New vs. old S&Ws
- Thread starter Telecaster
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Rpg
Member
You're right! And the P&R guns are still more desirable than their replacements: compare prices on comparable used examples (eg a m29-2 vs a m29-3).
To whom would you be addressing that remark? Oh, I see. Smith & Wesson collectors. Got it. WE KNOW. Do you think it's common knowledge in the gun buying public of 2020?
The sellers know it, too.
But Joe Dokes, average gun buyer, just wants a gun. He ain't fussy about pinned, recessed, MIM, IL, whatever. "Does it shoot? Will it save my life? Here's my credit card."
Some of us are almost that casual about it as well but that's a horse of a different color because we KNOW the difference. Just don't care.
UncleEd
Member
Yes, much anguish and lamentations.
And before that a hot debate raged over
long actions vs. short actions.
So, now I'm at a point after watching the 50 min. video, I just may go down to that gun shop and hope that revolver is still there in the AM. Looking at the NEW prices on the 629, I need to really check that gun out. I think I need it. I don't need two Ruger GP100s. Lifetime warranty on the S&Ws? $750 may be high, but...somebody talk me out of it. Please! I don't want to be a collector, just a shooter. I don't have a .44 Mag. Yet.
.38SuperMan
Member
I used to play Sax and bought a couple of Selmer Mark VI horns in 1966. These were hand made in a small factory in Paris. They were and still are considered some of the best saxes ever produced. The downside was the inconsistency from one instrument to the other. When you bought one you found a dealer that had a good stock of them and played each one until you find the one you liked. They are truly beautiful instruments in appearance, tonality and craftsmanship. The downside was inconsistency and when you needed a repair you had to find a technician that could hand fit parts. Parts weren't interchangeable in many cases from horn to horn. Cost of the instrument was high and repairs high.
Today instruments manufacturing is much more automated using modern production methods. The result has been much more consistent instruments and lower production cost. Repairs are easier and parts more interchangeable.
I think the same is true about firearms. Although I love the romance of vintage instruments and guns, new automated and mass produced products won't keep me from buying them.
Today instruments manufacturing is much more automated using modern production methods. The result has been much more consistent instruments and lower production cost. Repairs are easier and parts more interchangeable.
I think the same is true about firearms. Although I love the romance of vintage instruments and guns, new automated and mass produced products won't keep me from buying them.
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message_board_expert
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If Smith built revolvers the way they used to and charged for it, the "new" Smiths might look a lot better to prospective buyers.
I carry a 340SC daily. I do so because it weighs less than 12 ounces. It serves a purpose but it has no soul. It's the only handgun I own that was made after 1970. My prewar guns move me, make my heart beat a bit faster. Later guns are merely tools.
The new guns are better overall, and more consistent. My only problem with S&W as it operates today is that they no longer do QC. Every revolver should be checked for timing and B/C gap before it leaves the factory. Any idiot can be trained to do those checks.
Oh hummmm..well ive seen that in the Aviation Industry, Beat it to fit paint it to match... the Mantra of the Major Airline I use to work for.
Oh hummmm..well ive seen that in the Aviation Industry, Beat it to fit paint it to match... the Mantra of the Major Airline I use to work for.
A bunch of you guys must have been really upset when cranks were no longer standard equipment and they put those unreliable electric self starters on cars.
mike from st pete
Member
$1000 Found?
Can I use the Grand to buy a M&P in 9mm, full size and extra magazines?
Can I use the Grand to buy a M&P in 9mm, full size and extra magazines?
That amusement behind me, I still have my precious, 40 year old, clean as a whistle 2" Model 10:
That's understandable. So do I! This one is from 1977.
John
UncleEd
Member
In a way, this sums up the whole new
vs. old debate.
It's comes down to old being art objects
with the new being "merely tools" which
make pro-revolvers people happy, happy
that wheel guns are still made.
I think you nailed it Ed.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
needsmostuff
Member
WHAAAAT ??????,,,,, Dylan used an electric guitar ??????
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Velle
Member
I wont buy one with a hole. It's kind of like seeing oil under a new Corvette. My wife bought a 637 and it leads the barrel really bad.
