What the heck did I find?

TTSH

TTSH

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Yesterday, I was able to stop into a MA shop that I rarely get to visit. He had mostly the usual stuff but then I spotted a gun he was apparently in the process of cleaning & lubing. It had a tag right near it: "S&W Model 1006 Performance Center"! :eek: Well, that got my attention quick! :D

But the gun was field stripped down and practically soaked in oil or whatever on a rag... and it was a black gun. :confused: An all-black gun. :confused: A black 1006 I thought to myself? :confused: Could it be? :confused:

I asked and the dealer confirmed: Yes, it was a Model 1006. :eek: He was in the process of selling a gun so that was all I got out of him. It's a one-man shop.

I eventually got a closer look at the frame and, sure enough, it said "Mod 1006" on it. :eek:

But it was all black (which looked factory, not refinished) with a slide that looked more like a fancy S&W 1911 slide than a 3rd Gen slide. :confused: It had both front and rear "fish-scale" style gripping surfaces. :confused: What the heck??? :confused:

After I got back home, I tried to look it up via Google, but I found nothing even close. :confused:

So what was I looking at? Was it an actual Performance Center version of a Model 1006? Or was it some refinished Frankengun put together by the dealer or someone else? :confused:

Help!!! :p
 
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It is not listed in the standard reference, but perhaps someone here recognizes it. It is also possible it is a one-off PC special, which only a factory letter would prove.
 
Any way to see the box and get the product code? Did you see the serial prefix?

My guess is that it was either a prototype or one of the LE sales samples that use to appear now and then. Usually these were one offs of standard models with either a different finish or some unusual feature or features made to appeal to law enforcement.

I recall that my friend and fellow member leiden told us that the 1006 was still being produced for LE orders as late as 2006. IIRC he purchased one, NIB.

Will that shop let you take some pics of it? The all black Shorty 45s were discovered the the same way. A member found one in a gunshop and posted here asking about it. Someone put him in touch with Mr. Jim Rae who confirmed their existance.

Now Im sitting here wondering if they did that with a 1006.........perhaps there is a 4506 out there with the same enhancements. Great.........another unicorn to search for.... ;) Regards 18DAI
 
murphydog said:
It is not listed in the standard reference, but perhaps someone here recognizes it. It is also possible it is a one-off PC special, which only a factory letter would prove.
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timn8er said:
Sounds VERY interesting. Did he have a price on it yet?
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Yeah, I Googled the heck out of it and found nothing. It is not shown on the dealer's website either (he posts photos of almost all his used guns for sale) but his website hasn't been updated in almost 2 months. :o

The price tag on it was $850.00 (+Tax). Not something I'm capable of even considering right now. :(

I would have waited around until the dealer was done with his customer and asked him more about it, but I was on a very tight schedule and that sale was taking forever. :rolleyes:

Based on the tagged price, which is probably a little low for a 1006 in MA, I'm thinking Frankengun. If it were truly a "one-off" PC gun, I'm thinking the dealer would be asking a lot more money for it. :confused:
 
18DAI said:
Any way to see the box and get the product code? Did you see the serial prefix?

My guess is that it was either a prototype or one of the LE sales samples that use to appear now and then. Usually these were one offs of standard models with either a different finish or some unusual feature or features made to appeal to law enforcement.

I recall that my friend and fellow member leiden told us that the 1006 was still being produced for LE orders as late as 2006. IIRC he purchased one, NIB.

Will that shop let you take some pics of it? The all black Shorty 45s were discovered the the same way. A member found one in a gunshop and posted here asking about it. Someone put him in touch with Mr. Jim Rae who confirmed their existance.

Now Im sitting here wondering if they did that with a 1006.........perhaps there is a 4506 out there with the same enhancements. Great.........another unicorn to search for.... ;) Regards 18DAI
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I didn't see a box anywhere near it. Like I said, it was apart in pieces and heavily covered in oil. Glancing at it quickly, I thought it was just an everyday garden variety black 3rd Gen slide being cleaned and lubed on the same oily rag as a double "fish-scale" gripped 1911 slide. :o Then I read the tag. :eek: Then I confirmed "Mod 1006" on the frame. :eek:

Now you've got me wondering if I walked away from a true one-of-a-kind mega-score (especially for moonbat Massachusetts) or if it was just another Frankengun. :confused:

If anyone here is seriously interested in possibly buying it, PM me for the name of the shop. It's not even a remote possibility for me right now no matter what it is. No way I could ever sell that much blood that fast. :D
 
See if you can get the story as to how the dealer came up with the gun and if a previous owner contact can be made. The work put into the hunt can sometimes reap a nice reward.
 
Arik said:
Maybe the dealer is thinking the same thing cause he can't find info on it.
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I just don't know. :( I also don't know why it was all taken apart and being cleaned & lubed. Seems a little odd to be out front like that... unless maybe someone had taken it out for test firing? :confused:

Maybe it just came into the shop and was filthy dirty. :confused: Seems doubtful if it was an expensive PC piece. :o

For all I know it is already sold. But it sure did confuse the heck out of me. :)
 
ken158 said:
See if you can get the story as to how the dealer came up with the gun and if a previous owner contact can be made. The work put into the hunt can sometimes reap a nice reward.
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The dealer will most likely be at a show I'll be attending on the 30th. Of course, it could be gone by then if it's something really valuable. I can call him later this morning when he reopens.

