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June 19, 2009
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I can't determine if this is a scratch or a crack in the frame. I can't see the crack continuing over the edge but maybe I need to clean it more. Are .445's prone to crack at this point? As far as I know it has only fired one single .445sm-round in my possession. The rest have been factory .44 mags.
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.445 SuperMag
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Range Officer
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May 2, 2009
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You can try polishing it out--if it doesn't want to polish out you may want to apply a dye and see where it goes.
SHOOT
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January 24, 2009
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If that is a crack, this is the first time I've seen one in that location. It sure looks like one from that pic, though. I'd take it to a smith & get a 2nd opinion, and I like the dye idea.
April 11, 2009
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I hate to say it looks like a crack as I cant see how such a scratch would occur, I would take the advice above and have a smith look at it, perhaps do a mag flux.
My Dan's
15VH pistol pack
715 plus two barrels
44 pistol pack in transit
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Dans Club
February 28, 2009
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I hate to disagree with everyone else here. But in the enlarged photo, it seems to me to clearly be a scratch.
I think SHOOT has the right idea; try to polish it out first.
JMO. 
-Mike
June 19, 2009
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After polishing it diminishes but doesn't go away completely. The cleaning still doesn't reveal an obvious crack in the rough cylinder area but it runs though the metal like a crack. A scratch should be straighter.
Swinging the cylinder out and accidentally putting the revolver down on something hard sure could scratch that particular area since the right side is pretty flat with the cylinder out.
I still don't know what it is or what to do… I'm thinking about just using it as always and keeping an eye on that thing to see if it changes in any way.
The thing is, this 8" stainless now belongs to my gun club and I own a 10". I loaded up some pretty hot .445sm's using Vihtavuori powder and it turned out these would have very high pressures when fired. I shot a few of these through my 10" and discovered case swelling at the base and decided not to shoot any more of these. I shot ONE round .445 with a lesser load through the 8" and it now shows something that looks like a crack. My 10" doesn't have anything like this but then again, it's blued and wouldn't show as easy.
.445 SuperMag
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February 25, 2009
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Interesting, do you have any kind of magnifying equipment to get a better look?
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Range Officer
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Dans Club
February 28, 2009
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Is the mark on the side of the frame connecting to (by coincidence) the flame-cutting on the top strap?
The reason I think it's a scratch is because the surface of the mark is too broad. A crack would be a very thin mark, I think and perhaps a little open. This mark seems to be a groove with a "bottom" which is why I think it's just a scratch.
JMO.
-Mike
June 19, 2009
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Tigger said:Interesting, do you have any kind of magnifying equipment to get a better look?
I do but it's still inconclusive 
The frame doesn't suffer from much flamecutting at all. The scratched area is most likely covered by the cylinder axel and shouldn't be affected that much but it sure is in the right part of the frame for that. At the very front.
.445 SuperMag
July 5, 2009
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After reviewing everyone's comments, I agree with SHOOT. Using dye would be a quick and easy way to tell if it's a hairline crack or a scratch. After reviewing the picture several times, it appears to be a crack to me. I do not think that a "scratch" would take on a fractured or broken appearance (i.e., In my opinion, a scratch would be more symmetrical or linear). If the dye test is inconclusive, I would consider getting the frame magnafluxed. Just my opinion for what it's worth.
The only other thing I can think of, but I do not know due to my inexperience, is if the frame was cast rather than forged, It may be a casting mark that may require more "polishing"?.
GG
January 22, 2008
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Wouldn't a crack carry into the horizontal part of the frame; the opening for the cylinder? Aside from a flaw in the metal, it would seem to be an odd location for a stress crack. I would think the top strap would show stress cracking long before the lower section, as the top strap is much closer to the barrel, hence closer to the heat and combustion.
July 5, 2009
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While I agree with your logic, the lower horizontal plane of the frame does show a discolored band that extends from the "scratch" or "crack". It may just be a coincidence. Where the vertical "scratch" or "crack" turns the corner horizontally, the "scratch" or "crack" appears to extend onto the horizontal plane, albeit just a minute fraction of an inch. I t may just be an optical illusion?
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May 2, 2009
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We can sit here and debate this until DW is back in business 
... Personally, I'd go run a box of full power loads through it. If it is a crack, and if it is weak, this may open it up a little more. You won't get hurt with a crack in that area; not like it is in the cylinder wall. The only way to fix a crack in the frame would be to have it TIG welded and machined. If you don't have access to penetrating dye, you can try nail polish remover with a little polish added for color. let it soak for several minutes and then wipe it off. If it is a crack, you'll see it as a fine red line.
I've never heard of a DW frame with any issues....
SHOOT
June 19, 2009
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Have any of you ever seen a cracked frame on a DW?
Since the Supermags are built to withstand really hard loads I feel you shouldn't experience cracks rather than a completely exploded gun after some handload gone wrong.
.445 SuperMag
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Dans Club
February 28, 2009
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I'm sorry, but I think SHOOT's method is extremely dangerous. If it is a crack, you have no way of knowing how that metal is going to break up.
Is it worth losing some body parts or your life? I think not.
Try to find someone to Magnaflux it.
JMO.
-Mike
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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K-Man said:
I shot ONE round .445 with a lesser load through the 8" and it now shows something that looks like a crack. My 10" doesn't have anything like this but then again, it's blued and wouldn't show as easy.
Are you saying that it definitely was not there before you fired it, and that it was there after firing it? That would be a very unusual scratch, and if it won't polish out on the flat part of the frame, I'm (unfortunately) thinking crack.
I'd try one of the "homebrew" dye tests next.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
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May 2, 2009
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zoommb said:
I'm sorry, but I think SHOOT's method is extremely dangerous. If it is a crack, you have no way of knowing how that metal is going to break up.
Is it worth losing some body parts or your life? I think not.
Try to find someone to Magnaflux it.
JMO.
-Mike
well if you REALLY want to be cautious with it.... ... you can check frame this way... Get yourself two bolts and a threaded coupler. You're going to make yourself a miniture screw jack. Put a bolt in each end of the coupler and put a scrap of plastic or leather on the head of each bolt. Insert it into the frame and unscew the bolts--this will put pressure on the frame and you will know if it is a crack or not.
revolver frames are SUPER strong. even if that was a crack in the lower front of the frame, you would have a hard time blowing it apart with ammo. A crack in the top strap is a different animal, and usually results in destroying the gun. When guns are Proofed they are usually tested with at least a double load. Even the mighty 445 would have a tough time pulling a revolver frame apart.
I'm not as cautious as some because I do a LOT of load development in the high pressure zones. I've had loading gates blow open on big single actions, and seen rifle bolts beat open with hammers due to high pressure. I've never seen anybody blow up a revolver with properly loaded ammo--even if the gun is a piece of crap. A DW being one of the finest revolvers made has considerably high quality.
Send it to CZ for evaluation if you are not comforatable analyzing it yourself...The last thing anybody wants is to see one of us hurt--I apologize if you think I was putting you in a dangerous situation as that was not my intent.
SHOOT
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