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Post by Alaskan454 on Mar 10, 2016 13:57:45 GMT -5
Looking for a little guidance on S&Ws. I have been eyeing M&P revolvers for a while now and there seems to be a very big difference in price for similar looking guns. When it comes to older S&Ws I don't have a lot of background and was hoping one of you might tell me what key words or details I should look for. I'd like a shooter grade gun with a 5" or 6" barrel, preferably one that is less collectible so it's cheaper.
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Post by ezekiel38 on Mar 10, 2016 15:43:51 GMT -5
For a shooter grade I would get an M&P with a Model #. Such as Model 10-1 or later. 5 inch guns are drawing premium prices due to their collectability. $400-500 is a good price for a nice shooter. The Model# Model 10s 10 1-10 are cleared for +p rounds. Smith went to Model #s in 57 or 58. My favorite is a 4" heavy barrel 38. Steady as a rock to hold and very accurate, easy to carry! Enjoy the hunt!
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ward01
.30 Stingray
Posts: 128
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Post by ward01 on Mar 12, 2016 12:08:48 GMT -5
When it comes to an excellent shooter without too much of a collector price, S & W produced some awfully good revolvers in the late 80's and early 90's. Going further back in years causes the price to rise without making it any the better for shooting.
ward
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stonecoldrc
.240 Incinerator
western Arkansas
Posts: 43
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Post by stonecoldrc on Mar 12, 2016 12:44:50 GMT -5
A four inch heavy barrel Model 10 is a great one to get. I have a couple and they are good shooters and easy to carry.
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Otony
.327 Meteor
Posts: 722
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Post by Otony on Mar 12, 2016 21:07:25 GMT -5
I have three, all Model 10 dash sumpin'. One has a 5" pencil barrel, shoots like a house on fire good. I love it, the wife loves it, and I hope the kids will take a cotton to it as well.
Second is a 4" bull barrel. It just came in, and I have high hopes for it based on past experience. It will soon serve duty as my shop gun, after a quick action job.
Third is a "pet" project in construction. Years ago I saw a 3" semi-heavy barrel Model 10 that was part of a lot sold overseas. Not a bull, not a pencil, it was in between, and as Goldilocks would have said, just right. Of course I wasn't bright enough to buy THAT one. Nope, I had to wait until every S&W collector figured out that those were seldom seen and desirable.
A month or so back, I found a NOS 3" barrel in that configuration and promptly scooped it up. It is going on a Model 10 snubby that does house-duty here, a nice 2" that will undergo a Pinocchio transformation. That, and a set of Altamont grips will fill in a hole in my collection, but don't even get me started on the even more rare 2.5" version made for the FBI! I intend to tote the resulting 3" at work, backed with my well worn 642.
I guess you could say I like 'em!
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Post by ezekiel38 on Mar 19, 2016 15:12:21 GMT -5
Otony: Would love to see a photo of the Pinocchio after it's been found to be lying! I used to be a big fan of Altamonts but I've discovered Vzs for the K frame either round or square butt! Really enjoy a couple of sets on a K round and a square L frame!
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Post by brionic on Mar 20, 2016 23:22:46 GMT -5
When you say "older" you have to understand the run of M&P revolvers goes back a century. So are you looking for a prewar, 'named' gun or a post war, 'numbered' gun? The difference is more than just semantic.
The prewar (WW2) guns are my favorite, largely due to the smooth "long" double action, along with the master-level hand fitting, finishing, and value. Non-collectable, pedestrian examples in good condition can be found for $350 and up if you are patient. 5" barrels and square butts, however, tend to fetch a premium among the savvy, but it's not uncommon to find a good deal.
Such older weapons - with numeral-only serials - must not be loaded with +P ammo. They are for standard loads only.
My early 30s 5" gun cost me about $225 ten years ago, and my boys love it. The action has to be felt to be believed, and the revolver balances in my hand like it was custom made for me. The machining and workmanship are top quality, and 85-plus years of work later, it's still state of the art. Depending on your medium, of course.
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Post by Alaskan454 on Mar 21, 2016 8:31:44 GMT -5
I have been leaning more towards the pre-war guns as of late but would consider a post war gun as well. I just can't decide which I like best!
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Otony
.327 Meteor
Posts: 722
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Post by Otony on Mar 21, 2016 9:32:44 GMT -5
The early postwar guns, '47 to '52, with the fishhook hammers are among my favorites.
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Snyd
.375 Atomic
The Last Frontier
Posts: 2,388
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Post by Snyd on Mar 21, 2016 12:07:01 GMT -5
I have been leaning more towards the pre-war guns as of late but would consider a post war gun as well. I just can't decide which I like best! One thing to consider is if you would ever want or need to send the gun back to S&W for work. I have a pre-war (Model 1905 4th Change Hand Ejector, 4 inch.) and S&W will not work on it. singleactions.proboards.com/thread/13699/model-1905-resurrection
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Post by grinanddull on Mar 24, 2016 10:25:23 GMT -5
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Post by ezekiel38 on Mar 24, 2016 11:48:15 GMT -5
Grinanddull: How cool is that old pencil barrel 10 in a Rogers Kydex. Bill Rogers was light years ahead of everyone else in many things concerning police revolvers.
Spent decades searching for the perfect police revolver and now in my twilight years have come to realize it's the Model 10. They were always too pedestrian and only a 38! Lots of improvements to 38s and 9mms in the past 40 years.
Looks like you're a lefty! So am I!
Enjoy your 10, my grail list is a 10 3" HB.
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Post by grinanddull on Mar 24, 2016 14:00:05 GMT -5
Ezekiel38 to be honest as silly as it sounds I picked that gun up a while back because I still had the holster from many years ago that I had for a S&W model 13. Kind of the reverse of the usual buying a gun and then a holster to fit, but as you know being a lefty finding a good holster can be hard to do so I've kept some for years in case I find a use for a gun that fits one. I have to stay away from places that have 1911s and Glocks because I've got LH holsters to fit about anything from a compact to a long slide, but no real need for the guns anymore, haven't shot a match in years. Now days most of my shooting is with a 148 grain LHBWC moving very slow that that 10 will shoot better than I can.
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Otony
.327 Meteor
Posts: 722
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Post by Otony on Mar 24, 2016 15:23:39 GMT -5
A Rogers left hand holster for my N-frame Smiths was my first tacticool holster way back in the '80s! I've certainly planned a few handgun purchases around holsters on hand. so, grinanddull, I have a like new Safariland 6820 for a 4" Model 10 if you are interested......
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Post by grinanddull on Mar 24, 2016 16:34:24 GMT -5
I've posted several LH holsters on GB lately hoping to move them before I find a gun to fit again. In a lot of the cases my old guns went to my son so they're not lost and gone forever. He's not left handed so the only holster he took was the old ambidextrous Gilmore Speed for a comp'd 1911. So I've still got in LH a Hellweg SWAT for a 1911, a Safariland 007 for a Glock 24, and a Longhorn shoulder holster for my Ruger Redhawk. In the case of the Redhawk I've kept the gun over the years but don't hunt or fish anymore where I might meet a bear and was never crazy about the shoulder holster.
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