I have invoices (compliments of Bill Cross) for mine and three more shipped with adapters. These three (and mine) are most certainly outside the norm, as they were given to the recipients (and the invoices were created so as to charge off the cost to the Advertising Account). The cost, incidentally, was $14.55 which I figure was the cost to make the gun and the adapters, as the distributor price (for the gun) was in the mid $20 range somewhere, near as I recall. I suspect (only because it makes some sense) these guns were shipped with the adapters because they were gifts---and S&W wanted to gussy them up as much as possible (without covering them with engraving).

Two of these four guns went to gun magazine editors (Sharpe and Keith) in the hope they'd say nice things about them----or else no more freebies for YOU!! The other two went to individuals involved with firearms in the Boston and Providence police departments----perhaps as thanks for buying a bunch of police guns---or maybe just because.

From a purely dollars and sense business aspect, it's strange the cost charged off is the same in all four cases----leaving one to wonder about the shipping costs. They were all shipped by "Prepaid Express" (railroad express I reckon)---but to significantly different destinations which strongly suggests significantly different costs----especially for Keith's gun---North Fork, Idaho being a far piece from Springfield.

Ralph Tremaine