Thanks for response/info. Gun I'm lookin at is %99, box n all. My main concern was I bought one of these once that was junk. You could see ripples on the frame on close inspection, like the milling machine operator went to lunch mid-cut. Local smith pronounced internals junk to boot.
I think every so often you'll find a junk S&W. I had a beautiful Model 27 once. It was great to look at, but awful mechanically. Theres a bad one in every bunch. I think you should give it another try. If this one doesnt pan out, then stay away. Chances are this one will be fine.
I bought several Smith's in the early 70's, including a model 53 which I wish I still had. Bangor-Punta used to put their name on the box, as I recall. I will look for it monday when I go back to hagle for the gun. It looks unfired, hard to pass up.