Yuck, old guns are lame... You should avoid them at all costs. They have no warranty coverage, they have worn bluing and peeling nickel, the wood stocks are too bulky or skinny, they should all just be left alone...

So people like me can keep buying them. They have an appeal that a some Harley people say if you don't get it then you don't get it. I don't attempt to justify it so much anymore. We all have our tastes and desires. S&W isn't suffering at a lack of new sales, and I enjoy both their old and new for differing reasons. There was a dark time when I knew no better and thought a modern auto like a Glock or Beretta were superior but now I know the error of my ways. These days I think I want to grow the older N frame collection but those darn K frames just keep getting in the way. Some models are rare, some weren't made P/R'ed for very long, and some are technically not as strong as newer models, but for my tastes they are just some fine revolvers and I treasure and value them as near sacred tools. They aren't just some hammer to be smacked around and thrown into a tool bucket... These will be treated right and maybe someday be handed down to someone else. While I love all my S&W's, I really take special enjoyment of my Pre-1980 guns that have the pinned barrels and counter bored cylinders.