Strange question on Model 37 Airweight

T

TurkeySlayer

New member
Today I was in my local shop browsing the revolvers (Smiths being my new love) and I looked at a model 37 Airweight, brand new with the internal lock.

I cock the hammer and lo and behold it's a hammer mounted firing pin.
Now I'm no revolver expert, being a long time fan of autos, but I know that all revolvers of late from S&W are maligned for having frame mounted firing pins. I have a 629-5 Mountain Gun and a new (internal lock) 442 Centennial, so the Mountain Gun's internal FP is all I have to go on.

Should I snag this puppy for $399 new in box?
 
I'd grab that gun in a heartbeat, my mdl. 38 bodyguard airweight with the hammer mounted firing pin has been a great little gun, and given the price of smiths lately that is a fair price...tom
 
How could that be?

I was in a gun shop yesterday and the S&W's with that key all had internal firing pins.
I was a little disapponted with that "key" too. Smith & Wesson must have known nobody was really going to use it. It's a flimsy thing and only one came in the box.

Kentucky Rifle
 
kentucky rifle...I see what you mean after rereading the original post, I didn't think they made any with hammer mounted firng pin and a lock, hmmmmmm...tom
 
That's a REAL stumper, Turkey.

My best guess is that it was an early factory experimental gun that somehow made it out of the factory and into general circulation.
 
It MAY be in that configuration...exposed hammer with hammer-mounted firing pin AND integral lock...BECAUSE it is an "Airweight" frame with the exposed hammer...I'd bet that MOST of the "Airweight" guns that S&W sells are in the "Bodyguard" or "Centennial" configuration...probably an older-production FRAME that they had laying around, just waiting to be used for something...given it's UNUSUAL combination of features, yeah, I'd buy it, too!!!....mikey357
 
That's always a possibility, too, Mikey.

In the past it's not been unusual for batches of old frames to be "found" and put into production.
 
I checked my two Airweights just to make sure I was remembering correctly. My 638 with the lock has the frame mounted firing pin. My wife's older model 38 has the hammer mounted firing pin.
If this was an older frame laying around, S&W would have had to mill the hole and slot for the lock and also found the parts for the hammer mounted firing pin.
If you look at the m37 on S&W's sight and enlarge the pic you'll see the hammer in the pic is one with the firing pin pin hole in it. Maybe, the m37 is still made with a real hammer? I don't know. :confused:
Either way, $399 isn't a bad price considering S&W is asking $554.
 
The new Model 37 we just sold had the hammer-mounted firing pin. No lock, though.

(Don't see how they could do that; the hammer on the guns with the lock has funny slots in it not found on the old-style hammers.)
 
I suspect that the two Mikes here have already touched upon it. There's another possibility, of course.

S&W will do 'special' runs for special orders. Say a large PD wants the guns for back-up or plainclothes issue, and their armorer's wanted hammer-noses for familiarity. Voila', S&W gives them what they want. Now, there's over-runs, or the dept. backs out on the order, or whatever. They recoup their losses by putting out to their normal jobbers for distribution.

One thing's for sure, it may be a pretty unique specimen for collectors.:)
 
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