I want to want a Smith & Wesson

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gotboostvr

I doubt S&W made any money on their original production of knives that were designed by Blackie Collins. Incredibly well made (for a factory knife), and very reasonably priced. I still kick myself for not buying more of them when they were first available (especially the Bowie knife and the Folding Hunter).
 
WrongHanded said:
Some 10 years ago my first handgun was a Smith & Wesson Model 15 from around 1987, chambered in .38 Special. At the time I thought it was just some old revolver. Now I know what a beautiful example it was and how smoothly it functioned. But at the time, I had no experience with other guns, save for a Springfield XD 40 that was owned by a friend, and (sometimes working) Colt Python owned by another. My Model 15 was simply, a revolver. And it got traded off, as many other guns have since then.

I've owned other Smiths since then. A 9mm Sigma with a horrendous trigger, and that one quickly found other hands. An unremarkable aluminum alloy snubbie J frame in .38 +p was mine for a time, then it too was sold. I later found out that the frame had cracked at some point, either whilst I owned it or just afterwards. I believe it was quickly retired. Lastly I was taken with a lightly used 686+ with a 6" barrel (my first .357). A nice enough gun, but the timing was off to the point the cylinder wouldn't lock before the hammer fell. S&W took it back to address the issue and did so, but I never totally trusted it after that.

Then I decided to give those "ugly looking" Rugers a try, and have owned no other brand of wheel guns since. But I still can't seem to let go of those memories I have of the old Model 15, and wonder if I could find another S&W revolver - hopefully in a 4" .357 - that would feel as smooth as that gun felt, and fill that little hole that it left when I traded it away.

But every time I say to myself "Maybe a Smith this time...." I can't help but think about the internal locks (which I despise), the potential of the ejector rod loosening (which I dealt with more than once), the timing issue I had on the 686+, brass getting caught under the star (which only ever happened to me on Smiths), and the cracked alloy J frame. And it totally turns me off the idea.

I'd love to have a solid, reliable, and smooth service size 6 shot S&W revolver, that can take a steady diet of full house .357 mag loads. But I have trouble believing I can get that. Please convince me. Tell me about that one you have which has been dependable over the years, and a joy to shoot. I want to want a Smith and Wesson.
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Yep, current production Smith revolvers are really no more than replicas of their namesakes. IMO, the no dash L frames were their last great hurrah. Find an old Smith, love it, cherish it, never let it go.....:) 1502544837030-406490753.jpg
 
I just wish you could carry a K frame and have it magically turn into a N frame when it clears the holser. Unfortunately I do not live in a Movie.

....and don't say L frame!

-kBob
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Bought my first handgun the day I turned 21; a 681. Only sold it cuz the family was hungry in '08.
They will bury me with my 686.
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I had a 681-2 that had an equally sweet trigger. I only sold it because I missed the rear target sight. I picked up this 686-0 as my "Ultimate duty revolver".
 
gotboostvr said:
remember, if you buy new there's always the factory warranty.

One member on here recently had to return one and as a courtesy, they performed a Performance Center action job on it. They've got great customer service.

The "lock" is a whole other issue. I personally would rather not have it, but it's not an issue. Mostly just cosmetic for me. It can be disabled and hidden if you're so inclined.

Edited to add: Bannockburn, I'm still keeping an eye out for one of those older S&W knifes.
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But can you disable/remove the lock and still have S&W service the gun under warranty? I have no idea, but it seems unlikely that they would. Thoughts?
 
ColtPythonElite said:
Ain't nothing wrong with the new 686's. I bought a 7 inch 7 shooter about 3 years ago. My buddy did a kitchen table trigger job that is nothing short of amazing. I have put 3500+ rounds thru it and haven't even bothered to clean it. It is one of my favorite range guns.
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I agree. My 586 has a lock and all the things it's not supposed to have, according to conventional wisdom, and it out performs many of my vintage Smith and Wessons in many ways. I had a vintage L frame no dash from the 1980's that's supposed to be superior to new guns, but it wasn't. Had a few problems so I sold it. Some other examples of old S&W guns I have from the 1950's or 60's are great though. Tim Sundles at Buffalo Bore says he gets generally higher velocities out of new post lock barrels than early vintage S&W barrels (presumably in similar condition.) FWIW.

