Recent content by Valman

I was lucky enough to talk down a dealer who had a 35 sitting in the shop for about half a year -- paid $550 for a very clean pistol with 8 rounds of original .35 S&W ammo. It's a nice addition to my other vintage Smiths. It came with an extra Model 35 barrel, in the white, with sharp markings...

I found an identical I-frame in nearly new condition, all original, and snapped it up immediately. As others have said, it's a sweet little wheeler from an era of manufacturing excellence that we may never see again.

Wolfe Pubs Like Froggie and others, I was a long time subscriber to Handloader and rifle. I have both mags back to their first issues, when published by Neal Knox and with articles penned largely by dedicated amateurs like many of us. The early decades, up through the 1990s, were rich with...

Cflier, I'm wondering if you can share a little info from your serial number data base. My 1st Model Safety Hammerless, nickel, 3" bbl, is numbered 740xx. It's not quite as fine as Askeladdn's but close -- a little salt & pepper speckling on the frame in front of the cylinder, but otherwise...

Like a few others here, I well remember the 1950s, when 1917 revolvers were sold by Ye Olde Hunter and others for $35. As a high schooler in NJ, I scraped together then dough and ordered a Colt by mail, no questions asked. It arrived Parkerized and pristine in Cosmoline, and I shot it a lot, but...

The best site for info on double shotguns is www.doublegunshop.com. Just as the folks on this site know Smiths, those guys know their shotguns and will be happy to advise you about yours.