A few days ago I added to my meager collection of older Smith and Wesson .38 Special revolvers. This six-inch, M&P fills a nice void. I won it in an online auction (4 and a half beans including shipping and tax) and was pleasantly surprised to see how nice the condition is. I've taken it down to inspect/lube and the insides look as unused as the outside. The facts that it doesn't have a cylinder ring, the color-case hardening on the hammer and trigger look fresh, the bore looks like a rifled mirror, and it is almost blemish-free would make be believe that it has never been used. However, there is a tiny amount of holster wear on the muzzle, and a couple of tiny scratches on it. The finish is so pristine that I at first thought it might have been reblued. But, the stampings are sharp, even, and deep, including the very fine trademark info on the top of the barrel. So, I'm just thinking it simply stayed in a holster inside a drawer for many years. The only downside (for a diehard collector, which I'm not) is that it came with target stocks that would have been made at least twenty-years later. I had this nice set of diamond, magnas sitting around. So, even though they are not "exactly" correct, they are close enough for now. I'm looking forward to sending a few rounds downrange to see how she shoots.