The moral of the story: Don't turn what maybe a valid rule of thumb into an oft invalidated precept.
 
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NIGHTLORD40K

Yep, current production Smith revolvers are really no more than replicas of their namesakes. IMO, the no dash L frames were their last great hurrah. Find an old Smith, love it, cherish it, never let it go.....:)
index.php
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Looks like we share the same fine tastes in old S&Ws.

9YTLBWX.jpg
 
The current S&W classics line up includes only a couple K frames. The only ones i'm seeing are the model 10 and model 17. The model 10 is the fixed sight version of the model 15 and the model 17 is a 6" barrel 22lr with adjustable sights. Both are fine guns but not what your looking for.

The new model 66 is basically a .357, stainless steel version of the model 15. That's what I would get if I was in your shoes and required to buy new . Of course there are literally millions of used K frame S&W's floating around in the market. Finding in good working order shouldn't be too hard.

And then there's they 586's if you want a blue gun and don't mind the slightly larger frame size.
 
reddog81 said:
And then there's they 586's if you want a blue gun and don't mind the slightly larger frame size.
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I have no problems with either of those things. As I currently have no medium frame revolver with both adjustable sights and can barrel less than 6 inches, I'm looking. So if I do buy a Smith, it will likely take a range trip at least every other week (thanks to my recent plunge into the reloading world), and I'm intending to load on the hotter side. So as much as I like the idea of a .357 K frame, it doesn't seem practical from a durability stand point, though perhaps I'm wrong about that.

I'm sure part of the smoothness of that old Model 15 I had was due to the relatively compact cylinder, making the DA pull so light and fluid. But I'd like to think an L frame could be close to that. Or at least closer to that than to a GP100. I do really like my GPs btw, but the triggers always seem just a little clunky, even after honing the action (though I've never had it done professionally).
 
WrongHanded said:
Some 10 years ago my first handgun was a Smith & Wesson Model 15 from around 1987, chambered in .38 Special. At the time I thought it was just some old revolver. Now I know what a beautiful example it was and how smoothly it functioned. But at the time, I had no experience with other guns, save for a Springfield XD 40 that was owned by a friend, and (sometimes working) Colt Python owned by another. My Model 15 was simply, a revolver. And it got traded off, as many other guns have since then.

I've owned other Smiths since then. A 9mm Sigma with a horrendous trigger, and that one quickly found other hands. An unremarkable aluminum alloy snubbie J frame in .38 +p was mine for a time, then it too was sold. I later found out that the frame had cracked at some point, either whilst I owned it or just afterwards. I believe it was quickly retired. Lastly I was taken with a lightly used 686+ with a 6" barrel (my first .357). A nice enough gun, but the timing was off to the point the cylinder wouldn't lock before the hammer fell. S&W took it back to address the issue and did so, but I never totally trusted it after that.

Then I decided to give those "ugly looking" Rugers a try, and have owned no other brand of wheel guns since. But I still can't seem to let go of those memories I have of the old Model 15, and wonder if I could find another S&W revolver - hopefully in a 4" .357 - that would feel as smooth as that gun felt, and fill that little hole that it left when I traded it away.

But every time I say to myself "Maybe a Smith this time...." I can't help but think about the internal locks (which I despise), the potential of the ejector rod loosening (which I dealt with more than once), the timing issue I had on the 686+, brass getting caught under the star (which only ever happened to me on Smiths), and the cracked alloy J frame. And it totally turns me off the idea.

I'd love to have a solid, reliable, and smooth service size 6 shot S&W revolver, that can take a steady diet of full house .357 mag loads. But I have trouble believing I can get that. Please convince me. Tell me about that one you have which has been dependable over the years, and a joy to shoot. I want to want a Smith and Wesson.
Click to expand...

