The reason for Smith's tendency to crack behind the side plates is not news. McIntosh, Vicknair and others have described the issue well. The Pre-13 guns or later graded guns are not immune. The 1983 edition of Brophy's book shows an A2 with what looks like a poor attempt at repairing/hiding the crack (pgs. 55 and 164). The A1 on pgs. 63/64 is cracked. The No. 3 Grade gun on page 67 - cracked. The Post-13 Monogram Grade (p.95) is suspect. The Specialty Grade on p.105 is cracked. The Trap Grade on p.107 may be on its way. Small sample size, I know, but at least they didn't use them for the book jacket photos.
