I'll always be in the market for one but I will never be willing to spend less than HALF what that one on GB went for, so I've accepted the fact that I will likely never own one.

In regards to the 1046s "place" in the S&W market, each niche of S&Ws seems to have a cult following, one of the strongest being the 10xx collectors. I don't consider myself a "collector" of them because I only really like 2 of the models (1076 and 1086) and my other interests are in 10xx pistols that were never made which is why I did a 4053 10mm conversion.

With a pistol as rare as the 1046, and with it being the holy grail of 10xx collecting, it's no surprise that prices are insane. Someone once told me that you can never pay too much for a vintage S&W... only too soon. Well IMO $5K+ for a 1046 is about 20 years too soon. That price makes the 1046 basically unattainable for your average accumulator and bumps the 1046 up into the lower echelon of ELITE status as far as S&W collecting IMO.

As far as the design and function of the 1046, for me personally, it seems like an excellent combat pistol. Some people hate DAO guns, and especially DAO semi autos. Personally I prefer DAO for a self defense weapon. I just really like them. For someone who carries lots of revolvers it makes the ability to train with both in DA a very simple transition with virtually no change in function or muscle memory, with the only difference being no ability to cock back into SA with the 1046.

This being said, the 1086 seems to be a better choice in every way. A little lighter, a little more common and affordable, smaller. But it's the scarcity driving the price, not the practicality, so I digress.

Just some random cup o' coffee and a cigarette thoughts by yours truly.

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SWCA 3563
10mm aficionado