What made you decide to start collecting S&W's and how did you decide to build your collection;based on barrel length, consecutive model numbers, only stainless; random madness, etc.?
How long have you been collecting?

Started collecting s&w when I was 21 years old.growing up my father always had smith&wesson.to me they are art work on a steel canvas.only collect blued revolver's everything else is just to much bling for me.27 years later and I have more intrest now then ever.happy shootin my friends.

I started with the nicest s&w revolver i could afford and the whole collection started from there.

I'm trying to decide on a strategy. My wife describes me as obsessive complusive with hoarder tendencies :0

Oh my !!!! You're in TROUBLE . Especially 'round here . It all depends on the depth of your pockets , your interests , how much time are you willing to devote etc . I've always been a shooter . Once the kids were grown & gone I started picking up whatever I could find that was NIB with all the goodies Colt's included . After a while it got to be like work . I thinned the herd & now concentrate on pre war , post war S prefix & sometimes latter . If I want a shooter that's what I buy preferably 90 - 95% guns . If I want collectors I get the best possible specimen with the original box , grips , papers , tools etc . In other words the complete package . When you look to sell & have prime top condition stuff it cuts out a whole lot of BS . They either pony up or back in the safe it goes . Buy yourself a copy of The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson's . Wealth of info . Lots of very knowledgeable folks on here too .

Bought one on "accident/impulse", shot it and have been hooked. Get the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson.

I got my first one week before Christmas last year

4" 66-1 - hooked
6" 66-1 - longer barrel
4" 66 no dash all SS - hey an all SS no dash in a pawn shop
63 - early stainless .22 for plinking and getting the girls involved
2 1/2" 66 no dash - well you have to get the snubbie too!
27-2 - if you get .357's you might as well step up to the top shelf
27-2 S pre-fix - wanted a true vintage Smith, circa my birth and pre-buyout
on the trail of a nicer used 28-2 Highway Patrolman

So, I'm sticking within existing calibers, been tempted by several .38 specials but did not bite. Get the catalog and you will soon know what trips your trigger(s). I also want the hammer block in there for an actual safety device. Oh, and if it is not P&R, well why bother right?

Most of us don't buy our first S&W revolver thinking we are going to start collecting. Most start with shooters. But then you start learning what guns or features are in relatively higher demand or just appeal to you more -- and you see one at a local gun store or gun show and you're hooked.

For example, I like 3 inch barrels -- on anything. I also like fixed sights rather than adjustable. It narrows the field considerably, but that's fine -- I can't afford to buy everything.

Started off with different calibers, 22, 32, 38, 357, 41, 44, 45colt, 45acp, then different bbl lengths, 4's, 5's, 6's, 6-1/2's, 8-3/8's.........
No short tubes......Yet.....

I started off with 29-2's, then K-22's and now it's just the oldest in the highest condition for the cheapest price!

And I don't mind buying something I already have if I can upgrade condition or it's to be had at a good price.

I've got a lot of good friends right here on the forum that advise me, scold me or help me fix things I bought & got screwed on!

GF

I seem to be collecting police trade-ins. Not just Smiths, but once I got my first 10-8 and took it out to the range, it was all over. I am proud to say I have zero safe queens.

Lot's of great info and different strategies. I did get the book for Christmas! Problem for me is everything looks good. So, i've been able to get three nice guns with boxes and papers, which is a plus since these two items alone can add up to ~$50 - $100.

"...i've been able to get three nice guns with boxes and papers, which is a plus since these two items alone can add up to ~$50 - $100. "

Oh Lord. You're a gonner now.

You've stepped over into the world of Sight Adjustment Tools that usta' be just "little screwdrivers", Vapor Paper and cleaning rod with PERIOD correct brushes.

A small but vocal minority here on the Forum!