Smith61
Member
I only own eight (8) S&W revolvers from Model 10 to a 58. The oldest is the M10 made in 1961 when I was born. The newest is a 19-5 from 1985.
If I ever buy a new lock/MIM model, you can bet it will be an N frame, as the J and K frames have altered frame symmetry that just is so obvious as to be offensive.
If I ever buy a new lock/MIM model, you can bet it will be an N frame, as the J and K frames have altered frame symmetry that just is so obvious as to be offensive.
Ackley1952
Member
If Remington had gotten MIM parts in the 1100 sooner could the company have been saved ?
cmj8591
Member
If Smith built revolvers the way they used to and charged for it, most of the people who post on this board wouldn't be able to afford one.
CAD and MIM are here to stay. It's just the way things are done at this time in history. Hand fitting worked because the hands were cheep and worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. The bluing was great because the polishing was cheep to do and the dregs from the bluing tanks got dumped in the Connecticut river. Those days are long gone. Now instead of one man making one frame at 75 cents and hour, you have one man making $30 an hour watching over 6 CAD machines that are each turning out 4 or 5 frames at a time. The fact remains that they turn out some very good guns at a price that a working person can afford. For the most part, they are not as nice to look at as a pre war model 27 but they do what they are made for.
I just picked up a nice 629-6 today, built in 2016. 6", nothing special, just in excellent condition. I took the rubber handles off, ran it through whatever the few checks that I know how to do with my limited abilities. I'll take it out and shoot it when the weather permits. (I'm not sure if I can use the game lands' shooting range while deer season is in.) But, this gun feels like a very well-made gun; solid, no shakes or rattles, just like my Model 10 and my Model15, only bigger and a nicer trigger. I'll have to give yinz a report when I can. I'll start a new thread. Anyhow, it feels nice & strong like my Ruger GP100 6". The lock really doesn't detract from the looks. So far, so good. To be continued...
I must be really lucky. I have a bunch of used guns and for the most part they all worked well from the beginning, not counting the ones I picked up for discounted for a known problem and all those have been easily fixed.
I bet that except for LEO trade ins and the like most revolvers have pretty low round counts. I bet 90% of the revolvers out there have less than 1000 rounds fired from them. Heck, I am a revolver nut and I have some guns with less than that through them. Many people buy the gun fire maybe a box or 2 of ammo and put it away. Maybe once or twice a year fire a cylinder or 2 and back in the drawer. The bigger the bore the more apt this is to be true. Unless people reload ammo cost adds up fast. Just $30 a box means $600 for 1000rds because we are talking people who buy that way.
The people on this site are the exception not the rule for the most part.
I bet that except for LEO trade ins and the like most revolvers have pretty low round counts. I bet 90% of the revolvers out there have less than 1000 rounds fired from them. Heck, I am a revolver nut and I have some guns with less than that through them. Many people buy the gun fire maybe a box or 2 of ammo and put it away. Maybe once or twice a year fire a cylinder or 2 and back in the drawer. The bigger the bore the more apt this is to be true. Unless people reload ammo cost adds up fast. Just $30 a box means $600 for 1000rds because we are talking people who buy that way.
The people on this site are the exception not the rule for the most part.
dsf
Member
I have a 442 as a routine carry gun. I'm sure the new S&Ws are well made guns. However at this stage of my life they do not address what I look for when buying revolvers.
Russell420
Member
I used to be one of those who couldn't stand the newer guns due to aesthetics (the lock/frame geometry), MIM parts, and the politics that got us the locks in the first place. When I finally broke over and used the new guns, and I mean put thousands and thousands of rounds of full power magnum ammo (mainly 125 gr 357) through new k, l, and n frames in double action only training, I learned some things. No MIM parts exploded, no internal safeties spontaneously activated, the guns worked, and I didn't worry about the wear and tear like I would with one of my older guns. If something broke, I knew S&W would repair it. I also found that the new guns often have better actions out of the box than my stock old ones. From my limited experience, the new guns have proven themselves. The lock is still ugly though.
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Velle
Member
MIM doesn't bother me. It's been out long enough for the bugs to be worked out. MIM is everywhere from guns to automotive to airplanes and even aerospace uses MIM. It's not going anywhere.
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