There are definitely some perks to working at a gun shop. Even though the shop I work at doesn't buy or sell used guns, some interesting stuff can still come through. So one of the regular customers of the shop and range is also a big fan and collector of Smith and Wesson revolvers. He used to have a larger collection before the arthritis in his hands made the bigger guns hard to handle, so now he's down to a few K22s and a couple other K frames, but he still has leftover parts from other guns. When he saw the HP I picked up last week, he offered me a set of walnut N frame target stocks. He tells me that he got the stocks with the gun they originally came on, and that the owner took them off the brand new gun the day he got it and stuck them in the box for the pachmayers he got, so the stocks are still brand new, but he sold the gun off a while ago. He says he wants them to go to a good home so he tells me I can have them for $100, and then also tells me he'll throw in a S&W made 4 inch K frame holster for my 38 M&P.

Obviously I jumped on the deal. The brand new walnut target stocks are going on my 28-2 that's in ~95% and the holster will be nice for carrying at work and maybe IDPA as well.

So right about working in a shop.
About a year after I retired from LE in '08, I began working p/t at a large, busy LGS. Got most of my S&W's there, and most of them I would never have found otherwise.
The store aggressively sought out, and handled estate sales. Some were very impressive.
Later, I moved to a smaller shop, but since it was also an indoor range, there was lots of foot traffic and got to meet lots of S&W-interested folks. This shop did a lot of trading and consignment, so I was able to obtain several more there.
After surviving a few 'panic buying' episodes, I began to tire of the whole retail scene and the patience required was beginning to leave me.

Have since moved away from the area and will enjoy the guns I was able to pick up. Now, I'm limited to GB since shops in my area are mostly purveyors of black plastic.

__________________
Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

Nice target stocks. And a comment on the seller mentioning that "the owner took them off the brand new gun the day he got it and stuck them in the box for the pachmayers." He wasn't the only one that did that. Over the years I've bought several sets of pristine S&W stocks on eBay from sellers that were advertising "pachmayer grips in their original box." Enjoy!

Jeff
SWCA #1457

Nice stocks and fantastic photos. Thanks for sharing.