The shop is not anywhere near me. I just happened to be out his way on family business. :o
 
Sounds like another road trip is in order........ don't be wasting good time you don't have a lot of............call and see if he's got it back together and hit the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Keep in mind Dealers don't always recognize what they have...... or don't really care...... just mark it up from what they have in it.!!!!

Must have been pretty dirty..... don't know many dealers who go to the trouble to clean a gun like that!!!!!!

10mm could be a slow mover... maybe he will deal to move it!!!

Good Luck...................

:D
 
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s&wchad said:
Did it have the Performance Center logo, or just the S&W trademark?
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I couldn't pick it up to flip it over... too far away and covered in oil. I don't think that would have gone over very well anyway. ;) But no, I didn't see one on the left exposed side.
 
BAM-BAM said:
Sounds like another road trip is in order........ don't be wasting good time you don't have a lot of............call and see if he's got it back together and hit the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep in mind Dealers don't always recognize what they have...... or don't really care...... just mark it up from what they have in it.!!!!

Must have been pretty dirty..... don't know many dealers who go to the trouble to clean a gun like that!!!!!!

10mm could be a slow mover... maybe he will deal to move it!!!

Good Luck...................

:D
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This (sometimes quirky) dealer, one well known to the S&W community, should know what he had. He's not your typical "revolvers-only" or "tactical-only" shop that wouldn't know what they were even looking at. :p

10mm 3rd Gen a slow mover in MA??? :confused: Hardly! :p They sell first day if and when they ever appear (which is essentially never).

It's also possible that it was out because he was repairing it... but obviously not for someone else if it has a price tag on it.

I still suspect Frankengun... if for no other reason than the black finish. Had I really been convinced (or even suspicious) that it was a rare PC gun (as it was tagged), I'd have circled back there after my errand. :o
 
TTSH said:
I can call him later this morning when he reopens.
Click to expand...
Okay, I called the dealer and got the story. :)

It's a Model 1006 that was previously purchased/owned by a Smith & Wesson employee in MA pre-list (hence, legally able to be sold by a dealer in MA). It is not a Performance Center Gun per se. Rather, it's a Model 1006 that the employee had customized by the Performance Center with a black finish and those twin "fish-scale" slide grips. It's not known if any other work was done but I'm guessing not.

That explains a couple things... like why no PC emblem or special serial number or anything like that. It's a unique gun for sure... but only because the S&W employee who bought it had it customized to his personal liking. I'm not sure that adds much value to the gun, if any. :o Might even subtract some value if one prefers the original stainless look (like me!).

To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't call it a super-pretty gun. The type of black finish(es) applied was not known by the dealer... but the frame and slide weren't exact matches. The slide was drenched in oil, but I'm pretty sure the frame was a matte finish while the slide appeared to be polished. It's entirely possible that the gun was originally two-tone out of the PC shop with the frame later Cerakoted by the owner. :confused: Just a guess on my part.

So that's the rest of the story. :)
 
Very interesting. Thanks for getting the details for us. I have one of those employee guns.

Its a 915 that belonged to Bert DuVernay who was in charge of the S&W academy. He had the Performance Center slick up the action, cut the slide for Novak sights and install same, create and install a tight fitting slide stop and refinish the gun. A very nice pistol.

What does that do to the value of the gun? Dunno. I do know I'll not get out of it what I have in it, but I have a very nice looking one off tack driver. :) Regards 18DAI
 
skjos said:
Did it appear to have a 3.5" barrel?

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...ols/396506-performance-center-1006-3-5-a.html
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Good question. :) It may or may not have been a standard 5" (I couldn't/didn't measure it), but I'm 99% sure that it wasn't 3-1/2". :D

I suppose that a "non-standard" barrel length would be a plus in terms of value... :confused: ... but I'm still not sure what value I'd put on the gun. Like I said, I'll see the dealer again on the 30th and we'll know after that if it sold or not at the $850.00 tagged price. :)
 
18DAI said:
What does that do to the value of the gun? Dunno. I do know I'll not get out of it what I have in it, but I have a very nice looking one off tack driver. :) Regards 18DAI
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I know folks think that I'm joking about it when I complain about how broke I am... but I truly am in a pretty darn bad shape right now due to last year's somewhat excessive acquisitions together with the market crash. :( However, knowing what I know now about the gun... and if I had some cash in my pocket... I'd bargain hard for it and try to snag it for maybe $700 cash (+/- plus sales tax of course). I think I could justify that to the good wife. :p It still *is* a Model 1006 after all. So even if I'm not crazy about the color or the look, it might be the best I could ever do in heavily-restricted moonbat Massachusetts on a 10mm 3rd Gen. :o
 
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