Lots of great comments and reasons here to join the S&WCA. It is easy join and well worthwhile. Here again is the link to the application: http://www.theswca.org/swcaforum/New...pplication.pdf
It’s a great way to be in the loop and further your interests in all things Smith & Wesson. I hope to see some new faces at the next S&WCA symposium!
-Karl-

You couldn't ask for a better like minded handgun enthusiasts to join with then the S&WCA. You have access not only to fellow members but the S&WCA Journal with it's excellent articles on S&W handguns. When I joined what I read was an inspiration for me to write and post an article on the Disassembly/Assembly of the S&W Model 52 semi-automatic pistol thus providing owners the opportunity to know and understand one of the finest pistols manufactured by Smith & Wesson.

Sorry that I am late to the party here, but for anyone still on the fence I will say that for me the 2 most important benefits of my membership of more than 30 years have been (A) the detailed information on the World's Greatest Handguns that just could not be found elsewhere; and (B) the friendships made with Smith collectors across the country, indeed the world, which have enriched my life. My only regret is that I didn't join sooner than I did!

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Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215

I joined a couple years ago. My collection probably pales compared to most, but the value I get from the information exchange is well worth the price of admission. Just told Mrs Raljr1 that I/we plan to go to Tulsa this year since work no longer interferes.

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

A bit late in posting, but I will have to agree with all the positive attributes of the S&WCA mentioned here.

I joined the S&WCA in 1991 right before attending my first Symposium at Scottsdale, AZ. Since then, I have attended 23 of these unbelievably enjoyable events learning something new every time. Not enough can be said about the things to be learned and lifetime friends to be made as a member of this Association.

Michael G. Speers, CPA
S&WCA Life Member # 357
S&WCA Administrator
S&WCA Journal Editor
S&WHF Founding Member

And my membership card has now been received!

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NICK-SWCA-NRA BENEFACTOR LIFE

Welcome Nick. You should get the forum to edit your profile and add the S&WCA logo to your information.

Northern NJ? What part?

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James Redfield
LM #497

Roger that, James. I’m in Morris County. But originally a New Yorker. Born and raised in NYC. Until I married a Jersey girl... and then well... I became a Jersey guy for many years. Looking to retire to greener pastures SOON!

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NICK-SWCA-NRA BENEFACTOR LIFE

I mailed my application yesterday.

What next and how will I be notified ?

Anxiously awaiting,
Tim Thomas

Well I'm from Essex county. Met a girl in PA while at Penn State who was from Framingham, MA. Moved here in 1970 and I'm still here. My youngest daughter met a guy from NJ while in college in CT. They now live in north Jersey, go figure.....

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James Redfield
LM #497

I have been putting it off but it's time I joined the S&W Collectors Association after all, I have 40 of them! Howdo I join? I think I need a sponsor but don't know how to find one. Any advice?
Thanks. MJ

No sponsor is required. Check post 101 for a link to the application. Congratulations on a great decision, you won't regret it....

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James Redfield
LM #497

As a long time member of the SWCA and long time collector of S&W I should have posted many times the benefits and knowledge gained, there is nowhere else you can gain the information that is available by being a member of SWCA. I have been fortunate to have attended some of the Symposiums which is an experience all S&W collectors should have, where else can you return home with a box of parts and pieces for your projects, and meet the great people you read and email on this forum.

John Claydon SWCA 348

Throwing this thread to the top. Great organization, great people, and beautiful one-of-a-kind guns/displays that you will see nowhere else beside the annual Symposiums. And you get a cool little medallion by your name on this forum...

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

I joined several years ago, and really will just reiterate what a lot have already said. Access to the vast amount of knowledge, and the chance to deal and visit with incredibly nice and generous members has made it well worth it to me.

The greatest Collector's Assc in the world.....Wealth of knowledge.....Fun.....Get to meet the BIG GORILLA....Sell some guns....Buy some guns.....See some of the best guns in the country ever to exist....Road trip once a year......The list goes on and on.....

DID I MENTION THE GUN AUCTION?? Once a year you can join us at the symposium and BUY OR SELL some of the COOLEST S&W in the world...We do a members auction and its a huge hit! Highest bid takes them home.....Jim Supica is our auctioneer and CHERYL CHEELY and I like to rile up the crowd and promote the bidding!! 20% PLUS goes back to the association and members get a chance to bid on some neat stuff! JOIN US TODAY......YOU WILL NOT REGRET!

