S&W question

[txray22]

I'm an "old guy" and like old guy guns, wheelguns are my favorite. I understand there is a time frame which S&W didn't make top quality guns.

Can anyone tell me what to look for (stay away from)? I just bought a nickle M10 made in '65 thats a great shooter.

Phil

PS: Springmom, sorry to hear you left and sorry about your SBH. I have owned several BHs and they have all been good guns. I have an older service six that shoots great and a SP101 that's yet un-tested. (I hope it works). Ruger used to be the workhorse of revolvers. Times change.

 

[Majic]

Like other manufactors there was a time when there quality wasn't the best they have ever put out, but that doesn't mean ever single gun they put out was of bad quality. Examine each and every one no matter when it was made. Judge them on their own merit not any kind of time period because even when they were putting out the best lemons still slipped out.

 

[LSP972]

Alledgely, there was a time in the 70s, when quality went straight into the toilet for a while.

This was after Call Hellstrom retired, and involved the huge Bangor Punta corporation. According to the story, either Bangor Punta bought the firm or sold it around 1974; I can't remember which; and that's when things went bad.

Anyway, to answer your question, aside from getting serial # runs and trying to extrapolate a "dud" from a jewel, there's really no way to tell without examining a particular example.

I didn't become involved with revolvers until 1978, so I don't remember these supposed bad times. I remember a lot of my revolver-shooting acquaintances remarking about the fact; but was it true, or simply lore that got distorted in the re-telling? I have no clue.

I DO have personal knowledge of one example of piss-poor quality on the part of S&W. This is the execrable "floating hand" that some retard engineer came up with to reduce production costs. We have several hundred 686s with this abortion, and they caused me plenty of grief when those 686s were issue weapons. The time frame on this was the early 90s.

As to "what to look for"... the basic design and function of S&W revolvers hasn't changed radically since about 1900. You want the usual suspects on a shooter; a smooth DA pull, crisp & light SA release, little or no endshake (both yoke and cylinder), good carry-up (with both trigger fingers), a barrel that was installed STRAIGHT, a smooth and properly-adjusted cylinder release mechanism, etc., etc.

These are things difficult to describe with the written word; some are self-evident, others not so obvious.

Perhaps one of the S&W mavens over at the S&W forum will have a better answer for you. The collective knowledge, regarding S&W revolvers, of those guys is unsurpassed.

.

 

[Hammer It]

Hello
I agree with Poster Majic on this. I have heard that the Older revolver's did not have the High level of steel placed in them available today. I have some from the Mid 1920's that have the smoothest actions I have ever felt on any S&W revolver. Revolver's built prior to World-War II were had assembled and fitted, and this gives them a higher quality of fit and finish to me. They also are tight, and I have not had any durability issues from any of them. I have plenty from the Bangor-Punta ear, which was the Mid 1950's, and these Two are fines revolver's. The ones I have seen the most change with fit and finish issues have been the Leir-Siegler ear. This is when the Brit's owned the factory and the bluing process was changed. Bluing on this era revolver appears to be blotchy and transparent in looks and some show machine marks as they were not finished to the top level of quality that the older vintage on one's were prior to be blued or nickel finished. I have seen internals from both the Bangor-Punta era guns and the Lear-Siegler era that show heavy machine marks, and deep ridges that were not smoothed out before leaving the factory. I can not give ant specific time line as to when S&W guns were of the best quality, but if you are looking for the best in fit and finish I would say the Pre-War models will show that, and I have not seen another era that can compare to this time span, and doubt there ever will be one. Hammer It.

 

[hpg]

I can't remember what years it was, but it was during the time S&W was owned by Bangor-Punta.....hpg

 

[dispatcher]

I can't pretend to be an expert, but I have Models 10, 19, and 18- all 1970's vintage. They are beautiful revolvers and all function flawlessly. I lost interest when S&W caved to the gun control folks. Can't personally comment on th new ones.
My newer revolvers are Rugers.

 

[SnWnMe]

Bangor Punta (late 60s to the 80s) and Lear Ziegler (early almost late 80s). During this period you can actually get NIB guns that do not work. The Tomkin Co. aka The Brits (late 80s to mid 90s) at least turned quality around.