GF

New Here but not to Collecting guns...Id say Random madness as far as Smiths go...Im trying to get at least one example of the N frame Guns...and what ever else catches my eye...So far I have 2 on the way from Gunsamerica buys..a 25-5 Nickel 8 3/8 .45 Colt~~a 27-2 Blue 6 .357~~and in the safe theres a 28 blue 4~~a 29 Blue 8 3/8~~a 629 Classic hunter II from Lew Horton~~a 686 no dash 6" and a 1911...along with all My Winchesters the Conn river valley Companys are well represented here!...They are just Beautiful Guns and Im Glad Im able to give them a good home...And My Cats are Named "Smith" & "Wesson"...

My mother in law gave me a like new 27-2 8 3/8 barrel for christmas. I have been wanting to learn to shoot for some time. Well, she gave me the opportunity to do this. Like someone else posted, YES, I am obsessive compulsive and bought a Kimber Pro CDPII. Some of you guys said I started at the top of wheel guns, so - - . I am now looking for my next wheel gun. Want one as old as me. workin on it! Bet I will have more than my wife of 32 years wants me to have shortly. S&W wheel guns are just cool as heck to look at, and more fun to shoot!

You've stepped over into the world of Sight Adjustment Tools that usta' be just "little screwdrivers", Vapor Paper and cleaning rod with PERIOD correct brushes.

Well, GF........NOS in unopened plastic with a sight adjustment tool, bore brush, bore mob........is shipped for ~$25....One of the boxes needed it

Started looking for a snubnose to carry about 10 years ago. Found a beautiful no dash 36 in Tulsa. There was just something about a "flat latch". Then the wife and I got distracted and discovered the wonderful world of the safety hammerless.

For me it was making the "FATAL MISTAKE" of finding this website to find out a little info on a cool old S&W I had traded for.All starry-eyed and awed by the great pistols other forum member had,it made me WANT SOME FOR MY OWN. At first it was just a couple of the "classics." Then I decided to quit fooling myself and just get one of every model made. Then I NEEDED a couple of pre- models. THEN I needed just one at least, antique.And finally, one day I accepted the fact that I wanted them ALL.After that i was FREE. Free to give up the notions of collection direction. I just buy the ones I want as they appear.If I go to a gunshow or pawnshop and don't find one, it's all GOOD.The "One" I don't have will show up...

I started back around 1963 when I set up at a gun show next to a man with a whole table of S&W pistols, all new ones. I spent the weekend looking them over and on Sunday afternoon I bought a nice Model 10 4 inch heavy barrel to carry in the car. Well about three weeks later we met up at another gun show, and I acquired a Model 36 SB in 3 inch flavor.

Over the years I accumulated more and more, trying to accumulate every 2 digit model numbered gun, which I consider to be the best made handguns of all time, then I started on the barrel lengths (or as many as I could find) and it just got worse from there.

Anybody been to the doctor to find a cure for this malady?

Fatal attraction.......but then again, if I give up stuff...like golf, cycling, eating, etc, I can keep adding to the safe.
It's amazing how it can all begin....one look, an article, finding this forum...

I have no strategy past just what I think is interesting. And I find just about anything that is decent quality and goes "bang" interesting.
For many years I even denied that I was a collector. Just went after what I liked or thought interesting.
But after 35 years of doing that, I found that my accumulation of guns had turned into several fairly respectable collections. Colts, S&Ws, 1911s, 10mms, ect.
I have not changed any. If I like it, and I have the spare cash, there is a good chance I`ll buy it.
Some collectors buy guns and put them on display. That never appealed to me. I once swore I would never own a gun that I couldn`t shoot. I`ve since made a few exceptions to that rule, but not very many.

I like owning and shooting quality guns period! Got some of most all flavors.....Smiths being predominat. Started with a nickel 4" 19 in 73. Now I want one of each. No SQ's here........All get shot and enjoyed.

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S&W Accumulator

I definitely wouldn't use either the term "Collection" or "Strategy" in my case. I simply started off wanting a HD weapon, and decided on a M&P40. Then I wanted a carry piece, and my BIL turned me on to a BG380. Then researching my new found "hobby", I ran across this sight. I then fell in love with S&W revolvers and decided I must have some. I find I am partial to .357s and stainless steel. I have and enjoy others, but I always find myself coming back to stainless .357 Smiths.