Regards
Jim Brewster
S&WCA Auction Manager
Secretary/Board of Directors

Thanks. I'm filling out the application now. mj

All that's required is an interest in S&W. Doesn't even have to be guns. I've seen interesting and award winning displays on S&W Knives, handcuffs, literature, advertising, and even a S&W toilet flush valve! The greatest treasures are the wonderful people you'll soon call friends! Most of them know A LOT more about S&Ws than I do and are willing to share that knowledge. Just say hello and ask Like ordnanceguy, my regret is not joining earlier.

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PTLAPTA!

I would like to add my two cents to this thread.
I am a very new member to the S&WCA, having received my membership card three days ago. After being a member of the forum for several years, I had always hesitated to join the S&WCA, since my S&W collection is modest at best. But after reading this invitation to join from handejector, I realized I was missing the real point of membership. By hanging out here, reading posts from other forum members, I took my enjoyment of my hobby to a higher level. A higher level than all the firearm publications I could read. If you look at the number of “likes” I have given as a forum member, it far exceeds the number of posts I have made. I doubt I will ever start a post about some special firearm I found, but I certainly enjoy reading about other members that have, or those willing to post pictures of their collection.
The point of joining S&WCA is taking your enjoyment, the knowledge you acquire to the next level; and, being given the privilege of speaking to other members within your collecting niche, either at the symposium or through the S&WCA publication, which I look forward to reading.
I urge everyone reading this thread to join S&WCA. I have been a member less than a week, and I have learned more from the member’s only area than I ever thought. It’s like a great book you can’t put down once you’ve started!

Gary S&WCA # 3458

Mailing my application tomorrow. Looking forward to learning from so many people with so much knowledge.

In this post Lee has shown many, many reasons why anyone interested in S&W guns should join the SWCA. I have only been a member for 4 years but have already attended 3 symposiums and had two displays. I will be displaying again in Tulsa this year. My collecting interest is in 1st and 2nd generation model 39's and based on the information I have learned during the symposiums, I have doubled the size of my collection. While I am interested in, but not a expert on revolvers, I have increased my knowledge a hundred fold thanks to many of the members that attend the symposiums or write about them in the journal. You will not find anywhere else more historic guns, engraved guns, one of a kind guns or variety of guns in one location at the same time than you will at a symposium. When I read the forum posts, it's obvious that there are some very knowledgeable and serious collectors as well as the layman collectors like me that that are not yet members. My question is this: Why Not?

I've delayed replying to this because I'm not entirely sure what to say.

The thing of it is that anyone who likes S&Ws at all should be a member. The benefits are an absolute bargain for the meager dues. The problem for me is how I relate how great the folks in the SWCA are? With too many words..that's how.

So first off, here's some pros/cons of joining as I see it:

Pros:
- The SWCA consists of incredibly nice people who will welcome you and share even the most esoteric information that you may need, the kind of information that other collecting communities jealously hoard and take with them to their death beds.

- The Symposium is an absurdly good time. I've only been able to attend one, and looking at the agenda I thought it would be dry and boring. I wasn't sure how I would get through the whole thing. Turns out I could have happily spent a whole week. The guns were one thing, but the people were what really made it.

- The secure forum is wonderful, again because of the people on there. Honestly the dues are worth just access to that forum.

- With S&Ws you can be keen on any number of collecting niches, and you are going to find other people in the SWCA that share your passion. When you are like me and your passion has become exceedingly niche, there aren't a lot of other people who even know what you are talking about, much less are excited about what you are excited about. With the SWCA you can get to know other like minded people, and it's just awesome.

Cons:
- You will be exposed to wonders that you didn't even know existed. Especially if you attend a symposium. This may do bad things to your pocketbook.

- The quarterly publication will show you things you didn't actually know you have always needed to own...also bad things to the pocket book.


Now if you feel like reading, I'll expound a lot more then anyone really needs;

Gun collecting can be a bit of a difficult thing for people to get into. Not because people won't give you a gun when you give them your money, but because so many people in guns are tight lipped when it comes to sharing information.

When I first started getting interested in old guns the "logical" guns to get into were Colts. For someone new to old guns they had all the broad cultural cachet. But I was very quickly confronted with an insular group that seemed to have little to no interest in welcoming anyone new into the group. Certainly not in sharing information with some random young guy from the internet. I've since met some pretty great Colt collectors, but honestly, to this day, when I try to engage with serious Colt collectors at gunshows I'm at a loss to engage them in enjoyable conversation as soon as they realize that I won't in fact be hauling out great grandpa's Indian Wars era SAA and selling it to them for $500.

The majority of Colt collectors I have found to be pleasant and enjoyable to engage with...turn out to be S&W collectors too...

