, And enjoyable also.

[Ridgerunner665]

If the frame had full length rails it wouldn't really bother me...I have never messed with a Sigma other than shooting brother in laws a few times, but as a general rule...polymer frames don't have full length rails...

Don't shoot it...the probability of it breaking is pretty high.,

[pro2]

Wonderclam, did you contact Springfield about replacing the slide?

[Wonderclam]

Wonderclam, did you contact Springfield about replacing the slide?

You mean Smith and Wesson? Yeah, I did and they told me to send it in and see if it's something that can be done under the warranty. I highly doubt they'll fix it for free since it was my fault in dropping the slide.

[DasFriek]

Ill tell ya ive seen some gun makers do some really odd things to impress and keep customers. I wouldn't doubt it one bit if they wouldn't replace it for free.
As in reality a slide shouldn't crack like that because you dropped it, But it did and its still your fault. But they may feel it shouldn't have broke also and replace it.
You have $200 in it, A new slide would basically make it a new gun and you could make money if you resold it.
Call S&W and see if they will send you a ticket for a pick up and pay for the shipping.
If they pay for that you have nothing to loose.
But if they wont your just gonna pay $50 to ship it and if your lucky get it replaced.

Trade it in once fixed and use that money for a bunch of upgrades for your XDM.
Places to check out if you havent found them yet, Im gonna be doing their Ultimate trigger kit on my XD SC .40 soon.
http://www.xdtalk.com/forums/
http://shop.powderriverprecision.net/

[Bovice]

the reason that it broke was 1. hardness of the metal and 2. the smaller localized CSA of the area of the rail. Simply put, there isn't enough "meat" to withstand the stress imparted on the slide when it hit the floor.

[kidcoltoutlaw]

Were you in a Plane one mile up when you dropped it ? A coffee cut is stronger than that,

Thanks,Keith

[Shadow 7D]

Maybe not
A coffee cut is stronger than that
strength and toughness and hardness are all VERY different things in metal

You drop a grinding BURR and it will chip to hell (it can even shatter)
but I wouldn't call it weak.

Send it in, whats the worse that happens?

[frankenstein406]

Threads kinda old... just sayin.

[suzukisam]

I'd personally like to know what smith did, did you send it?

[xr1200]

just send them the whole gun and they should replace the slide free, just don't tell them you dropped it.