"I don't think it's a blind Neo-Luddite adherence, but more a true appreciation for quality craftsmanship and workmanship. Blue forged steel speaks volumes, and the men and women who were capable of manufacturing such guns were artists and craftsman. If tolerences were the main issue, we'd all be carrying plastic guns in kydex holsters. I understand that Smith and Wesson is a business, and needs to make money to stay in business. New manufacturing processes are not necessarily bad, but I'd still prefer to have my old 71 Buick Skylark with a 350 V-8 to a new electric prion. Yeah, I'm a dinosaur...and I'm ok with it. It's America."

"I agree completly. Maybe because im under 30, but i really apreciate what tech. has brought to s and w. My new smiths are a good deal nicer than my old ones in terms of fit and finish and consistancy. I could care less what type of steel my trigger is made of. So long as it works well and does not break."

I can agree with both these points of view. I lover the old Smiths because they are (often) things of beauty. They connect me with people, mostly long gone, who used the skills of a lifetime to make firearms which were the standard of the world. They put a little of themselves in each gun, because they had to. If they were on top of their form that day, you could see it in the finished product. If they hade been over to the beer joint until 0 dark thirty the night before, you could see that too. When you pick up that 1955 Target, or what ever, you are holding a little bit of their lives in your hand. The older I get, the more I think that counts for something.

The new guns are more uniform and are held, usually, to tighter tolerances. The materials are usually appropiate of the intended use. And the big thing for me: the manufacturing processes and the materials let Smith try designs and concepts that were not possible before. Some of these new concepts work, and some don't, but none of them would be possible if Smith tried to use the industrial process of fifty years ago. In fact, I don't think there would be a Smith&Wesson for us to worry about.

I forwarded the above link to a old friend of mine who makes more money than I'll ever see telling engineers and such "Yes this metal, made by this process, with this heat teatment, will work for what you want." or "No, you're out of your mind.", and asked him what he thought. If this thread is still open when he replies, I post it.

My story and I'm sticking to it.