I was doing a write-up of the Single-shot Perfected Model and the Straight Line and was hoping to include information about the original retail price of these guns.

I think I have a line on a 1923 price list so I can see the price of the Perfected in 1923 but I can't get ahold of a 1925 or later price list for the Straight Line.

If anyone can help out (I just would like the prices, no need to post images if you don't want to) it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

My Straight Line that I'm researching: https://i.imgur.com/e9jot0L.jpg - Serial is 11XX
My Single-shot Perfected Model: pic to come - Serial is 90XX

I found a S&W price list for 1925 online, price was marked as $35.00 for the straightline pistol.

The Third Model Single Shot (Single Shot Perfected Model) retail price was $29.50 according to several Jinks letters.

It is perhaps worthy of note there is no such thing as an "1891 Third Model Perfected".

Ralph Tremaine

Welcome to the Forum. As Ralph said, there's no " 1891 3rd Model Perfected" so I'm assuming you are referring to the 3rd model single shot target which preceded the Straight-line, correct ? Please tell us more about your "write up." There's quite a bit of very interesting history & ideas considered by S&W in developing the Straight Line Target model, plus several very rare configurations of the early production Straight Lines, as well as the various preproduction expiremental versions. Ed.

The gentleman who posted the above has forgotten more than the rest of us know----by a wide margin. You would do well to comply with his request----especially if this is a school project--------he'll get you an A+----guarandamnteed!!!

Ralph Tremaine

You are a better man than me. I could not find the actual contents anywhere, just a picture of the cover.

Thank you very much!

Thank you for the correction and corroboration with the information the Cody Firearms Museum found on the price.

My "write-up" is for a sub-forum on reddit: the front page of the internet located at /r/guns: Firearms and related articles. I've been a browser \ contributor there for several years. There are 400K people that contribute and read the sub-reddit.

It tends toward a younger demographic and I like the opportunity to introduce guns that they might not know even exist to the people that browse it.

It can be a silly or serious place, but I have enjoyed sharing different guns over the years that aren't an AR-15 or Glock (not that there's anything wrong with those).

I would love to hear additional information about the development of the Straight Line. My knowledge is limited to "S&W had a survey of what people wanted and the straight line was the result" and "it was not a commercial success, had some issues (light strikes) and an inconsistent trigger (though mine is one of the better triggers I have of any of the guns I own - including a Manhurin 357 which has a damn fine trigger)". I could assume the depression played a big role in sales of a $35 .22 LR gun not being very robust after 1929 but would love to see if the production numbers back that up.

There had to be something going on at S&W around this time... You have the 1913, the .32 Auto, and the Straight Line all around the same-ish timeframe. I have long suspected there was a subversive element within product management at S&W at work.

No school project, but I'm old enough to know that there are a LOT of people that know a LOT more than me about certain guns.

I have very eclectic interests when it comes to guns. I own everything from a Sjögren self-loading shotgun to a S18-1000 Solothurn, with interesting sub collections of .32 Autos and milsurp rifles.

People that are able to focus on specific guns or mfgs or eras never fail to impress me with the depth of their knowledge.

My theory on the commercial failure of the Straight Line goes like this: The initial survey asked for input for the world's best single shot-------and that's what they got---and they proceeded accordingly.

At pretty much the same time, the shooters in the USRA's "Any Revolver" matches were calling for a heavy weight .22 caliber revolver---heavier than the Colt Police Positive and S&W's 22/32 HFT.

Right about now we need to consider another new product-----the world's greatest dog food. There was no question---it was the world's best----with just one small problem: The dogs wouldn't eat it.

As noted, this is a theory---yet to be proven one way or another---and not intended as the opening gambit of a debate.

