Mike Irwin- Ever seen one of these?
- Thread starter SaxonPig
- Start date
Mike Irwin
Staff
Not with a 10" barrel, I've not. Does he have the registration certificate, too?
Somewhere around here I have a link to an original price list for all of the options and features that were offered. IIRC each half inch of barrel over 6" cost $1.50 or something like that.
Somewhere around here I have a link to an original price list for all of the options and features that were offered. IIRC each half inch of barrel over 6" cost $1.50 or something like that.
Mike Irwin
Staff
Nothing I've got that I can lay my hands on quickly mentions a 10" barrel. I suspect that was an extra special order and very possibly one of the very few with a barrel that long.
If he's got all the goodies he's got a very pricy gun.
If he's got all the goodies he's got a very pricy gun.
Mike Irwin
Staff
Back then, with the right money, you could pretty much get what you wanted
Mike Irwin
Staff
"It was reduced to 8 3/8" when that added up to the NRA longest sight radius allowed."
Is that true?
It would explain how they ended up with such an odd measurement.
Is that true?
It would explain how they ended up with such an odd measurement.
Can't say its true, and I won't say it's not, but there's been talk!...
Unban legend (quite possibly true) says that while any barrel length was available as a special order, 8 3/4" was the longest standard offered length, and it was reduced to 8 3/8" a bit later to comply with NRA match rules for max sight radius.
Perfectly understandable, from a business standpoint, as the tiny difference in length is essentially meaningless from a practical standpoint, and making a gun that can be used in the matches broadens the sales potential.
Unban legend (quite possibly true) says that while any barrel length was available as a special order, 8 3/4" was the longest standard offered length, and it was reduced to 8 3/8" a bit later to comply with NRA match rules for max sight radius.
Perfectly understandable, from a business standpoint, as the tiny difference in length is essentially meaningless from a practical standpoint, and making a gun that can be used in the matches broadens the sales potential.
I think it would be awfully interesting to find a value on something like that. Of course, the picture doesn't tell us a lot about it's condition and we've heard nothing about what ever else he has with it...
There's an outfit called Fugate Firearms that would be a pretty good source to give an opinion on it. Nice guys, too.
There's an outfit called Fugate Firearms that would be a pretty good source to give an opinion on it. Nice guys, too.
Every April 1st I post this on the S&W Forum but so many folks get mad that it gets immediately deleted any more. I think they were embarrassed at trying to buy this gun from me the first time I posted it.
Yes, the RMs started out with a max barrel length of 8 & 3/4" and this was reduced to 8 & 3/8s because on an N frame that makes the max allowable sight radius for competition.
No RMs were made with a barrel longer than 8 & 3/4".
Yes, the RMs started out with a max barrel length of 8 & 3/4" and this was reduced to 8 & 3/8s because on an N frame that makes the max allowable sight radius for competition.
No RMs were made with a barrel longer than 8 & 3/4".
Mike Irwin
Staff
"No RMs were made with a barrel longer than 8 & 3/4"."
I've heard rumors about them existing for years, though. At the time, S&W was supposedly capable of making barrels of pretty much any length.
The one thing I've learned to say, even on April 1, is nothing is impossible if you've got the money to have it done.
I've heard rumors about them existing for years, though. At the time, S&W was supposedly capable of making barrels of pretty much any length.
The one thing I've learned to say, even on April 1, is nothing is impossible if you've got the money to have it done.
One thing nearly all the gunmakers did before WWII was, to one degree or another, the whole factory was the "custom shop".
Meaning, some, if not most would build you anything you wanted, and paid the premium for, (within physical limiitations) even when it was outside the standard offerings of features.
Today, if you want a combination of features the factory doesn't offer, they will still make it for you, if you order a few hundred (or more) guns at once.
One thing I've learned, like the Bond movie title "Never say Never".....
Meaning, some, if not most would build you anything you wanted, and paid the premium for, (within physical limiitations) even when it was outside the standard offerings of features.
Today, if you want a combination of features the factory doesn't offer, they will still make it for you, if you order a few hundred (or more) guns at once.
One thing I've learned, like the Bond movie title "Never say Never".....
Jim Watson
New member
The Registered Magnum was introduced with up to an 8 3/4" barrel for the NRA maximum 10" sight radius.
It was reduced to 8 3/8" when somebody noticed an obscure rule going back to the days of single shot target pistols that said the maximum barrel length OR barrel plus cylinder length was 10".
It was reduced to 8 3/8" when somebody noticed an obscure rule going back to the days of single shot target pistols that said the maximum barrel length OR barrel plus cylinder length was 10".
Anything is possible. But the fact is that S&W never made a 10" RM. You can say they would have had someone thrown money at them, and that's likely true, but nobody ever did and they never made one. All of the RMs produced have been cataloged by barrel length and it is known which barrel lengths were manufactured and in what numbers. I created that image in PhotoShop and the very serious collectors on the S&W Forum got very angry when I fooled them with that image.