Smith & Wesson 2

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Bucksnort1

New member
Regarding the S&W 686 I purchased at the Tanner gun show, this past weekend, they included the empty case used to test the handgun. Immediately, I noticed two things about it. First, it's steel. Second, it wasn't made in the U.S. The head stamp is Tulammo, which I believe is made in Italy. Now, call me crazy but, I would think Smith & Wesson would use American made ammunition. Are they thinking they would save money?
 
M

Mike Irwin

Staff
Chemtrails, dude, chemtrails...

S&W probably put out bids for the cheapest test ammo that they could find.

Tul was the winner.
 
J

James K

Member In Memoriam
Until MD eliminated the silly test case business, the state police had to approve the ammo used, to make sure it would pick up the tool marks. I don't know if a steel case would do, but it is of no concern now in this state.

Pogybait, if you are into conspriracies, you don't want to know that Tulammo is made in (shhh!) Russia.

Jim
 
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Bucksnort1

New member
James K,

I searched the internet for the country but I guess I, incorrectly, determined it is Italy.

Turtlehead suggest it could be a tracking device so I'm listening carefully for beeps and hummms coming from the case.

Last weekend, I was working the Colorado State Shooting Association table at the Denver Tanner Gun Show. A man joined the NRA but refused to take his free hat because it is made in China. Go figure.
 
R

RIDE-RED 350r

New member
It's the firing pin print on the primer they look at..not the case itself. At least that is what I am told...

We have the idiotic money pit of a cataloging program here in NY still and all new handguns brought into the state must be accompanied by a spent case to be sent into the State Police when the firearm is received by the dealer.
 
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walnut1704

New member
More likely the original test case was lost and the seller just threw whatever they could find in to make it "complete".
 
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James K

Member In Memoriam
In a state that requires the case be submitted to the police (if there are any now), that would have been a violation of the law; in a state that has no such requirement, a substitution would have been pointless; the case can be discarded anyway and usually is.

Jim
 
G

gbran

New member
Just bought an S&W 627 here in CA a few weeks ago. It came with a freshly fired care, stamped Winchester.
 
C

CajunBass

New member
Are they thinking they would save money?
Click to expand...

Why wouldn't they? They have budget's just like everybody else. If you can save a few bucks here, you can spend it somewhere else. It's not like it really matters.

I haven't bought a new gun since I don't remember when, but I always just tossed the brass in the reload bin.
 
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Sevens

New member
If we really have to make that Italian ammo connection...

The formerly known Smith & Wesson branded ammo on the market in the 70's and 80's was not made by S&W as we know them, it was made for them by Fiocchi and merely stamped S&W and packed in to cool blue & white S&W ammo boxes.
 
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James K

Member In Memoriam
I don't think so. AFAIK, S&W ammo was made Lake Erie Chemical Corp, which also made the tear gas and tear gas guns sold under the S&W name.

Jim
 
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Sevens

New member
I want to say that I read about S&W branded ammo having been made by Fiocchi in in my Standard Catalog of S&W, but I don't have my book handy.

I have never (that I recall?) heard such a name as Lake Erie Chemical Corp, but I am interested to learn more, no doubt.

I always found the blue & white boxes to be very neat looking. For some reason (maybe the font they used?), it just seems to scream "1980's!" to me. Reminiscing a lot these days. :D
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
More likely the original test case was lost and the seller just threw whatever they could find in to make it "complete".
Click to expand...

I think this is likely, and as James pointed out, would be a violation of law (if the steel case had not been fired in the gun) and just tossed in the box.

And it would only matter in those states with that law.

Can't say about S&W but a NIB Ruger Vaquero I bought some years back had a brass case in a small envelope with it.

It is an interesting bit of gun control BS, probably originated from people who know more about TV ballistics than real life matters.

One does have to wonder, though, suppose the factory screwed up, and tossed the fired case into the wrong box (fired case from gun #12345 going into gun#12346's box and vice versa. How would they ever know?

I can see the most likely outcome being that, IF cases from a crime scene were compared to the "official" case in their database, then gun#12345 would not be a match. probably take the CSI guys at least until the next commercial break to figure out why... if they can ;)
 
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James K

Member In Memoriam
Of more concern was that someone would pick up cases at a range and then throw them down at a crime scene to confuse the police and get an innocent person in trouble. AFAIK, that never happened. But the law did no good, either. According to the Maryland State Police, there were 11 cases in which the fired case provided corroboratory evidence; in no case was it even close to being the primary evidence and in only one case was it even brought out at the trial. Cost the taxpayers millions of dollars, though, and added to the cost of guns.

Jim
 
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Sevens

New member
You could throw them away any time you like but folks who buy used guns (or new guns I suppose) really enjoy something that ends up feeling like a "born on" date for the gun.

That doesn't justify the ridiculous program, but it's find one small useful nugget in a vast sea of stupidity.
 
B

Bucksnort1

New member
Sevens,

I told you I would ask my friend, who works at an indoor range, to watch for .327 brass. He said he would but so far, he hasn't seen the first .327 handgun come in the door.
 
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