I'm thankful that I found that Colt community to be so cold and uninviting, because even I, as stubborn as I am, didn't feel like trying to break that ice to get into Colts. Especially not when I found the community on the forums here, and ultimately within the SWCA to be so warm, inviting, and helpful.

Hell, since I am going to be typing a bit anyway, I have a Colt Collecting anecdote regarding a gun I bought. I bought it for a (relative) song because the auction house didn't know what it was exactly. They had a document describing the modifications to the gun which were actually done by Colt in 1920, and the modifications match near exactly the later famous Keith No. 5. Thing is this gun predates Keith's history, yet it *is* a "Keith No. 5". Apparently the collector of this gun, who had the ordinal factory work order, with the name of the Colt historian on the back of it, had taken his secret of this gun to his grave. Why? I can only speculate, but it seems to me to be a by product of how tight lipped that group can be about information.

On the one hand I love the gun, and I am glad that the auction house didn't know either what they had, nor connected the factory work order to the gun until they found it later (and being good folks mailed it to me). On the other hand, if the gun had been a S&W, I know one of the fine members of the SWCA who owned it would have willingly shared with others this really neat bit of history. So it wasn't lost. I fear that a lot of Colt knowledge may be lost as members of that community pass.

With S&Ws, I *know* the knowledge won't be lost because of how free members of the SWCA are with good, reliable information.

I have really enjoyed trying to use my luck and my stubborn doggedness when looking for interesting old gun stuff to add to some of the S&W knowledge that the members of the SWCA have been piling up over the years. It's a real joy to be able to dig weird things up and share them with people I know really appreciate seeing something they haven't seen often, or maybe never. And with old S&Ws there is just so much to find!


I should say though that I don't want to denigrate the Colt community. I've met many great guys from there over the years, but from my experience as a new collector the warmth of the people in the SWCA was just night and day different from any other group of collectors I have been around.

It's really the people in the SWCA that you should join for. And I am talking especially to younger collectors here when I say that you will not find a nicer, more knowledgeable group of people to help you find that bit of S&W collecting that you settle into and just love. I've made extremely good friends, which, I wish I wasn't separated from by so much danged geography.

I would like to thank the members of the SWCA, and especially the leadership of this community for doing such a wonderful job. I hope once this current phase of my life (early taking care of baby) is over I can go back to being more involved. It's certainly a goal of mine.

I'm very happy to be a part of the SWCA. I have not read through all of the responses, so I may duplicate. But here are a few reasons:
1. Journal.
2. Access to Mr. Roy Jinks and other knowledgeable folks.
3. Letter discount.
4. There are many other perks, any one of them, on its own, is worth $50/year.

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SWCA #3385 SWHF #651

I just re-uped my membership. You can't beat all the info/knowledge/perks you rec being a member. If you are a collector of SW's. ITS A MUST !!

Brian

I just mailed off for my 3rd letter. I've saved $75 since joining.

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Kenny
Endeavor to persevere.

Raystown, you need to have the powers that be add the SWCA logo to your post headings!!!!

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James Redfield
LM #497

As has already been posted, there are numerous reasons to to join the
S&W Collectors Association. But receiving the Journal and being able to ask Mr Roy Jinks questions about the history of your guns is worth more than the membership dues.
For those who frequent this great board and are not members, recommend you evaluate the benefits of joining. I think you will be pleased.

Mailed my application on Feb 12 (birthday present to me), and today, nine days later received my first copy of the S&WCA Journal and this totally awesome 50th Anniversary patch!

Attached Images

DSCN1195[1].jpg (138.9 KB, 17 views)

Where else will you have direct access to Mr. S&W?? What can I say about SWCA member #1? He is unquestionably the most knowledgeable person on the history of S&W, guns made by S&W, S&W patents, S&W Factory Accessories, etc., and ready to share this knowledge with other SWCA members. He provides direct answers to inquiries and ship dates for all SWCA members. His dedication to the generation of countless factory letters has benefited Forum members, SWCA members, and non-members as well.

There are many other great reasons to be a SWCA member, but interactions with Roy Jinks is right up there on top of that list for me.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

I joined SWCA in 1985/86. I joined because I wanted to interact with other members and learn more about Smith & Wesson. At the time, I did not have a specific collecting area and just liked them all. After awhile, I decided to look around at what areas/guns were available to collect. I had a pre war heavy duty and looking on line and going to gun shows I found I could build a collection with them. Over the last 17 years I have learned a lot about 38/44 Heavy Duty's and have tried to share this knowledge with other members and members of the Forum. The Annual Meetings/Symposiums are great to see things you would never see anywhere else. Also, we have a great time at Tulsa twice a year. The Journals are also great places to learn about Smith & Wessons. I highly recommend the SWCA and feel like you can't go wrong. Hope to see you at the Tulsa Symposium in June!
Bill

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38-44heavyduty.com

I can't say anything about the SWCA that hasn't already been said, so I'll just post my personal experience.

