Wish S&W would...

[DM~]

My S&W M-19 "K" frame, 44spl. works just fine, so i don't see why an "L" frame wouldn't?

Of course, it's a "spl." not a magnum, and that's the way i treat it!

DM

 

[SleazyRider]

Box me up!

I wish S&W would make available those blue cardboard boxes with the metal corners and protective paper inside for guns in my collection that happen to be missing a box. For a while Colt had replacement boxes available, but I see that source has dried up.

 

[Jaymo]

DM, who did the conversion of your 19?
Since owning a Taurus 431, I'm rather enamored of the idea of a 5 shot K frame .44 Spl.
The stout loads I ran through mine were not Elmer Keith stout.
They were more like Skeeter Skelton's loads.
I was running 240 grain SWCs around 900 FPS.
I don't see where it would hurt a K frame, since it's the same size as my old bull.

My 2.5" 66-1 and my 4" 10-6 would make some sweet .44 Spls.
If my Charter Bulldog can stand up to .44 Spl, my S&W K frames should handle it even better, being bigger/stronger/more durable.

I'd love to have a K frame .44 Spl with the firing pin where it belongs, on the hammer.
I guess the Rossi 720/721 qualify, but I can't find one locally.
I wish they hadn't dropped them from the lineup.
Then again, I wish Rossi and Taurus were two separate entities.
I think both made better guns back then.

Hmm, how 'bout a 3" HB model 10 or 13 converted to .44 Spl?
I'd like that.

Then again, A 4" or 6" 586 no dash, converted to .44 Spl would make me happy.
I just can't do that to mine, until I find a better example to keep stock.

 

[StrawHat]

Jaymo,

I know a company in Spokane Washington was doing 44 Special conversions on "K" frames in the last century but I am not sure if they are still in business. Okay, I just searched and they are out of business. Too bad, they did good work.

 

[DM~]

Jaymo,

I know a company in Spokane Washington was doing 44 Special conversions on "K" frames in the last century but I am not sure if they are still in business. Okay, I just searched and they are out of business. Too bad, they did good work.

The guy doing that work, last i heard is semi retired, and now only does work for the goverment... He was truely a "master pistol smith" and did mine for me.

DM

 

[Eaglestroker]

3" 10 shot 617 would get my vote. That would be a lot of fun.

 

[Kurastduuks]

Hmmm I wish smith & wesson would stop making delicate revolvers in traditional magnum chamberings and would apply their excellent fit and finish to a stout product


Just kidding guys dont crucify me!

But seriously

 

[Gun Master]

Howdy

Frankly, I couldn't care less. There are so many terrific used Smiths out there. No locks, no MIM parts. And most of them are a bargain compared to what a new Smith costs.

Amen !

 

[RealGun]

There are just some topics that weren't meant for people to step on. When one attacks the premise and adds no value, it's a sure sign of being off topic and needing to let it pass.

I think we know that there are many elitists among older subscribers and collectors. Talking about future offerings by S&W would probably exclude them.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

There are just some topics that weren't meant for people to step on. When one attacks the premise and adds no value, it's a sure sign of being off topic and needing to let it pass.

I think we know that there are many elitists among older subscribers and collectors. Talking about future offerings by S&W would probably exclude them.

Sometimes mentioning an alternative to the original premise of the topic lets folks know there are other avenues to pursue. Many of the posts I have seen on this thread have to do with locks and other relatively new features that S&W has been adding recently. If you look for used, you can avoid those things.

I was at a major gun show last Saturday and I saw more terrific old Smiths than I could shake a stick at. Most of them were available for very good prices, much less expensive than anything new. Sometimes new shooters are leery about buying a used gun because they do not feel they have the expertise to know if it is in good condition. A little hands on research at a major gun show is an excellent place to start the process.

Face it folks, locks and MIM parts are not going to go away on Smiths. It is just not going to happen.

 

[Old Fuff]

I think we know that there are many elitists among older subscribers and collectors. Talking about future offerings by S&W would probably exclude them.

Yup, and I'm one of them.

Anyway, the real problem is that with the exception of some .38 Special and .357 Magnum snubbies, S&W's revolver sales are relatively slow and dropping. On the other hand the demand for pistols with hi-cap magazines and small pocket pistols is out of sight, and those with polymer frames offer the company higher profits then any revolver because they are less expensive to make.

