My, oh, my... S&W X3

Ok, a family history story condensed into a one-liner. Very close family friend 92+ years old, not doing well in hospital. Wife asks me to please pick up handguns as she does not want them around the house (no safe!). I knew he had one, but not three, and I sure didn't know the details. Here is what I picked up last night.... details below the poor phone picture - I can do better later....



The middle one is a 2" Model 36 (no dash) that may have been shot a few times. There are not even any turn marks on the cylinder.

The top one is a 3" Model 36 (no dash), new in the box, never fired. Perfect, no turn marks on the cylinder.

The bottom one is a 6" Model 14-2, new in the box, never fired. Perfect, no turn marks on the cylinder.

The two in-the-box unfired ones still have the factory goo all over them. Not sure when he bought them, but he's the original owner. It's rare that you see a 3" Model 36... especially one that's never been fired. I just had to show someone these pictures.

I'm confident that these will not leave my hands. I told her that I would pay her any fair price for them if/when that time comes. Until then I would never shoot them of course, but if they are truly mine... they will all go to the range. I don't own guns I don't shoot. That's what they're for!

I'm so out of touch with the new stuff that I haven't even handled a S&W with one of the new locks. I suppose they just bring up the value of the older stuff - at least to those of us who know guns at all.

Thanks for the kind words. The gentleman in question has been my stand-in-dad since I lost my real dad when I was 14. It's difficult, but it's going to happen to all of us in the end... so we deal as best we can. At least I know his 3 Smiths will be looked after!

She took the Model 14 to a local "gun shop" a while ago to ask what they would pay for it... thank the gun gods she didn't leave it there. They said they'd give her $250.

None of us who know guns and handloading do business with that shop and we steer people away from it. It's a joke among the real gun people around here. I don't buy anything there at all.

I cleaned and oiled all three of these last night. I stored the boxes where they cannot be damaged and the guns are back in the safe. It was pretty amazing to get all clean patches out of the bores - the 3" Model 36 has clearly not been fired either - I initially had doubts about whether it was truly unfired. If the 2" has been fired, it was very, very few times. No indication of every being shot in the bore or chambers, but there's a tiny bit of wear from sitting in a holster for decades. I had to clean some green goo out of the grip medallions, from the leather. They all cleaned up beautifully though. The Model 14-2 is perfect, and the 3" is nearly perfect as well. I'm sure that none of the grips had even been off them before, so of course the serial numbers on the backs (of the grips) all match their respective weapon as well.

Thanks for all the kind comments.

I've not researched their manufacturing dates yet, but I would guess they're from approximately the 60s.

Regarding shooting them - of course I will not while they're simply being stored for the family.

When they become clearly mine, they will all be shot. There's no value to me in having an unfired weapon. I would never sell them, so ultimate value doesn't mean anything to me. Fondling a gun is fine as far as it goes, but to truly appreciate a weapon you need to be shooting it. Just my opinion, remember!

I wish I could display guns - too dangerous to do these days. I don't even talk about my guns around people that don't know about them already. I'd love to put an old lever action over the fireplace! These days some crack-head would break in and steal it.