Some guns are officially Lifetime Warranty, some are not. Some of the ones that are not they will take care of anyway. I think they were looking for an easy "out" in the future if they had another dumpster fire like the PT recalls. Having a lifetime warranty is a real liability in the case of mass recalls.
I would call them either way. My experience with their customer service has been much better than the experiences I have heard about on the Internet. I have called them twice on 2 guns and gotten prompt, friendly service. YMMV, as other posters are certain to point out.
It's just a phone call; don't go by what you think it will be like, just call. Last time when I called about 10-ish on a weekday, there was a 10-15 minute hold time. They won't come through the phone, burn your house, steal your women, and take your dog's chew toy.
They will probably offer to let you buy a $50 shipping label, which seems like a ripoff. Thats what I thought when I declined, boxed it up and took a pistol to UPS to ship. It cost me $70 to do it right. Later I found out if you have a decent FFL who will do you a favor, you can take that down to $25 or less - they don't have the same shipping restrictions. If the FFL charges for the service, the $50 might be a decent option.