Factory letters......what is your most shocking/abnormal

[weatherby]

This so far was mine.
The numbers match on cylinder barrel and grip frame.
No return for rework date.
At some point it went from 2" barrel to a 4".
acquired target sights
also went from 32 S&W long to 38 special.

I did find the information in the letter very interesting and confusing.
Took some help from members here and Roy to figure how it was even possible.

So what was your oddest?

 

[sqhead]

I've never lettered a gun yet,but a good and interesting question,i look forward to hearing what's in some of the letters as well.

 

[Oyeboteb]

I have a terrible tendency - instead of paying for Letters I have thought about getting, I ended up just buying a few more old S & Ws instead.

Now, that means there are even more prospective 'Letters', and trying to decide which ones to 'Letter'.

So far, I have only sent off for one Letter, and, it came back fairly charming -

Pre-War 'M&P' 2 inch Barrel, Round Butt, Blue, Black HR Stocks, Lettered to Hamilton Police Department, Hamilton, Indiana, April 11th 1938 Ship date.

This was three or four years ago.

How much is a Letter now?

And, what is the procedure?

Maybe I will elect a few Candidates, and send off for a few Letters!

 

[weatherby]

I don't think it is a bad tendency at all.
Most of my guns I won't have lettered.
It is 50. now and I'm not good with computers so this may or may not be a link to download the form.

I figured some other peoples letter may have come back quite different than they would have initially expected.


http://smith-wessonforum.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=17

 

[Dump1567]

This was one of (IIRC) 50 shipped to Washington State Patrol. After the letter came in, it was worth 2-3 times more than what I paid for it. Never did take a picture of the letter. Sold it a few years ago.

Late 40's .44 Spl.

 

[FPrice]

In one letter I found out that my K38 4" Combat Masterpiece Pre-Model 15 was actually a K38 6" Target Masterpiece Pre-Model 14! At least that's what it was manufactured as. It was returned to the factory in May 1950 to become the shorter version. The markings on the gun support this (a "star" on the butt and a "5-50" on the grip frame.

My 2" M&P Pre-Model 10 shipped the same month and year I was born! THAT was neat to find out.

 

[Oyeboteb]

This has got me interested...so, I think I will send off for a few Letters, for some of my favorite ones, and, see what the Letters have to say.

 

[opoefc]

The most fun letter I ever got, and I have lettered 100 of S&Ws, was when Roy Jinks first started having a few "canned" preliminary paragraphs in each letter giving the history of the particular model, etc. The first of those letters for Victory Model gave the number of guns shipped to each of our allies and a typo changed the 8,000 guns shipped to Australia to read that they went to Austria. I would make the remark at gun shows, gun stores, etc., that in WW2 S&W shipped 8,000 Victory Models to the Germans and show the letter as proof. Often some one would say that it was true because Goering was a S&W fan and had placed an order with S&W! Later some Victory models showed up with Nazi markings that we traced to British guns lost at Dunkirk,and there's probably still collectors that think they have one of the 8,000 guns shipped to Austria because their Victory Model has Nazi proofs! Ed.

 

[bullmack]

I didn't need to letter this one. I have a Model 36 complete with everything including sales slip. If you are a baseball fan it shipped to Honus Wagner Co., Pittsburg, PA. in 1966.

 

[hotrod150]

The downside to lettering a gun-- spending fifty bucks to find out that "your S&W model xx was shipped to Leroy's Feed & Grain Store in East Bumduck, Iowa in October 1962". I've never lettered one and probably won't, unless there's some indication that it's something special.

 

[weatherby]

The downside to lettering a gun-- spending fifty bucks to find out that "your S&W model xx was shipped to Leroy's Feed & Grain Store in East Bumduck, Iowa in October 1962". I've never lettered one and probably won't, unless there's some indication that it's something special.

if I was born in October of 62 it would be worth every penny

 

[bullmack]

if I was born in October of 62 it would be worth every penny

Especially if your name is Leroy

 

[Art Doc]

IMO (speaking as someone who is not a serious collector) in most cases the letter doesn't provide any Earth-shattering info. When it cost $20 I lettered quite a few of my S&Ws. After it jumped to $30 I lettered a couple. Since it went to $50 I have not requested any. To me that's a significant amount of money to get a form letter telling me my gun shipped to a hardware store in rural West Virginia or a big sporting goods store in St. Louis. Mildly useful info at best. Only rarely does one hit the jackpot and discover the gun was sent to a famous person or has some other worthwhile feature.

I have received a couple of interesting letters. I learned that my 2.5" nickel 19-3 went to the a federal agency. I found out that my 10-5 was shipped to a store in a city that doesn't exist. I assume it's a typo or some sort of mistake but I can't find a city by that name.

Having said that, any truly collector grade S&W deserves to be lettered. I would pop to letter a Registered Magnum, or any unusual piece. But then I probably wouldn't buy an unusual S&W in the first place unless it came with the letter to document its originality.

 

[Jack Flash]

I think the reason a lot of people letter a S&W is to show how it left the factory (stocks, finish, ...).

I pretty much agree with SP. For most handguns, do you really care $50 worth?

 

[weatherby]

I like the unusual ones.
I won't letter them as 50. is a lot of money for me....sad to say but true.
But I will buy them.
especially without the letter......cheaper that way.

a couple the kids can letter someday.
I think they came this way but they are shooters....just good overall guns
the 18 I've already reserved for one
The 17 goes out every range trip and I let him know it is mine after shooting out the 10 ring

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

If you only play it safe and by lettered guns you will almost always pay full retail prices.I have taken a few chances on non lettered collector grade guns and have always came out WAY ahead when the letter arrived.You are never going to win the jackpot if you don't gamble.That's not to say my luck won't run dry but I do as much research as possible to increase my odds.

 

[Art Doc]

I thought it went without saying that if a "rare" gun is priced as a shooter then go ahead and take a chance since you can't lose. I referred to those "rare" guns with "rare" asking prices. I want to see the letter BEFORE paying.

 

[Dan M]

I bought this gun at Tulsa thinking it was an early Heavy Duty, Boy was I surprised

 

[weatherby]

Very neat Dan.
I'd like to see what the smooth referenced stocks would have looked like.

That's exactly the type of surprising things I'd like to see

 

[Oyeboteb]

I bought this gun at Tulsa thinking it was an early Heavy Duty, Boy was I surprised

So, what is it now, Cartridge wise and Bore wise?

IS it still Smooth Bore and .44-40?