I can't figure out if I like the case hardened frames or not.

The case hardened frames are certainly not period correct for a Smith & Wesson product but I confess to enjoy looking at pretty case hardening. I wouldn't mind finding an example of a pre-lock case hardened revolver.

Thanks Guys and Girls, good comments.
Most of the offers never caught my eye.

What QC said!!!! +1 Your best bet is to buy NIB models that are available on the "used" market. They will NEVER be made....like they used to be!!!! Bob

quote:

If I was looking for a bargain basement gun I'd buy a Ruger for God's sake

+1

gamms

I like the pinned barrel and recessed chambers but I could live without them. I like the firing pin on the hammer but I could live without it. But I don't like the MIM parts and it can't friggin cost that much more to have a CNC machine make milled parts. If they even made it an extra cost option and I bet they would sell a heck of a lot more guns. I could probably even live with the lock if they hid it under the grip like Ruger, or at least somewhere less noticeable, any place is better than the side plate area. The Smith blue finish guns don't ususally have the polish and beauty of the older guns and there's no reason for that. Machines and technology of the 21st century should be able to polish and make blue guns look just as good as the old timers ever did. I will say the current nickle finish revolvers look about as good as they've ever looked, so there are just there are just a few things that S&W needs to tweak to make me want to buy their new revolvers. That nickle plated Cenntenial shown above, looks pretty good to me, and I just might buy one to patronize Smith & Wesson's attempt at trying to make a "classic".

Perhaps they should have called them "Retro". Whatever they call them I am pleased with my M22/1917 and have no qualms about shooting it and or carrying it. Now if they could make a "Retro" M22 with 3" barrel and round butt.

I don't have a problem with it. If a new pistol was an exactly exact copy of the real thing, it might undercut the prices and historic authenticity of the genuine antique articles.

Plus, the new "classics" give people who are non-gunsmiths a chance to buy a gun that offers the same classic performance without the risk of buying an old gun with problems. I've missed important things when buying an antique gun at a gunshow and it is really disappointing to find that your gun show bargain has a potentially dangerous problem.

Of course, I'm assuming that the new S&W classics don't shoot to the left consistently like my ...ahem...Ruger Vaquero.

It's hard to beat the foreign competition on price, S&W is smart to try and beat them on heritage and reputation.

quote:

Originally posted by BarbC:
When I saw the lock, I was disgusted.

+1,000

quote:

Originally posted by Smitty500Mag:
Looks like S&W would finally get the message. They got rid of items like pinned barrels and recessed cylinders as a cost saving measure and we the customer are not looking for cut rate guns. For crying out loud build them like we want the damn things and charge what you have to have in order to make money. If I was looking for a bargain basement gun I'd buy a Ruger for God's sake.

Smitty

I just read an article earlier this evening in one of those "Cowboy Gun" mags. USFA is now the official manufacturer of replicant Remington 1858s and 1875s... can't remember the exact prices, but the 1858 was under $1600 and the 1875 was under $1900. Funny thing, but they mentioned that an original 1858 originally sold for $9.00 even....

U.S. Firearms makes a faithful, better-than-Colt-makes, recreation of the SAA:

U.S. Firearms SAA under $1000.

When S&W, or someone else, begins making the pre-1982 style/quality (or better) S&W revolvers, they'll be true classics.

quote:

Originally posted by Smitty500Mag:
Looks like S&W would finally get the message. They got rid of items like pinned barrels and recessed cylinders as a cost saving measure and we the customer are not looking for cut rate guns. For crying out loud build them like we want the damn things and charge what you have to have in order to make money. If I was looking for a bargain basement gun I'd buy a Ruger for God's sake.

Smitty

I just wanted to expound on this a bit, in case any official S&W ever read this. I realize that this is almost certainly not an original thought, but all those cost-cutting measures made to revolvers may have made sense when the big $ was in police/government contracts where low unit cost related to a competitive advantage, but as Smitty points out, that''s a defunct paradigm now. With the rise of the autoloader as the primary duty gun, the revolver's appeal is to the sportsman and the aficionado with epicurean tastes. The current production model 29-10, for example, can be readily had for $800-900. If the cost of pinning the barrels, recessing the cylinders (only on the models that originally had 'em), no MIM parts or locks, and a high-polish finish, pushed that market price up to $1200-1300, I'd be OK with it.

quote:

To me a "classic" would indicate an exact re-creation/reproduction of something long out of production. Something like the Registered Magnum or the Model of 1950 target revolver or even the New Century. Nah, I've come to the sad conclusion that anything S&W invests with the "Classic" label is just a marketing ploy. MIM parts, internal lock, no pinned barrel or recessed chambers. Same old shit, different name, higher price. I think I'll pass on the "Classics."

Yes, the two I own are not exactly the same as the originals. They come close but not the same.

quote:

Originally posted by moonclip:
"Dressed up like a million dollar trouper, trying hard to look like Gary Cooper"

......moon

Moon, that made me laugh as I just watched "Young Frankenstein" the other night.

I think that S&W is in the business of selling guns and would rather sell a greater number of less expensive guns than catering to traditionalists like us. Colt sells very few SAAs. There a LOT of SAA clones sold. S&W is doing okay selling to their chosen audience and probably does not see a lot of money in building guns to please guys like us.