Limited to blue S&W revolvers.....

If it doesn't have a pinned barrel, I'm not interested. If it has the ILS, I'm repulsed. (personal preference, not a mechanical issue)

A friend got a new 8 3/8" 629, shortly after they stopped pinning the barrels. After a few hundred rounds, the barrel was noticeably canted. He sent it back, it came back with the barrel on straight again, and a note from S&W saying "nothing wrong found". He sold it soon after...

I know that it is entirely possible to make a good revolver without pinning the barrel. I also know that for at least some time, S&W, didn't.

More than enough of the older guns around to satisfy my every want and need, so I don't bother with anything else.
 
I generally only go for P&R era S&Ws. I do have two each 25-5 & 24-3s that I
only keep because they shoot good. The barrels turning has never happened to
me because I don't do stainless and that's were you hear about this. I have
about a full set of P&Rs in 6-6.6" & 83/8" with a few 4" and one nicel 57 that
would be trade bait for a blue one. Also have several older model pre war guns.
I only deal in adj sight models too. The gut busters and stainless are just passing through on trades.
 
If it doesn't have a pinned barrel, I'm not interested. If it has the ILS, I'm repulsed. (personal preference, not a mechanical issue)
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I agree. The 547 seems like it will be an exception, but a worthy one. The one on its way to me has wooden grips....any idea where I can find some nice looking grip of a similar pattern to the originals?.....the originals are like mini target's. I'm looking for something under $100, but the has decent wood and tung oil finish.

I should be clear, all of mine are going to be occasional shooters and I'm not to the point I value boxes and papers yet. I do like a clean gun with minimal wear and original or nice wood replacement grips
 
I'd love a Model 14...

One of my sisters has Dad's 14-4...

She has the original grips (box+papers, etc), but prefers the feel of these magna-style that I knocked up out of white ash...

8yasxu.jpg
 
For a 6-shot, relatively light-weight revolver for concealed carry, you might want to consider getting a Model 12 snub-nose, preferably the round butt variant.
 
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So, Lear Siegler is worse than Pangor Punta?
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IMHO - yes, I would actually say that's got more than a grain of truth to it.
So much was going on in both the corporate world & the US economy @ that time......

S&W quality during the LSI years can be likened to Harley Davidson's, during the AFM years.

S&W was a "throw away" part of LSI & just about everyone connected with it knew that. A few good people still hung on @ S&W & a fair number of decent guns were produced, but, overall,,,things were pretty bad.
 
I AM limited to blued S&W revolves.

Self-limited in that I do not like either stainless steel or nickel.

So all of my S&W revolvers are blued.
 
Whew....gotta be a 4" Model 24 (1950 Target....44 Spl of course), and a 5" Model 27...but if we're really REALLY lucky...a Model 16 in .32 S&W Long. Of course there's the always desired Model 18 .22 LR. Rod
 
I wouldn't get hung up on a pinned barrel if the M27 you find is nice!:)
Also, that sweet 547 needs a companion!!
 
I personally prefer the S&W's made prior to 1980 and I could throw up a dozen or so pictures of my favorite Smiths, but if I was limited to just two or three, I would definitely have the following:

K22 Masterpiece
IMG_0973-XL.jpg


M19
IMG_2931-XL.jpg


M29
IMG_1890-XL.jpg


Honorable mention would go to a 586 even though it is a later production gun.
IMG_4952-XL.jpg
 
This is an older picture of some of my blued Smiths. I now have quite a few more that I could add to such a picture.

Not to mention 3 blued Colts...

262378067.jpg
 
I have 5 blued ones - mostly vintage. A snub 36, a 3" 36, M & P Target, 5" M & P and a Combat Masterpiece - all 38 specials. If I could only have one - it would be my 5" M & P - born the same year as I was - 1952 and my absolute favorite Smith to shoot.
 
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