So they aren't going to spend much time on new revolvers that have limited appeal. The best one can hope for is something out of the Performance Center or a limited run for a particular distributor.

Now if the company was flooded with mail asking for something they might give it some more then usual consideration, but daydreaming posts on this thread are unlikely to reach them.

 

[mdauben]

A non-JM Model 625 in 4 and/or 3 inch barrel. Without a lock.

A Model 617 in non-underlug 6 inch barrel. Without a lock.

 

[iyn]

686, 9mm, 7 shot, 3" barrel or j frame 9mm, 3" barrel

 

[RealGun]

So they aren't going to spend much time on new revolvers that have limited appeal.

Well, they jumped on the Judge thing, didn't they? They also find a his/hers niche with various offerings in 357 Magnum, quietly being shot as .38 Special. They are also heavy into the pink thing.

It's not like the guns are languishing on dealer shelves.

Grant you, silly notions of dropping trigger locks and doing pistol calibers, when revolver calibers are better, are not likely to be more than tongue-in-cheek fantasies. Those going on and on about trigger locks are not interested in new guns anyway.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Well, they jumped on the Judge thing, didn't they? They also find a his/hers niche with various offerings in 357 Magnum, quietly being shot as .38 Special. They are also heavy into the pink thing.

Yeah, they jumped on the Judge thing alright. One of the dumbest revolvers they ever made. I paid $25 on a raffle ticket for one last year. That's all I would spend for one of those things. And the Pink thing, don't get me started.

I'll just keep looking for used, thanks very much.

 

[Old Fuff]

Well, they jumped on the Judge thing, didn't they? They also find a his/hers niche with various offerings in 357 Magnum, quietly being shot as .38 Special. They are also heavy into the pink thing.

Having spent a lot of money developing and tooling the huge X-frame, they will occasionally come up with a conversation model offering. That said sale numbers have not been showstoppers when compared to polymer autoloaders.

I presume the .357 Magnums you referred to are the ones made on small J-frames. I agree that in terms of revolver sales they are a bright spot, but again sales and profits are short of .380 and 9mm polymer/nylon frame pocket pistols.

Pink handguns are of course aimed at lady shoppers, or gentlemen who are buying for a woman. Some of the fair gender likes them, while others despise it as being condescending. In any case S&W hasn’t released any sales figures.

I would be delighted if S&W and other manufacturers increased their lines of current revolvers with entirely new offerings, but when top management looks at the overall market and production costs these aren’t where the market is today, nor the direction it’s going.

 

[RealGun]

How is it that you are able to speak for S&W with such assurance?

 

[brutus51]

Maybe their revolver sale wouldn't be waning if they got rid of the stupid lock.
I for one will never buy a gun with a lock, it's a solution to a non existent problem.
Sad really, I would love a .44 mountain gun or a 4" 686 and would have, in all probability, purchased both by now if it weren't for the lock.
I find myself hoping CZ will resurrect the Dan Wesson line which has more of a chance than Smith getting rid of the lock.

 

[Sam1911]

If you really need a .44 Mountain gun or a 4" 686, then the only person you're hurting by not buying one is you. The lock certainly is a "solution to a non-existent problem" for most users, but it is easily rendered inoperable and the gun works 100% just like any other. If those are guns you need, then those will do exactly what you want and not buying them is a pyrrhic move on your part.

Or maybe this is the sort of gun forum thing folks say, "Oh, I'd buy two or three or a dozen if they'd just lose the lock ... for sure, maybe, someday." Well, there's a reason S&W doesn't cater to that corner of the market, much. (Now they have made a few recent no-lock guns, assumedly to test out how massively their revolver sales will jump if they delete the "Hillary hole." They must be worried they won't be able to meet the skyrocketing demand if they ditch the locks from the whole line at once. )

To say that S&W would sell noticeably more revolvers if they got rid of the lock is a non-starter. They most certainly would sell a few dozen more to the handful of folks who a) care about the lock, and b) are in the market for a new revolver, and c) aren't perfectly content scouring the used market, convinced that the only good wheelguns were those made years ago. Most people buying revolvers these days haven't ever thought about the lock, probably never even noticed it before, and when it is pointed out to them say, "Oh, ok, I could lock it up. Cool." The lock does not hurt sales.