I only have one stainless engraved S&W, it was not done by the factory. It is this little 686 snubby. Now I have had this one for 15+ years, but at the time it cost me well under $1,000.
There are many good values that come up in engraved factory firearms as well. 3 or 4 years ago during the Texas Hold 'EM poker craze, S&W produced a nice little revolver based on the model 36.
The package included a lightly engraved (class "C") model 36 with the gold barrel and cylinder bands and the Dead Man's Hand in gold on the side of the revolver. It wore faux Ivory grips and came in a glass top display case that held S&W poker chips and playing cards.
At the time MSRP was just over $1,000, but a plain Jane model 36 had an MSRP of more than $700 at the time. Now we all know that nobody pays MSRP for their firearms.
So here S&W produced a cute little revolver that had a street price of about $225 more than it's plain Jane counterpart. I thought it was a real value and bought one.
Last year (I think) there was a Friends of the NRA model 442 that S&W produced. It also had roughly Class "C" engraving coverage. The side plate logo was the NRA logo. There was no gold but it did have the display case. These were available for around $475 at the time. I have one but did not photograph it yet.
Engraved firearms are not for everyone, but if you like them, there are some deals to be had. The point is, there are lots of GREAT engraved revolvers for under $3,000, just keep your eyes open.