Initially, my reason for joining was to attend the annual symposium. It remains a very valid reason for joining as you will see things there you may never see elsewhere. I saw things made by S&W that I didn't even know existed, plus I saw things I had only read or heard about. I got to meet the legendary Roy Jinks (and his lovely wife Jean) and it was like talking to anyone else you might encounter at your local gun store - except it's plain to see he's had the experience and know what he's talking about. Even if you're an introvert (like me) you'll meet people who share your interests and are friendly and eager to take the time make your acquaintance.

Upon joining the forum, I found that people there treat you like you'd been there forever, not like a "newbie". If you ask a question that been asked before, they don't ignore you or belittle you, they give you a straight up answer. I've also used the forum to get letters and shipping dates. Getting letters as a SWCA member results in savings that helps defray the cost of membership. The beautifully done quarterly magazine is not only a great source of information, it also acts a platform for those members who wish to share their specific knowledge with other collectors because the association is always looking for contributing articles.

When first considering the $60 cost of membership, many may hesitate, because all they see "on the surface" is access to another forum. That is a very myopic view however and once one considers all the 'extras' that comes with membership, $60 is really a bargain. When my first year was up and it was time to renew, I went for the 5 year renewal which almost results in a "free year" savings. And yes, at my age, 5 years is a bit optimistic.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

I've been a member for about 10 years.
Joined initially because some of the guys that sold things in the Classifieds were members and we became friends after a few transactions.
They were so helpful and knowledgeable to a guy building a "collection" of revolvers, grips & boxes with limited knowledge of the subjects.
That was the beginning but after that the Journal, SWCA members forum and the occasional symposium is why I stay. AND I still learn from these guys!

You don't have to have a lot of S&W's and you don't have to have a lot of money to fit in.
I didn't when I joined (still don't) but have built a small collection of nice guns with the knowledge I've gained.
If you do join (and I hope you do) ask questions and participate in threads on what your interested in.
It's a opportunity to be part of the history of S&W that is not available anywhere else.

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SWCA #2420

I joined, attended the get together in Richardson, Tex

The first time I've smiled in years !!!



It'll put a smile on you too !!!

.

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

I'll bet "cousin" Elmer was smiling too!

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PTLAPTA!

So, I am a very, very new member. Why did I join? I have loved Smith and Wesson revolvers for many years. I have been collecting them for years now (my kids say I am hoarding them). I don't have an enormous number of them, but they are a significant percentage of the total number of firearms I own.

I want to meet other folks who have the same passion for these engineering gems I so love. I am really looking forward to attending the symposium in Tulsa and am eagerly waiting for my invite to it.

In my short time being a member of the forum, I have learned a lot. I expect that I will learn even more as a member of the SWCA.

And bonus for those that may be hesitating to join. This is the 50th anniversary of the SWCA. And they have very cool patches to commemorate that! (Ok, that's pretty trivial, but the patch is still cool.)

So, join already.

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Ray
SWCA 3472

I have been lurking for about a year, reading the messages, trying to digest all of the information available.

I have always marveled at the innovation, engineering and genius that has gone into all of rifle and pistols along with the stories that go along with them.

I decided to join the SWCA to expand my knowledge and to get some of these lesser known stories about the S&W family of firearms and the people associated with them.

My application went out 2/19 and received my membership card and magazine a week later.

Included with the magazine was a real nice 50 Year commemorative patch. My next thought after the 'cool patch' was 'I wonder how I can get the other 49'. The collector bug has bitten me.

Welcome to ALL the new members!! I think you'll enjoy the S&WCA, and like me, only wish we hadn't waited so long to join

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PTLAPTA!

The SWCA and SWHF are both worthy endeavors. The Journal alone is worth the membership fee. Plus you have relatively easy access to Roy Jinks through the forum.

I think I joined the S&WCA back around 2012, and my only regret is that I didn't join a decade earlier. I attended my first symposium in 2016, and my gun safe has continued to shrink since then.

Lee has outlined some of the excellent reasons to join. To this, I can only add that I've made some lifelong friends here; truly superb people that I would give the shirt off of my back to. Being welcomed into this community is an expression of trust rarely found in this world, and I consider myself lucky to get to associate with so many superb people.

When I was writing my history thesis (on Smith & Wesson) some years back, I was humbled by the generosity of some people on this forum, who sent me envelopes full of information. Several members hand-picked guns that they felt should be in my collection, and they were most generous in holding them for me while I saved up my lunch money.