Shot my first Combat Magnum in 1971, was hooked on S&W's from that day on. Carried one of several M-19/66's to work daily for 27 years.

40 years later if it's an Smith and Wesson K, L, or N frame .357 magnum with stag grips it's for me. I really prefer the M 27-2's but they have become somewhat pricey the last couple of years.

My first S&W was a 25-2 with a 6 1/2 inch barrel on closeout priced at $265.00 since then mostly N frames and Colt revolvers. Just picked up a first generation SAA 5 1/2 barrel in 32-20 dated 1907. Still looking for that Reg. Mag at a normal price.

My dad passed 31 years ago, and I got his two nickel Smiths an I and a J frame. First I planned to get all the frame sizes, N, L, K in nickel then put them up. Things did not go as planned. I contracted the nickel Smith virus. I do have the desired frames sizes in nickel I wanted, but now, the virus has spread to blued Smiths. So far, the stainless virus has not infected me. But, I do find myself looking at the 2.5 inch M66 more and more.

I focus on collecting pre 64 Winchesters and S&W .22s (mostly 41s). With the Winchesters I focus on the guns from the from the 40s-50s (Model 61, 62, 63, 12, 42, 70 etc.) For the handguns, I seldom shoot anything other than a .22 for fun and like the S&W 41 and K-22. I used to look for NIB examples, but they don't interest me as much anymore. The boxes take up a lot of space (especially rifles and shotguns) and I don't use the NIB guns. I rarely even look at the safe queens anymore. I've had a lot more enjoyment with the guns that are in high condition but are not so fine they can't go for a walk in the woods or punch holes in paper plates. On average I buy a couple of high condition guns a year and don't trade off the ones I have. Rarely have I bought a fine old gun for a bargin price, but over time what I have paid seems real resonable now. Over the years the collection grows and the prices I paid seem more than fair. I now prefer to buy from established long time dealers who know what they have and present it honestly rather than taking a chance at a show with masses of people and bad light.

Your question is a good one and in the end only you can decide it for yourself. IMHO, a collection with some focus to it has more interest than a random accumulation of firearms. My dad was an accumulator of firearms. He let a lot of the great stuff go because at the time he didn't really realize how great it was. Focus helps with that.

Great point SMK. I think each strategy has it's merit; random collections are interesting because of the wide range interest and specific collections of one model in all the design changes is also interesting. I guess thats what this forum so interesting.

Well put!

Not sure I would be considered a collector in the purist sense of the word. Nor is my modest assortment of S&Ws a 'collection'. Don't have any like new in box safe queens that will never be fired. Don't concentrate on one model or caliber. I have some interesting , and semi-collectables (K-22/40 , 5-screw HP , 4-screw K-38). But they are all shooters.

Regardless of make , I buy those guns which interest me. Either by unique , odd or bizarre design(Benelli B-76) , caliber (.401 Herters PowerMag), or good ol' utilitarianism. There are some models of Smith & Wesson (as well as most other manufacturers) that I have zero interest in and will probably never buy. Unless the right deal comes along.

When I bought my first new guns a few years ago after four non-shooting decades, I picked a bracketed pair of shooters -- .22 Ruger Mk III for rimfire and S&W 629 for centerfire. Then I started filling in the gaps. But if you think about this systemically, every time you fill a gap you create two new empty spaces on either side of the new acquisition. Oops, not good: didn't see that coming.

To my surprise, my expanded gap-filling activity shifted to mid-century and pre-WWII revolvers. I have a few modern guns, but I really like the older ones. .22s, .32s, .38s, .44s, .45s -- they are all grist for the mill.

In a lighter sense, I have a "C-Cool" approach to collecting. If I see a gun and think it's cool, I'll buy it (if i can afford it).

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David Wilson

My accumulation of revolvers is based on the concept of powerful handguns that can get the "job" done. I have always liked guns, grew up in a hunting family and target shooting was enjoyed too. Our family men prided themselves in being good field shots and making the shot count. No ammo to waste was a hold over from the depression. It is still a good practice.

