S&W says "J-Frame 357 is for carry not shooting"!

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WebHobbit

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I sent my 640 J-Frame .357 off to S&W. I had requested a refinishing job as well as a tune-up/action job. Well they finally sent me an estimate via snail-mail (even though all my previous contact was through e-mail). I will type here EXACTLY what the letter says (spelling errors and all):

REFINISH, ACTION WORK
TURN BARREL RECUT BC&FC. (EROIDED)
*J FRAME 357 MAGNUMS ARE DESIGNED
FOR CARRY. STEADY DIET OF MAGNUMS
QUICKEN WEAR. RECOMMEND CARRY 357
PRACTICE WITH 38S. *

REFINSH COMPLETE GUN 166.00 166.00
LABOR RATE 5.00 85.00
FEDEX NEXT DAY STANDARD (HG) 14.00
Click to expand...


:rolleyes:

Gee....if the all steel ones are designed for .357 "carry only" then what the hell are the alloy/scandium ones for, looks?

Maybe I should sell it and buy an SP101?

I guess I'm just too hard on a wee-little J-Frame, eh?


:fire: :scrutiny: :mad:
 
I'm not sure...less than a 1,000 for sure...I'd guess maybe 400-500. Maybe 50 or so .38's.

The only problem the gun had as far as I knew was a bit of "spitting" here and there. Not real bad either.

If I decide to sell I'm not gonna do the repairs. Screw it! :cuss:
 
Isn't this pretty much what gets passed on in all Ruger vs. S&W threads? Even my Mod 25 N-Frame in Colt is subject to frame stretching with heavy loads...not even Redhawk load levels. K-Frames get trashed in writing all the time.

I hope that selling it means an informed buyer.
 
It means that you sent it in for refinishing and they suggested certain work. That is what I meant. If I were buying the gun, I would appreciate knowing.
 
Well now that I'm starting to calm down a bit.......

(Sorry people)

Do you all think I should have the work done & continue to carry (and occasionally shoot) the gun or sell it "as is" and get an SP101?

The thing is NO other gun fits my hand as well as the J-Frame and I am quite fond of the little beast. I'm just really disappointed that it hasn't been able to handle the relatively "small" amount of rounds I've put through it. Also it does worry me a bit this talk of "turning the barrel".

If I understand this correctly they are gonna cut some off in order to fix the B/C up and re-do the forcing cone. Is this correct? If so won't I end up losing some barrel length here or is not enough to notice?

:(
 
I have a 60 and a 649 J frame in .357. Have never shot them, but if I did and the forcing cone eroded prematurely I would be calling to demand a new barrel at no cost. Nowhere in the manual does it say not to shoot .357 in them. They didn't put .357 (carry only) on the barrel either. If they advertise that it is a .357, then you should be able to shoot that round in it. If it can't handle the round, then they should say so in the manual, and in their advertising.
 
Not surprising. As far as trading for an SP101, I suspect that these can be shot out of fix too but haven't been able to destroy mine with a moderate amount of magnum ammo. The k-frames and js will shoot a very long time (indefinately as far as I can tell) with .38s and .38 :+p. the .357 Magnum, particulary when loaded full strength is quite a stressful cartridge. Smiths note that they will last longer when shot with .38s for practice smacks of honesty to me.

Expert obiter dicta to the contrary, regular practice with loads in the 15-20,000 cup range carries over into the results you will obtain when you switch to magnums.
 
Strange, my 640 has about 300 rounds of 110 grain JHP Magnums through it and once it is cleaned up it looks factory new and is still tight.
 
S&W was referring to the fact that j-frames main purpose is to be used for carry and not as everyday target pistols. Maybe I'm slow, but I thought that was obvious.
 
So what does S&W say when you lodge that complaint? Maybe they will admit that this is much lighter use than is reasonable.

My dad has a Model 60 with a really nice trigger. My wife has an Sp 101 that has had a trigger job. The Ruger trigger is nice, but it still isn't an S&W. I guess you pick your poison. Like everything else, there are pros and cons. It would be nice if S&W would make people aware of these limitations prior to purchase. I think most folks that live their (revolver) life on the web are aware of these things, but the consumer should not have to find out the hard way. I'm not sure that those wary of hard use would expect this kind of result after 500 rounds in five years. I would think that many people put that kind of wear on a J frame. That is two boxes of .357 per year..not much. Many experts suggest at least that much practice per year with your carry load. You might have a good case to present to S&W.
 
I didn't get the letter until I got home from work and it was too late to call. I'm gonna bring the paper with me to work tomorrow and call from there.

I'm gonna let 'em know how many .357 110s I've put through it and see what they say to that.

I just checked my paperwork and it says I bought this in 1996.
 
I thought S&W had a lifetime warranty. Use of factory magnums in a magnum revolver should not void the warranty they should pay. Give then a call.
 
well, what did you expect?
after all, there is a thread on here telling how the K frame cant stand up to magnum force,( though mine has ) why did you think the J frame could?
 
I sold off all but one of my Smith's and bought Rugers. I don't even want to think about how many rounds I have through my 101, but it's a lot. I've shot everything in it and it's never given me any heartburn at all. It's quite accurate and fun to shoot. I'd hate to spend what the manufacturer charges and not be able to shoot it. What a crock!!
Bob
 
J-frame v. SP-101

Apples and oranges.

The SP-101 was designed around the .357 Magnum cartridge. The .357 J-frame is a stretched .38 J-frame is a stretched .32 I-frame. You could always compare the SP-101 to a gun of similar size and weight, like a 686... (;))
 
The 110 grain 357 mag loads put the most stress on the relatively light J & K-frames - it's the quick acceleration of the light bullet. When this fast moving bullet hits the forcing cone of the barrel it "rubs" and erodes it. This is the purpose of the forcing cone, but the heavier 158 grain loads are moving much slower at this point and don't cause anywhere near the same amount of problem for the gun - your wrist is another matter. Yes Ruger's can take the punishment much better, but then you have to carry the extra weight.

As far as fixing it, they should only have to take the barrel back 1 thread, so you are talking less than a tenth of an inch and I doubt that you would even notice the difference.
 
I always hear about the extra weight of the SP-101 when compared to the M640. Lets see SP-101 is 25oz, the 640 is 23oz. HUGE difference. You can keep your "S&W" trigger, but I'll stick with the SP-101. At least it is FULLY capable of firing the caliber that is marked in the literatur it comes with and what is marked on the gun. I say sell it, and get an SP-101.
 
Tamara --as others have mentioned the SP101 was NOT built around the 357 but rather the .38. I read in American Handgunner (I think that was the one) that Masaad Ayoob and a few others talked Bill Ruger into making a .357 version after custom smiths had already been reaming out the existing cylinders on a few custom orders.
 
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