There's one other tale concerning S&W's attention to details: It's 1910-1912--thereabouts. A group of ARMY officers came to S&W asking for some heavy frame .22 caliber revolvers for their pistol team---heavier than the 22/32 HFT I'm sure S&W touted at length. S&W made up a group of 20 such revolvers (.22/38's), and to quote the original author of this tale, "I'll bet they never saw anything in the handgun line more beautiful-----------." But once again there was one small problem: They didn't work worth a cuss---and flyers were frequent. The guns were returned---and destroyed---all but one.

Fast forward about ten years when that one was given to Walter Roper when he reported for his first day of work at S&W. His boss, Mr. David Reddie is reported to have said, "Sometime you might like to try this gun. Maybe you can discover why it doesn't shoot as it should." He was also told the prevailing wisdom was blaming the long jump the bullet had to make before reaching the rifling. He pursued that theory first---having a single shot barrel made up with the same length throat. It produced better groups---and no flyers. The story continues to one day when he was cleaning the revolver, and noticed the cleaning rod seemed to revolve too fast. He made some measurements, and found the rifling in that 22/38 barrel was one turn in ten inches. He knew, and S&W certainly knew that one turn in about sixteen inches was correct for the .22 Long Rifle bullet.

I guess that's what they're talking about when they say "The Devil's in the details."

Ralph Tremaine

Let me quantify the commercial failure of the Straight Line: 1,870 guns in eleven years.

My bottom line on the Straight Line debacle: The single shot market was bad sick and dying before the Straight Line was born. S&W was so embarrassed by the entirety of the Straight Line experience, they wouldn't hardly talk about it for more than 20 years. (I bought my first Straight Line and my first 3rd Model in 1959---heading into my junior year in college. Then, as now, I wanted to know about my new guns; and contacted the company. They happily told me more than I knew to ask about the 3rd Model, and would just barely admit that they'd even made the Straight Line.)

I see this often in application development. Careful asking users want they want. Often they don't know what they want.

Very Interesting! You would wonder why they even had the CAPABILITY of making a 1:10 .22 barrel?? Like maybe some one set the rifling machine up for a .38 but with a .22 cutter? But even that should have been 1:14! Perhaps he had a time machine and thought they were going to chamber them for .22 Jet?

As a side note: the July 1929 issue of The American Rifleman magazine had an article by E. H. Stuerman: Making The Straightline Shoot.

As to the reasons for the unpopularity of the Straight Line, here's an excerpt from a recent article I wrote for the Blue Press which gives one reason, notwithstanding the fact that the configuration of the pistol was not revolver-like, which most people were used to.

Because of the purposely very tight tolerances of the action, when the working parts were lubricated with oils then in use, some gumming up inevitably took place. I remember as a boy that the popular classic 3-in-1 oil that was widely available during WWII had a reputation for gumming. In recent years I took my grandfather’s S&W revolver (which dated to 1903) apart for cleaning, and it was really gunked inside from those earlier lubricants. Such gum-ups too often resulted in light primer strikes and misfires with the Straight Line. “Alibis” such as these were certainly unwanted and very annoying.

As for the Perfected Target Pistol, I devoted a chapter to that one in my book 101 Classic Firearms - it can be found starting on page 52. I've shot mine, and it's perfectly satisfactory even today, 106 years after it was shipped.

John

__________________
- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Thank you. I've ordered a copy to have.

John one of your previous posts was where I got the information about the light primer strikes. Beautiful examples you have there!

Where did you order a copy from? I would like to order one too. Thanks.

I ordered mine from Amazon I think there are sellers on eBay as well.

I would Google "1929 July American Rifleman"

I went the Amazon route. Thanks to ol777 and dcgray. We'll see what shows up. My #132X was shipped on April 5, 1928 and delivered to Morley Brothers Co., Saginaw, MI. at the wholesale price of $21.40

That's quite the markup!! Imagine a 25% markup on guns today.

The letter for mine, #12xx, says retail price was $35.00, but the billed price to the retailer for 6 units was $21.40

Wow that's not 25% that's an amazing 66% markup.

The firearms business sure has changed!

Making the Straight-Line Shoot Imgur: The magic of the Internet