I was impressed by the Dirty Harry series. I was feeling my "oats" about that time, was in my late teens and early twenties so I naturally wanted the powerful stuff. It was a "right of passage", a statement of manhood to own the biggest, the baddest, the most powerful. A MAN thing, if you will.

Then there was the accuracy thing. That brought in the guns known for target accuracy, such as the masterpiece guns.

I read everything about handguns that I could get my hands on. I still do. Skeeter Skelton and Elmer Keith were favorites and they interested me more in the magnums and 44 Special. There's no telling how many shooters were influenced by these two. My guns reflect their words, to this day.

Then there was my older brother. He was 17 years older than me and a state trooper. He was on the state pistol team and had plenty ammo issued to him for practice. Needless to say, I helped him burn a lot of those rounds. His firearm, a Smith and Wesson. What more can I say?

i am a semi-auto pistol guy. but said to myself i need one s&w revolver there just classics. bought that one 686-6 plus and never looked back. only looking for ressed and pinned guns right now. but will buy anything that strikes my fancy.

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THERES NO PLACE LIKE 1ST PLACE

Stuch.......that sounds like me. A buddy said..you really need a wheel gun. That's how it starts isn't it? Just buy one and before you know it you're buying books, shopping pawn and gun stores and on first name basis with the clerk. AND THEN your wife put you on a budget. Of course she probably doesn't know about lay aways

Hmmm... In 1958 I inherited one Smith top break that has some significant family history. In 1974 My aunt gave me her like new M37 as she was concerned about having it in the house and just never could get comfortable with it. That was about it until 2002, (I think... I've slept since then), when I bought a used 4006 for hunting and farm carry. My reasoning for choosing the 4006 was simple. I liked the caliber, the gun was stainless so for farm carry the dust, dirt and sweat were not issues, being left handed the gun has an ambi decocker/safety that I'm comfortable with, and finally, it was priced within my budget. I bought it at a gun show in Oklahoma City.

Fast forward to 2010, when I decided to get my CCW permit. I used the 4006 to qualify and had no problems. Recognizing that it weighs slightly less than a small anvil, I did some online research looking for a lighter .40 cal auto, preferably an all metal model. My research led me to the forum, where I discovered the 4013TSW as the answer to a lighter yet all metal auto. I joined the forum in October, 2010 and was able to actually find one and acquired it from a forum member in November.

Let's just say that from that point on I have pretty much been on the forum on a daily basis (yes, I know I'm addicted AND have compulsive behavior). The problem is when forum members post pics of their "toys", collectables and shooters and then something shows up for sale, it's just too easy to make a buy. ..and what a deal! I never have to leave the comfort of the office, er, I mean the "house" to look at some fantastic firearms and even buy them. It's been downhill for me ever since. My tastes are eclectic at best - if it appeals to me and it's affordable at the time... I go for it. I've been pocket poor ever since. Every time I think I've got my "Holy Grail" gun, something else shows up that I "need".

I justify my purchases as a hedge against inflation. I look at it like this: I'm investing in precious metals... carbon and stainless steel. The investments in copper, brass and lead are necessary to compliment my investment portfolio.

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Isaiah 55:8-9
Phil. 4:13

Seems we have some similar interests.
Here is a Benelli B-80 to match your B-76.





And as far as odd and out of the ordinary, how about an R.J. Braverman revolver and a reproduction Le Mat.

That last one is very interesting. I could see batman pulling that one out.

I've never had a strategy per se but do know that a few of my last purchases were based solely on what I've learned just by hanging around here.

The purchases mentioned above were S&W's that I probably never would have specifically sought out but when I came across them I knew that they were kind of hard to find so I jumped right then & there knowing that if I would have hesitated they would probably have been gone by the time I made up my mind.

I look at them. If they talk to me I take them home.

You, my friend, are my twin brother !!!!

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Semper Fi
God Bless America

What a GREAT thread !!!

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Semper Fi
God Bless America

Strategy, you mean people actually have a plan?

Started with a single WWII 1911 handed down to me by my father. It's like a disease.

The therapist on our team has a good tag line for emails:

"I have CDO, it's like OCD except the letters are alphabetical, as they should be."

