Other than price appreciation and cachet, is there any reason to have an N frame from the 50's or 60's compared to one from the 1970's?
Are N frames from the 50's or 60's better than from the 70's?
- Thread starter bushmaster1313
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Well, I think so. I think they were made to higher standards of quality and consistency than those made in the '70's. Many guns made in the 70's were good, too, but I have seen quite a few that the timeing was inconsistent around the cyllinder and inside fit and finish and action were not as good as the post war versions. And you know what opinions are worth.
Dave T
Member
The Bangor-Punta era marked the beginning of the downward trend for S&W...at least in my opinion. YMMV!
Dave
Dave
Yurko
US Veteran
I don't know about the N-Frames, but my snubby 10-5 is just as good as my standard 4" barrel 10-5.
the 2" is dated 1977
the 4" is dated 1966-67.
The fit, finish & all around handling is the same on both.
Of course at 10 yds the 4" is more accurate, but not by much.
the 2" is dated 1977
the 4" is dated 1966-67.
The fit, finish & all around handling is the same on both.
Of course at 10 yds the 4" is more accurate, but not by much.
I don't know about mechanics...but I do know the bluing on the 50's era guns that I have held in my hands is different than the 70's era guns I have held. That old blue is what makes me haunt forums like this one and pull up gunbroker listings I know I can't afford. There's just something about that blue... Am I alone here? It's so deep you can't see the bottom.
SuperMan
Member
..U R not alone... The bluing on my 1964 57 was much better than the 1973 29-2 I had....
Bob
Bob
David LaPell
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I don't know, I think some of my 70's era 27-2's were the nicest Smith's I have ever owned.
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IMHO just about ANYTHING from the 50's and 60's is better than from the 70's. I think QC, work ethics and pride in manufacturing has gone down hill steadily from the 40's on. I own a lot of older guns from the 20's, 30's 40's and 50's and they just don't make 'em like that anymore! As modern technology develops, Companies are always looking for short cuts to save money and maximize profits and this usually shows in the quality of the product - not always, but the majority of the time.
Chief38
Chief38
rhmc24
Absent Comrade
Precision vs Production?
Without a lot of evidence I'll speculate that precision has suffered to favor production. Early pieces with service sights (fixed) usually shot pretty close to point of aim. I bought a new Mountain Gun in .44Mag with its adjustable sights which 'centered' ex-factory shot way off the mark at 25 yards. I cranked about .050" (almost 1/16") to the side to get groups centered. Same with two kinds of ammo. Firing was from a bench rest.
After a while I traded it in for something else.
Far more pieces are sold with adjustable sights than fixed than 50 years ago which could be for several reasons, among them the shooters havin been educated to need adj sights. Comments?
Without a lot of evidence I'll speculate that precision has suffered to favor production. Early pieces with service sights (fixed) usually shot pretty close to point of aim. I bought a new Mountain Gun in .44Mag with its adjustable sights which 'centered' ex-factory shot way off the mark at 25 yards. I cranked about .050" (almost 1/16") to the side to get groups centered. Same with two kinds of ammo. Firing was from a bench rest.
After a while I traded it in for something else.
Far more pieces are sold with adjustable sights than fixed than 50 years ago which could be for several reasons, among them the shooters havin been educated to need adj sights. Comments?
I don't know if they're any "better" or not. I've never owned any.
But I know generally speaking, the older the gun, the better I like it.
But I know generally speaking, the older the gun, the better I like it.
bmcgilvray
Member
I came of age during the bad ol' Bangor Punta days so most of my new Smith & Wessons are from that era. They are also the ones that have given the longest and hardest service and they've been magnificent. Of those revolvers, only the Model 17 exhibited a bit of inattention to fit and finish. It has a very wavy polish job down it's long 8 3/8-inch barrel and originally had a ugly and very sharp burr on the hole where the pin retaining the floating firing pin assembly is installed. I was able to knock the burr off without affecting cosmetics.
The older models from the 1950s on back that I've acquired through the years are very nice though. Hard to argue with bygone quality.
The older models from the 1950s on back that I've acquired through the years are very nice though. Hard to argue with bygone quality.
roaddog28
Member
Hi,
Again opinion only. Revolvers going back before the 1960s to me were made with more attention to detail. Also craftmanship was better. Like hand fitting etc. I have a M&P 38 special 4 inch tapered barrel. If a person looks at the blueing, the machine work and just the overall appearence of the revolver versus a revolver made in the 1970s a person will see the difference. I have several revolvers made in the 1970s and as good as they look they are still a notch below my old M&P.
I think most will agree that as time has gone on S&W and other gun makers are focusing on production more than quality. Look at the S&W revolvers made after the 1980s. In my opinion the quality is no way as good as the revolvers made post war and before.
Howard
Again opinion only. Revolvers going back before the 1960s to me were made with more attention to detail. Also craftmanship was better. Like hand fitting etc. I have a M&P 38 special 4 inch tapered barrel. If a person looks at the blueing, the machine work and just the overall appearence of the revolver versus a revolver made in the 1970s a person will see the difference. I have several revolvers made in the 1970s and as good as they look they are still a notch below my old M&P.
I think most will agree that as time has gone on S&W and other gun makers are focusing on production more than quality. Look at the S&W revolvers made after the 1980s. In my opinion the quality is no way as good as the revolvers made post war and before.
Howard
jp zanoya
Member
My first S&Ws were from the Bangor-Punta era and were great. The ones I bought in the Lear-Siegler (sp?)era of the '80s were disappointing--notably lower quality.
Pook
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Now For Something Totally Different!
I had a nickle M58 from the mid-1970s. It was LNIB, but the workmanship was so poor that I sold it. I later came upon a nickle M58-1 "classic," which is flawless, so I bought it. It has a forged, not MIM trigger (the trigger is not "hollow" on back and I can see the tooling marks), but it does have a MIM hammer. Aside from the IL, which I hate, the workmanship, including the fit, finish, polish, timing, B/C gap, everything, is absolutely first rate. I am sharing this because, as with any mass-production item, perhaps it is not so much the era of manufacture but more the "luck of the draw" as to whether we get a lemon or a winner. Just a thought.
I had a nickle M58 from the mid-1970s. It was LNIB, but the workmanship was so poor that I sold it. I later came upon a nickle M58-1 "classic," which is flawless, so I bought it. It has a forged, not MIM trigger (the trigger is not "hollow" on back and I can see the tooling marks), but it does have a MIM hammer. Aside from the IL, which I hate, the workmanship, including the fit, finish, polish, timing, B/C gap, everything, is absolutely first rate. I am sharing this because, as with any mass-production item, perhaps it is not so much the era of manufacture but more the "luck of the draw" as to whether we get a lemon or a winner. Just a thought.
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