Not to go on a tangent, but have you looked into a Dan Wesson? I love my ugly-and-indestructible SP101, but I recently shot an (old) Dan Wesson and it was basically one of those scenes from a movie where the clouds part and light comes through the stained glass in a cathedral and the choir begins to sing.
 
Mitlov said:
Not to go on a tangent, but have you looked into a Dan Wesson? I love my ugly-and-indestructible SP101, but I recently shot an (old) Dan Wesson and it was basically one of those scenes from a movie where the clouds part and light comes through the stained glass in a cathedral and the choir begins to sing.
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I'm pretty sure I've seen only one, ever. And it was in a glass case with a high price tag. But that was years ago.
 
Yeah those Dan Wessons are SO rare there are only 112 on GunBroker this morning including a few with no bids starting at $350.

They are a neat design and I enjoyed shooting them. I was not able to reload one near as fast as a S&W or Colt because of the way the cylinder release is set in such a way you must use the off hand to release the thing.

Also not as many accessories available easily.

A joy to shoot though.

-kBob
 
kBob said:
Yeah those Dan Wessons are SO rare there are only 112 on GunBroker this morning including a few with no bids starting at $350.

They are a neat design and I enjoyed shooting them. I was not able to reload one near as fast as a S&W or Colt because of the way the cylinder release is set in such a way you must use the off hand to release the thing.

Also not as many accessories available easily.

A joy to shoot though.

-kBob
Click to expand...

With all the different barrels one could almost argue they have more accessories!
 
Quite a few years ago I went shooting with some buddies to test out a new dueling tree. To make it fun we decided to use revolvers. My best friend and I both used our Ruger GP100s and another friend brought out a revolver his grandfather had recently left him, a Model 27. Now I love my GP100 but wow, that 27 felt so nice and smooth. That's the only Smith that made me feel that way. I have stuck with the Ruger since.
 
I have a 67-1 (stainless version of your old 15) and it is a great shooter. It was also my first gun and I was worried at the time my choice was already past the glory days but all I really wanted was a good shooter. Many people suggested I save up a bit more for one of the more "Classic" Smith & Wesson revolvers or at least hold out for a .357. Lo and behold all I had to do was wait a few years. The value has gone up, there's more appreciation for the .38 special models, it doesn't have an ugly two piece barrel, and it was made before the internal lock era. All of a sudden this model 67 is feeling pretty classic! I have Rugers for .357 but if I was just trying to scratch the old school S&W itch I'd probably seek out the nicest model 10 I could find at a fair price and be done with it.
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Yep, current production Smith revolvers are really no more than replicas of their namesakes. IMO, the no dash L frames were their last great hurrah. Find an old Smith, love it, cherish it, never let it go.....:)View attachment 759649
Click to expand...
Nice looking Victory Model! I had a whole Arms Room footlocker full of those that were mediocore shooters at best, however. Even the few Colts in there only got me a Sharpshooter with the revolvers, instead of Expert. (I did that with the 1911 and later, M9)

I want to want a Smith& Wesson, but almost every time when confronted with the choice, I picked Colt. Ironically, the one revolver I own right now is an S&W-Bodyguard 38. At least it spins the right way.....:p

Seriously, I do like S&W's; Very nice selection of S&W's, Driftwood! :cool:
 
You sold a model 15? :what:

You should be horse whipped.

Seriously, I was just looking for a 14 or 15 the other day to use of the mountain of 38 cases I have.
 
Thaddeus Jones said:
I could care less what becomes of the current company posing as s&w. They have not made a gun I would purchase in over a decade. They no longer honor their socalled "lifetime warranty" on their 3rd gen semi autos. So I have no use for them any longer.
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I have a newer one and two old ones. Two 19's and a 625-8. The quality difference would make you cry. They gave up on building a better revolver around 1990. Not buying another new one.
 
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CoalTrain49 said:
You sold a model 15? :what:
Click to expand...

More like I traded it to a friend in need, and then gave the trade (a .30 carbine Blackhawk) back to him later. But when I bought that 15, I only paid $275 for it. I thought it was just some gun at the time.
 
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