Got some work to do to get to page 3, even if Raz does sleep in.
Well, I tried to give us a good start.
Though I did err factually - twice - in my post about the Smith & Wesson 3914.
Okay, call it one-and-a-half.
First, my 3914 is not a Ladysmith. The 3914LS "Ladysmith" came later than mine, and while it has the same model number, the guns are not identical. The frame of the LS is shaped differently.
Second, the fictitious Dee Dee McCall did not carry a 3914, as the show predated the 3914. Det. McCall carried a Walther PPK/S, mostly. Not sure how I got it in my head that she carried the 3914.
Ladysmith is engraved on the gun, is is not? (for the Ladysmith model)
Could be. I've never looked closely at one. The Ladysmith is distinctly identifiable by the steeper, straighter angle of the frame from trigger guard to muzzle. That was a design concession that made the gun simpler and cheaper to manufacture, but made the gun uglier - in my opinion.
I have a soft spot for a number of the Smith & Wesson semiautos from the 20th century. The nice thing about collecting them is that so many were manufactured and they were so durable that they can be obtained pretty economically now. I frequently find them for less than $400, though lately, like everything, the price has increased. Eventually, the collector value will go up, as they represent a distinctive and immediately identifiable aesthetic.
In the 20th century and the early years of the 21st, handgun manufacturers gave their handguns distinctive shapes. By 2010, the popularity of the polymer "Plastic Fantastics" had engendered a race to the bottom - cookie-cutter guns with no distinctive visual appeal. There were a number of reasons for that, but it was still sad. It's starting to turn around now, somewhat.
