Quote:
Originally Posted by ldimm
Thanks Daniel. So what I was told all these years was correct. A salesman sample box.
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Actually, not.
Roy has said over the years that the plan for the post-war Masterpieces was to ship them in those cases. However, the factory abandoned the plan almost immediately and we don't think any guns were actually shipped in them. Maybe they got them in and saw the scratching problem immediately just handling them at the factory. Maybe they caused the guns to rust.
They are made of a material that I'm almost sure is the densest version of Masonite. Maybe Masonite made some up trying to get a contract.......
All this is not to preclude the possibility that one or more salesmen grabbed a few at the factory and hit the road, but as I said, Roy does not give them that title. Unless someone says "Yep- I was sittin' in my gunshop in '48 when the S&W salesman blew into town...." I doubt we'll ever know if a salesman used one. It would not have been a good sales ploy to show what you WON'T be delivering. Also, in the late 40's and very early 50's, S&W was selling everything they could build, so I doubt they put many salesmen on the road!
From the number I've seen over the years, I would guess several hundred were made. I've owned 10 or 15. I've seen them vary from a rather light metalic blue to about black.