I started with Dad's 10-6 when he passed away. I'm collecting S&W revolvers by calibers to shoot. 45 Colt & ACP, .38/357, .22. All my guns are shooters, even when I bought a NIB 19-3 4" it went to the range. Has about 5-6,000 through it now.

I've got a few in the 3 series. 19s in 4&6", 18 & 17, 14 looking for a 15.

I'm also collecting Ahrends retro combat grips, because I like shooting with them.

An S&W Model 15 was the first handgun I ever shot, way back in '75 at Lackland AFB. Hooked on Smith's ever since.

Like a lotta guys, I've loved and lost, especially in my younger years. Bought lots of guns, but a washer would give out or a car would need repairs, or a daughter would need a prom dress and out they'd go, traded for cash to meet family obligations.

Que Sera Sera.

As I've aged, and we've become more financially stable, I can hang on to my goodies a little better.

Collection strategy? Hoping to be in the right place at the right time and have the disposable income to allow me to purchase whatever prize I luck onto. All of mine are shooters, including my prize piece, a Model 27-2 6" nickel with a red ramped front sight, 98% easy. $600 out the door from a pawn shop in a neighboring county. Beautiful gun.

Good luck on your journey. It's fun, and affords hours and hours of enjoyment.

I mean, wheel guns are real guns, right?

Collection strategy??. I started out with a plain jane model 10HB, then a model 36, 624, 24-4,24-3 and lately a model 15. Love the 44 special cartridge so that explains the 3 44 specials. Also like the 38 special so that explains the other 3. I have no rhyme or reason as to what I'd buy next. Guess you could say I'm an impulse shopper. Nice S&W's are like potatoe chips, you just can't have one. Frank

I'm not sure it can be called a strategy with me as I seem to change with the weather. I started collecting any top condition S&W revolver that was P&R and then I got the N frame sickness, and then the S&W 22LR revolver plague, and then etc, etc.

Picked up an ex-leo model 10-6 some 20 years ago becuase it was cheap. Was not hooked. Let a very nice 19-4 2.5" go. Added a 60-9 a few years later and started to get warm and fuzzy anout K frames. Picked up a couple more police trade ins (15-3 and 19-4). Added a shooter grade 14-2 and then a 66-5. Oooo, a 28-2 for a good price! Then the 60 no dash for an EDC. I had never seen a 581 and it was at a pretty good price. Then the 36 because I didn't have one. No reason to any of it.

l have my 28-2 and 15-2. Dad has a 27-2 l may be able to borrow from him. Likely a permanent loan. l remember the terrible 2's raising my daughter. Smith & Wesson 2's are less stressful

Then there's the other stuff that comes with the 'stradegy', nice holsters (vintage of course), dress grips, vintage box with circa correct, packing paper a plus and instruction manual...there is really no light at the end of the tunnel......is there?

Ya know, It's so funny. I started with a strategy, I thought I had a strategy, it changed each time I looked at a different gun. This obsessive compulsive behavior NOT a strategy. And BTW, if coveting is still a sin... I am NEVER gonna see Heaven

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Semper Fi
God Bless America

It all started when I got my first Daisy Red Rider BB gun as a little kid on the farm. I couldn't cock it like the cowboys so I learned to hook the stock behind my knee. Graduated to a Winchester Model 62 and a bolt action .410(which kicked too hard). That 62 totally eradicated the pigeon 'problem'. It helped to have a shooter buddy the same age.

College and girls slowed my gun fetish down but the Army got me going again. Then yrs. of grad. school, work and babies interfered. Moved to Iowa in 1988 and discovered gun shows.....the rest is history.

I'm both a shooter/competitor and a collector. The fit, finish and esthetics of S&W Hand Ejectors are what grabbed me......never liked the 19th century guns.

Buy the absolute best quality you can to collect and buy good shooters. Keep them separate.

Have fun and enjoy!!

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

Love this thread, not much interest in 1950/60 vintage model 34's and 36's.

Less demand keeps the selection high and the prices low for those of us that really dig the revolvers that we grew up with. That is, if you consider asking prices for decent examples in the $500 to $700 range.