School me on S&W revolvers

[flatwins]

I got to fire a couple of S&W revolvers a couple works ago and have been bitten and started shopping. I am one of those guys who likes to know as much as I can about something before I make a purchase. I have been looking around at some oher forums but Im having some trouble flattening the learning curve.
1. pinned vs nonpinned is it a collectors only point of intrest or does it effect pistol function?
2. Why does everyone prefer prelock does the lock effect function or trigger pull or again is it a purist thing?
3. When people refer to nodash models do they mean that the pistol is a base model? or is this refering to something else?
4. Are there anythings that should raise red flags? are there any models that had problems over the years? AKA lemons? I have seen some references to IL serial numbers that had problems I have no clue what this is refering to.


Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance.

You're screwed!

 

[mr ed]

Pinned & Recessed is of no importance unless your a collector.
Many years ago there was a joke going around, that cause S&W's are union made that they stopped P&R when the old P&R guys retired and that saved $5-$10 a gun.

 

[Glock 'em down]

You're screwed!

Understatement of the year.

Did you get the PM I sent you Steve?

 

[Rolando]

Welcome to the world of fine revolvers.
Look at the Model 14, THE target 38 with a 6 inch barrel, blued, adjustable sights. You can pick one up for $350 and they are NICE!!

Police trade in DAO model 64 are nice too, stainless, fixed sight 4" 38. Check this forum for the J&G group buy. For around $200 it is a steal!!

 

[348]

Can't go wrong with a K frame .357mag or GP100.

J frames are mouse guns!

 

[S&W 10]

... I am looking at K frame 38's. The one that I shot was a police trade in Model 15 and the thing had a very slick action and was very accurate. I have always been a 357 guy but that pistol has really changed my thinking and Im getting older and just dont need a gun that beats the hell outta me...

Knowing your primary use will be of great assistance in choosing the model that will suit your requirements best.
S&W introduced the K frame in 1899 with the introduction of the M&P; in 1957 Model number designations were assigned to all Smith handguns.

.38 spl K frames:
M&P became the Model 10 (1899-current)
Target Masterpiece became the Model 14 (1947-1999)
Combat Masterpiece became the Model 15 (1949-1999)

There are still some pretty good deals to be had on these models if you're in the right place at the right time. If you study and learn the subtle changes, sometimes you can even find a desirable variation for the price of a standard/common version.
In my opinion some of the smoothest factory actions are found on the post-war transitional models, but earlier and some later revolvers can be pretty close.

Smith revolvers are like chips...Bet-ya can't own just one!

I'm kind of partial to the M&P/Model 10 if you couldn't tell by my username.

 

[dlbleak]

get the model 19,exact same gun as the 15 just chambered or 357.shoot the 38's in it an know you have more gun if you need it.

 

[jimeradams]

My model 10 is the 10-7 model. It does have the pinned barrel, which I guess was potentially collectible when it had the pencil barrel on it. Someone had dropped the poor thing and put a good nick on the muzzle , dropped it and broken the hammer off, and it had lost its thumb piece. I had my gunsmith install a heavy barrel, he trimmed and reblued the hammer (it looks fantastic!), and supplied a new thumb piece. It's a great gun, especially when you consider I only paid $50 for it, since it had been so mistreated! You can't go wrong with a K-frame or L-frame (I've only owned four 681's!)!

 

[mmcbeat]

If you really want to get interested in S&W revolvers, buy the latest edition of the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson. Very interesting to read and a wealth of information. You might visit the blue board.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/forum.php

 

[rickmenefee]

great thread