I recommend this group only if you want to make some good friends and forge memories that will last a lifetime.

Mike

My eldest grandson has a interest in S&Ws....

He's also a member, hooked him up last year
and we're already making plans for Tulsa.
Raising them up right on the ranch...


.

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

I mailed in both applications yesterday.

Mike,
What size are your shirts? Do you wash them before sending?

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

I just noticed this thread, so I apologize for being late to the party.

From the attributes beside my moniker you can see I am a member of both the Smith & Wesson Collectors Association and the Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation. I strongly recommend membership in both organizations.

The SWCA is rich with information about collecting S&W revolvers and pistols. Membership provides a flow of this information from the members' section of this forum and from the SWCA Journal.

There is also the annual symposium. I've not been yet, but from the reports I certainly want to go.

Ship date requests! That is a nice benefit from membership. There are a lot of S&W revolvers that don't really merit a Letter of Authenticity, but we would like to pin down their ship date. It's a great resource.

The S&W Historical Foundation does a lot of work toward preserving the history of Smith & Wesson. Once you get a Letter of Authenticity you can make a request of SWHF to find out if there are documents specific to your gun. Most often it will just be the original invoice, but sometimes you hit paydirt. Have a look at this thread I posted: Extremely Rare .38/44 HD Target Revolver. All the documents that make the revolver's history interesting came from the SWHF. Without their work none of this would be available.

Membership in SWHF is a one-time payment of dues. No annual bill! It's worth it to join and to know you have made a contribution toward this historical preservation.

I know I am repeating a lot that has been said earlier in this thread. Go back and read it. After doing so, just join.

One last thing: We all owe Lee a debt of gratitude for providing this forum and for policing it so cleanly. Yeah, sometimes people gripe about getting a ding or two. That's what it takes to keep it clean and polite. If you don't believe that, I can refer you to other forums that are not properly policed so you can see the difference.

Just join.

Curl

Thank you for the information in this thread. I just put my application in the mail.

If you love S&Ws, just join them both, and go to the Symposium.

Jim

I had been wanting to add to this thread for a while, so here we go.

I have been a member for (I think) six or seven years now. I was hesitant to join for a few reasons.

First was I kinda thought it was going to be a bit snobby! With nothing but talk of the rarest find in better than mint condition and costing more than my car. This is far from the truth, it was such a preconceived misconception its not even funny. The journal does include rare and hard to find items written with lots of historical background and documentation. Also, articles include more modern guns, stainless guns, semi-auto guns. I find things of interest in every journal. Even articles on member's favorite guns, why they like them and so on. I may even write about my sixty fours one day. The journal alone is worth the price of admission.

My second issue for not joining sooner was, I greatly dislike annual dues. The payment, the hassle, actually remembering to do it in a timely manner. Honestly, this does keep me from joining things like this and I've even lost memberships in other groups because of it. Well this is easy to do and I think after your probationary period you can pay for several years at once, five I think? To me, this was a very nice benefit. I do take advantage of this benefit.

The symposium, I haven't gone, don't know if life with let me go anytime soon, perhaps one day! I do enjoy reading about it in the Journal.

So if you are interested in Smith and Wesson.

Like history

Like to read

Why not join...

Joined for a year and I'm glad I did. Haven't been to a symposium yet, but have "met" over the internet or by phone a great group of people.

Just signed up for another 5 years. That should say something.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

As a somewhat newer SWCA member and probably one of the youngest in the bunch, I wanted to give my feedback as well.

1st and foremost, I love the quarterly magazines. I'm a reader and enjoy learning more about Smith and Wessons any chance I get. I've also spent a lot of hours reading posts over the years by other knowledgeable SWCA members, so joining the association and contributing funds to the greater cause was a no brainer for me. Plus I've already met some great friends and colleagues through the SWCA that I can always turn to for advice and help. Thank you guys, you know who you are.

I have yet to make it to a Symposium yet, and it looks like this year will be a no go as well. After seeing highlights/pictures/stories of past events, it appears to be a great experience. I look forward to my first opportunity to have a table.

Lastly, if you don't want to take the plunge and be a part of the SWCA yet, think about being a contributor to the forum. A lot of hard work/long hours/tedious moderation go into this website and contributions keep the lights on and the information flowing.

Join the SWCA, I don't regret it one bit.

SVT28

Well, I'm convinced.
(I have been, but really had to convince the wife.) Heh, heh.

I just mailed out my membership check and look forward to learning even more!

Thank you,
Bill

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Veteran Paratrooper, '86-'90

Welcome, Bill. You won't regret it.

Mike