Speaking of older guns.....

Whilst picking up an AR I'd left at my gunsmith's for work this afternoon, I noticed a nice Colt Official Police under glass, probably from the 1960s, that was in surprisingly good shape. Turned out to be a PD trade-in, it was never issued. Aside from a couple minor dings & an inventory number scratched on the frame, apparently unfired.

In the middle of dickering on that one, his partner piped up with "Have you shown him the Smith yet?"

Smith? What Smith?

"Well, I have a pre-Model 27 in the vault."
Say what? Pre-27?
"I had to send it back to the factory to be re-finished, the insides were great and it hadn't been fired much at all, but the outside needed help."

I've carried Smiths at work, I've fired a few here & there over the years, I own one or two (or more ), occasionally use one as a pocket gun, and I have a brand new 686 here in the office.
Five years ago I bought an unfired Model 28 in its box from this same gunsmith. A couple years ago I bought a full factory re-finished Model 29 from him.
The 28 remains unfired, the 29 was fired sparingly, it is one beautiful Smith and shows quite clearly the company can do a magnificent restoration.

When the pre-27 came out of the vault, I was gabberflasted.
Again, a beautiful restoration by S&W (if you're hesitating over sending an older Smith back for the same treatment, don't), but the quality of the gun was outstanding and a testiment to the true craftsmen that built it in 1952.
The cylinder locked up as tight as any Colt DA revolver I've ever handled, and if you're familiar with the old Colt V-spring action you know what I'm talking about.
It makes the right noises at the right times, carryup is perfect, everything lines up straight on it, machining is near flawless, and it's a tribute to S&W in its prime.

No collector value with the re-finish, but the gun's a throwback to days when skilled labor turned out a gun to be proud of. Aside from the original grips that show carry wear, it's just like a brand new revolver that I could have walked out of the local hardware store with in 1952, IF I could have walked in 1952 (I was still crawling at the time).

Today's economics will never allow such a gun to be made again, and all of the gunmakers have to build to a price & quality level that will sell product and remain competitive. S&W is not alone in that respect, I think most of us understand that, but it doesn't mean we have to be happy about changing times.

Ruger has been inching MIMs into their products for several years, Colt had to drop their DA revolvers completely because they were not competitive, and the other major revolver presence, Taurus, wasn't even around in the Good Ol' Days, but still owns a good market share with an extensive line that also includes MIMs. They got where they are because they used technology that permitted serviceable guns at affordable prices.

MIM technology is undeniably here to stay, and it does work.

But, better today than 60 years ago?
As Big Jake once said- "Not hardly!"
And I now owe my gunsmith for two more revolvers I had not planned to buy this year.

Denis