Was bored today dropped in lgs he had some nice looking pinned nickel guns a Model 10 Airweight .38 spl and a Model 12 with adjustable sights, and another one, a combat magnum all nickel. The Model 12 was heavy as lead, I was interested in the airweight because I had thought that was a modern term, but it was right on the side of the barrel on that model 10. Both the model 10 and 12 had the original boxes and papers and were in nice shape. He was asking like 990 bucks for them each though. That seemed ridiculously over priced to me. I haggled with him he said if I committed to buy one he could go to 800 for the Model 12. Passed for now on it.Might come back another day. Nice examples of nickel guns though. Still prefer blued, but these had nice finishes on them I especially like the nickel ones with no adjustable sights, they look more streamlined and nice.

Sir, I may be all wrong here, but I don't believe there was a airweight model 10, that's what a model 12 is. Both model 10 and 12's were fixed sighted revolvers. The Combat Magnum, model 19 had the adjustable rear sights. Perhaps the dealer had the information tags mixed up?

IMO $800.00 for either revolver is somewhat overpriced.

__________________
Always Stay Strong!

No, old bear, you are not wrong here, and probably not any place else, either. At first, I thought that the OP was posting about the fantasy land his LGS was trying to create, and assumed that we knew all that you posted about, and would laugh along with him. Now, I'm not so sure.

Anyway, something is mislabeled, and $800 is too much, unless a factory letter backs up the mislabeling.

What would YOU pay for a LNIB lettered factory nickel aluminum-frame Model 10?

Yea I wasn't looking to buy just a bit of windowshopping. They were nice examples. I know one had adjustable sights and one did not. Both were 4 inch. One was .38 and one was .357. The .38 had Airweight on the barrel. The 357 had a crane underlug but only halfway. Nice condition, but grossly over priced. He literally had both of them at 990 bucks he went down to 800 when he saw me walking away. but I didn't think either was worth over 600. I have seen better prices on nice older ones at Bud's Gunshop, and that's not saying a whole lot. Bud's has a 4-inch 44 mag now for 999.99 bucks. It's been sitting there for months.

I'm so confused!!

hardcase60

__________________
You want me to do what?

Me too. The model 12 I owned was aluminium framed. My mother talked me out of it 20 years ago. Guess I'll get it back one day, but I'm in no hurry.

He told me one of them was a Model 12. I'm confused too lol. I know he did say one was allow frame and one wasn't. Both were nickel. One was an Airweight 4" both were pinned with their boxes.

I'm not smart enough to try and sort all this out and IMHO it's not worth trying. What I have learned is that S&W did make a pre-model 12, Alloy frame, 4", .38 Special, M&P that was marked "AIRWEIGHT". If that is what the OP saw and it was factory nickel then to walk away from it at $800.00 would have been a very very bad mistake. If in fact it was a Model 12 and factory nickel with box, docs, etc, then walking away could have been a mistake but not as bad as previously mentioned. The catalog says that nickel model 12's can fetch a "significant premium". hardcase60

__________________
You want me to do what?

Model 12's are stamped "airweight" on the barrel. A nickel m12 is a rare bird indeed. If that combat magnum in nickel is a pre model stamped, then it too is a rare bird.

Would you stay out of the gunshops already! At least until you come see mine, lol. Just kidding. Interested to see what these turn out to be. Real, mis-identified or Frankenfraud.

I have a 2 inch pre 12. You are correct in that "if" all your parameters were correct and he left it, it is bad JUJU.