A lament for the Smith Model 12

BudE said:
What a gun! A light weight six shot revolver based on the model 10. I'm willing to bet that if Smith came out with an updated Model 12 with a bobbed hammer they'd sell a bunch. Particularly to old farts!
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Taurus is leading the pack with that right now with its 856CH Lightweight revolver. And it doesn't have an ugly safety hole in the side of it.
 
Triggernosis said:
Taurus is leading the pack with that right now with its 856CH Lightweight revolver. And it doesn't have an ugly safety hole in the side of it.
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I've had several Taurus handguns and I had a problem with every one. On the other hand I know folks that swear by them rather than at them.
 
BudE said:
I believe the frame is thinner and I know the trigger and hammer were thinner.
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Ahh i see, thanks. I have an old 10 with heavy barrel. Bead blasted and then blued to give it a flat black look. I love it!
 
BudE said:
What a gun! A light weight six shot revolver based on the model 10. I'm willing to bet that if Smith came out with an updated Model 12 with a bobbed hammer they'd sell a bunch. Particularly to old farts!
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Been looking for a shooter grade for years, hard to find or the ones I could afford had the common cracked frame under the barrel...
 
Did you like cause you miss it or cause i waited ?
 
Not mine. The one from the last round butt discussion. ( ; ) hint.
 
Have gun-will travel said:
But its still a taurus
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My mother bought a Taurus back in 2009 before she knew better. The firing pin retaining pin broke on round fifty. It appeared to be undersized from the factory and sheared.

On phone call to a lady in Florida later, they sent me an entire rebuild kit. All spare parts and internals, at no cost. The new pin fit snugly. That gun has held up well over 500 rounds with no issues. Not a high round count, but trustworthy enough.

I absolutely hated the Millenium series pistols (soft plastic mag release and a poorly-finished metal magazine meant our rental guns had to be repaired every few hundred rounds), but the newer revolvers seem to be at least on par with modern Smiths (which are plagued with tilted barrels, grit and grime in the internals, et cetera...).

I’m interested looking at the 856 3” night sight model when it launches... looks like a decent option at half the price of Smith’s only 3” 6-shot option right now (the 19 Carry Comp).
 
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I have always thought Taurus was on the cutting edge of handgun tech. They introduced guns that Interested me. Mike and I got 2 of the tiny 9mm revolvers that they made. They were Tiny. We loved them But after sending them bac 2 times we sold them with their history intact. They stopped making them.
Then Mike and I bought 4 of the 5 shot Airweight and Titanium 2 inch 45 Colts. We still have them. One of Mike's started engaging the "lock" for No apparent reason. They stopped making them.
Then I bought 3 Taurus Views. 10.5 ounces Loaded. A wonderful TINY revolver. Goes in your shirt pocket. They stopped making them.
I really like their concepts if they would only charge $50 more and Fix the damn things before sending them out.
 
BatteryOaksBilly said:
I have always thought Taurus was on the cutting edge of handgun tech. They introduced guns that Interested me. Mike and I got 2 of the tiny 9mm revolvers that they made. They were Tiny. We loved them But after sending them bac 2 times we sold them with their history intact. They stopped making them.
Then Mike and I bought 4 of the 5 shot Airweight and Titanium 2 inch 45 Colts. We still have them. One of Mike's started engaging the "lock" for No apparent reason. They stopped making them.
Then I bought 3 Taurus Views. 10.5 ounces Loaded. A wonderful TINY revolver. Goes in your shirt pocket. They stopped making them.
I really like their concepts if they would only charge $50 more and Fix the damn things before sending them out.
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Back in the day...did you buy lots of Smith semi-autos?

They stopped making them. :(
 
Tripped into a couple over the past year.

Both are models 12-2.

I wasn't looking for them either time. They were never even on my Smith "wish list".

That being said, once I got my hands on the first one, I was certainly smitten. I love shooting and carrying these models.


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thrillhill said:
Tripped into a couple over the past year.

Both are models 12-2.

I wasn't looking for them either time. They were never even on my Smith "wish list".

That being said, once I got my hands on the first one, I was certainly smitten. I love shooting and carrying these models.


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All they're missing is a Tyler t-Grip. I love Model 12s!!!
 
Only model 12 I've owned. I used it to dispatch rats around the chickens. Traded it off years ago. If it had been a round butt one I'd still have it. Now that I think about it, wish I still had it regardless.

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BudE said:
I've had several Taurus handguns and I had a problem with every one. On the other hand I know folks that swear by them rather than at them.
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And I've purchased 3 brand new S&W revolvers in the last 5 years, two of which had to go back to the manufacturer to correct functioning problems within the first few rounds. So.....what does that mean if compared to a Taurus? I don't know.
 
This thread is timely as I finally picked one up yesterday. I had been looking for a S&W 12 with a 4 inch barrel. Some days after carrying around my G19, my back begins to feel it. I wanted something lighter but in a "duty" size. I found a shooter grade at a LGS for a shooter grade price and snapped it up. Thinking about changing out the grips and bobbing the hammer.SW_12-2.jpg
 
If ever anyone wanted to sell one of their snub nose model 12s, I’d love to buy one for my Dad.

No need for a collector’s example he wants to carry it. Must be able to shoot +P ammo.
 
BatteryOaksBilly said:
I did and recently too. Again all good things at S&W stopped about 1983.
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The craftmanship and finishes are definitely not what they used to be, that is for sure

Fortunately I have had good luck with the new S&W guns I have bought recently. My M&P 2.0 full size, Shield, 686, 617 have all been well made reliable guns. I would buy more of their new revolvers if they didn't have the lock. Would be nice if they could go back to the quality wood grips as well.
 
Prosecutor said:
Late to the party with my 12s.

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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Beautiful... my Dad keeps his in the carry rotation, usually pocket carry. I got to shoot it when I was back in Ohio this summer and it was a great shooter. In some was it’s superior to the J frame. You get a full grip, 6 rounds, and is very light.
 
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