Bill,

You are quite correct and these were not the only cases of "specials" which left the factory through the years. Not illegal, as they were properly serially numbered and recorded. But the factory bigwhigs, including Bill Gunn and his successor, did not want these "deals" going on as they made it appear that management was not in full control. Then again, the "BIG BOYS" themselves knew where the bread was buttered and did special deals for certain S&W distributors.