Comparing a S&W revolver made with MIM parts to a revolver made with machined parts

[rcmodel]

Ever hear of inflation?

One dollar in 1968 had the purchasing power of $7.09 today.

A new K-22 cost $89.00 in 1968.
That is $630.82 in today's dollars.

The additional $198 can be chalked up to higher labor, insurance, tax, transportation, raw materials, energy cost, employee be infects, medical insurance coverage, and meeting Government regulations in every state constantly.

My take on it is.

Todays S&W's cost me the same as they did in 1968,
When you figure the dollar is now only worth 1/7th. as much as it was then.
And manufacturing costs that must be passed down to the buyer have risen at least 10-fold or more in that time.

Especially considering I can make about 10 times more per hour working at a decent job then I could then.

I'm here to tell you it was just as hard if not harder to buy a $89 buck S&W in 1968 as it is to buy a $800 one now!!

rc

 

[rcmodel]

All well and good.

But if I had continued to be satisfied working for minimum wage after I got out of high school in 1962, and continued that way the rest of my life?

I probably wouldn't have an extensive gun collection, a home that is paid for, no bills, and a new Dodge Hemi truck in the driveway.

You don't have to settle for minimum wage your whole life.
Maybe you do just getting started, but not long after.

rc

 

[Old Fuff]

You don't have to settle for minimum wage your whole life. Maybe you do just getting started, but not long after.

Ah... but you have to have ambition, determination, and a willingness to work.

And that seems to be missing in our, "The government will take care of you" society.

 

[MrBorland]

Let's not go down the slippery slope of S&W affordability and work ethic. It's really OT and will quickly derail an otherwise excellent thread.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy Again

Sorry so much time has elapsed since my last post. I have been very busy lately. This is the last installment of my photo essay about the 17-3 and the 617-6. Thanks very much for all the kind words, particularly the compliments on my photos. I probably took something like 200 photos to sort through and get the best ones for this essay. This one is just for fun. It shows the highly sophisticated method I used to keep the parts of the two guns separated so they would not go back into the wrong gun. Yes, a few of the parts would have fit.




A few more comments. Weight of the Model 17 is 2 pounds 13 ounces. Weight of the Model 617 is 3 pounds 3 ounces. Obviously that full lug barrel has something to do with that.

Single Action trigger pull of the Model 17 averages about 4 pounds 8 ounces. Single Action trigger pull of the Model 617 averages about 5 pounds 5 ounces.

Double Action trigger pull of the 617 is stiffer, but I had no way to measure it. Although I did not do a comparison photo of them, the two hammer springs (main springs) are virtually identical.

Maybe in the spring I will compare them for accuracy, we just got two feet of snow yesterday, maybe you heard about it.

Thinking of doing a comparison of a Colt Single Action Army and an Uberti Cattleman next.

 

[ATLDave]

Yes please to the Colt SAA and Uberti Cattleman comparison!!!

 

[MrBorland]

Thanks very much for a very interesting and informative thread, DJ!

Since it's come to it's conclusion, we'll close the thread, but we'll leave it open for just a bit longer for people to offer any final thoughts & comments.

 

[bannockburn]

Driftwood Johnson

Great thread! Verify informative and entertaining. Look forward to your next installment of a Colt SAA compared to an Uberti Cattleman.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Can I suggest Mr. Borland that this thread be made a sticky in the revolver section? It has been highly informative and useful to someone like me, who is trying to educate themselves on the internal workings, and merits of different manufacturing processes. It is also very informative to our newest shooters that will join in the future, and are concerned about what era S&W revolvers they want to invest their money in.

Driftwood, fantastic thread sir. My compliments, all around, and my thanks for taking the time to do this. It is a thread I will be referring to in the future for certain.

 

[Nom de Forum]

Driftwood Johnson thank you for this invaluable thread. There are so many answers contained in this thread to questions that will frequently be asked in the future on THR. I second 460Kodiak's suggestion that it be made a sticky.

 

[Control]

Driftwood Johnson, thanks so much for the time and effort you have put into this survey. I enjoyed every minute of it!

 

[MrBorland]

We're going to add this to the Reference Library of Revolver Wisdom, a new stickie at the top of the Revolver sub-forum