Apologies to Lefty . . . . 
Ten years ago today I signed up to da S&W Forum. Lots of water under the bridge/over the dam since then, for me as well as the forum.
I hadn't done a whole lot of forum-ing before that time. I had been a member of an upland bird hunting forum (still am, and I know there is at least one other member of that forum here), but I wasn't all that active. I was a member of the old Accurate Reloading forum, and one or two others, but again, I wasn't very active.
I had always been a fan of S&W revolvers since my Daddy used to give me the old Sargent-Sowell catalogs from the county purchasing office back in the mid/late 50s. When I was in fifth grade I could recite the model numbers, calibers, and barrel lengths available of the whole product line. My teachers used to give me weird looks when they saw me looking at those pages during "free reading" time. A short foray into law enforcement, including attending an academy in Atlanta run by retired FBI agents and the Georgia State Patrol, set up especially for small county and municipality departments, really cemented my love for S&Ws.
Anyhow, I signed up and tried to join in the fray. The old format made it hard to navigate, and sometimes it would take 15 minutes for the page to load. What was that old web-page forum format called? The one with a vertical string, with replies indented under the threads?
Anyhow, I wasn't that active here for the first five years or so. Just posted once a week, maybe. Then, I got back active in buying, selling, and trading a few S&W revolvers. I found the information on prices and availability here made it a lot easier to buy or sell with some sense of what the guns were actually worth on the market, and what models were really in great demand.
I now consider this place to be my Internet Home
D) if there is such a thing. I spend more time here than any other one site on the net.
A few observations:
Two things that have surprised me and been more interesting than anything else I can think of regarding the revolvers; first, the progression of the lowly Model 10 from a $100-$150 gun in well used condition, and $175-$250 in good to doggone nice condition, to now a $250 in well used condition to $400-up in very nice shape. I am basing this on observed asking prices on a couple of local/state S&S sites, and asking prices and actual sales in half a dozen shops in the area. The other thing that has surprised me so much is the seemingly cult status the lowly Model 28 has achieved. I recall in the not so long ago past that they used to sit on my dealer's shelf with $150 on them and gather dust. The dealer finally said he just had to quit taking them and the Model 10s in trade. They were hard stock. I can sort of understand the Model 10's ascendancy, but the 28s were just utility guns, with much less fit and finish than the other Smiths.
I want to make two nominations for forum awards . . . . .
First, biggest troll, at least since I have been here, was/is without a doubt . . . . . (here's the envelope) . . . . McBear!!!!!
Next, the S&W Forum's version of the most interesting man in the world (I don't know if he always drinks beer, and if so, what kind) none other than feralmerril!! I believe he wins the award for having had the most varied, and interesting experiences of anyone on the board! I have been on other boards where someone would always have a personal experience to relate, no matter what the topic. Most times, everyone rolls eyes and whispers, "yeah, sure," when these characters pop up. Not so with Merrill. I love to read his stories, whether they be about finding a crashed airplane in the desert, or meeting Tom Selleck, or about encounters with police in LA, or treating power poles up in the mountains, because the stories are so genuine. Thanks for being so entertaining!
There are, of course, a whole host of characters whose posts I look forward to for various reasons. There are some funny people, some knowledgable people, some interesting people, and some doggone good writers.
Thanks especially to Lee, and all the members that make this such a fine "interwebs" place to hang out.
Ten years ago today I signed up to da S&W Forum. Lots of water under the bridge/over the dam since then, for me as well as the forum.
I hadn't done a whole lot of forum-ing before that time. I had been a member of an upland bird hunting forum (still am, and I know there is at least one other member of that forum here), but I wasn't all that active. I was a member of the old Accurate Reloading forum, and one or two others, but again, I wasn't very active.
I had always been a fan of S&W revolvers since my Daddy used to give me the old Sargent-Sowell catalogs from the county purchasing office back in the mid/late 50s. When I was in fifth grade I could recite the model numbers, calibers, and barrel lengths available of the whole product line. My teachers used to give me weird looks when they saw me looking at those pages during "free reading" time. A short foray into law enforcement, including attending an academy in Atlanta run by retired FBI agents and the Georgia State Patrol, set up especially for small county and municipality departments, really cemented my love for S&Ws.
Anyhow, I signed up and tried to join in the fray. The old format made it hard to navigate, and sometimes it would take 15 minutes for the page to load. What was that old web-page forum format called? The one with a vertical string, with replies indented under the threads?
Anyhow, I wasn't that active here for the first five years or so. Just posted once a week, maybe. Then, I got back active in buying, selling, and trading a few S&W revolvers. I found the information on prices and availability here made it a lot easier to buy or sell with some sense of what the guns were actually worth on the market, and what models were really in great demand.
I now consider this place to be my Internet Home
D) if there is such a thing. I spend more time here than any other one site on the net.A few observations:
Two things that have surprised me and been more interesting than anything else I can think of regarding the revolvers; first, the progression of the lowly Model 10 from a $100-$150 gun in well used condition, and $175-$250 in good to doggone nice condition, to now a $250 in well used condition to $400-up in very nice shape. I am basing this on observed asking prices on a couple of local/state S&S sites, and asking prices and actual sales in half a dozen shops in the area. The other thing that has surprised me so much is the seemingly cult status the lowly Model 28 has achieved. I recall in the not so long ago past that they used to sit on my dealer's shelf with $150 on them and gather dust. The dealer finally said he just had to quit taking them and the Model 10s in trade. They were hard stock. I can sort of understand the Model 10's ascendancy, but the 28s were just utility guns, with much less fit and finish than the other Smiths.
I want to make two nominations for forum awards . . . . .
First, biggest troll, at least since I have been here, was/is without a doubt . . . . . (here's the envelope) . . . . McBear!!!!!
Next, the S&W Forum's version of the most interesting man in the world (I don't know if he always drinks beer, and if so, what kind
) none other than feralmerril!! I believe he wins the award for having had the most varied, and interesting experiences of anyone on the board! I have been on other boards where someone would always have a personal experience to relate, no matter what the topic. Most times, everyone rolls eyes and whispers, "yeah, sure," when these characters pop up. Not so with Merrill. I love to read his stories, whether they be about finding a crashed airplane in the desert, or meeting Tom Selleck, or about encounters with police in LA, or treating power poles up in the mountains, because the stories are so genuine. Thanks for being so entertaining!There are, of course, a whole host of characters whose posts I look forward to for various reasons. There are some funny people, some knowledgable people, some interesting people, and some doggone good writers.
Thanks especially to Lee, and all the members that make this such a fine "interwebs" place to hang out.
