A cying shame is what it is, a crying shame.

[Matchlock]

I little while ago I received a call from the son of a fellow that I knew many years ago from one of the gun clubs I belong to. He died about ten years ago and of course had some guns.

The son asked me, (since I knew his father), if I would be interested in having one of his guns. He said he thought his father would like the fact that his son would give them to shooter friends of his dad. Of course I immediately said I would be pleased to have one of his father's guns and I thanked him for his kind consideration. The son wanted no money, he just wanted me to have it since I was a friend of his dad's, and had worked on many of his dads guns in the past. When he told me what gun it was I got even more excited. I knew the gun well. It was a Smith & Wesson Model 10 M & P with a 3" barrel.

The son started the process of getting the revolver transferred into my name and about a week later I received the paperwork . I was now the proud new owner of a Smith & Wesson Model 10 M & P.

I'm sure You can imagine my excitement as I got ready to go and pick up this gun. It had been held at the a Police "Property" Division for the past ten years because at the time of the fathers death, the son wasn't old enough to have the guns. Now that the son is old enough, he cannot own the guns because he doesn't have to proper licence to own them, and in fact, isn't interested in them anyway.

So, yesterday, after making arrangement with that "department" my good friend Harry, (one of our Sergeant's who was on his fours days off) and I drove seventy-five miles to go and get it. I was so excited I it was like Christmas.

The property officer brought out the gun in a cardboard box that the gun had been kept in all those years. The box looked a little worse for wear but I didn't give it anymore thought until she finally got the box open and took out the gun. Bear in mind, the gun was in rather good condition when it was first seized from his fathers home when the police and paramedics arrived at his home on the day he died. It's a common thing here when we have a "sudden death" call, police, fire, and an ambulance and paramedics are all dispatched to the scene.

End of written story. Photographic "story" next.

To save space here on the forum, I've created a little WebSite on one of my servers to give you all an opportunity to see the gun as I saw it when she first took it out of the box. I was absolutely devastated.

If you'd like to see this once beautiful revolver just click this link to see some of the photos I took of this Smith & Wesson M & P.

A Crying Shame

[ssgunnip]

Sorry to see that happen.

[GSO]

A picture is worth a thousand words, and all of those words are painful... All I can say is, ouch!

[broknaxl]

A very sad story all the way around. Sad due the death of your friend, made only sadder by the ruination (is that an actual word?) of your frineds firearm. It could be a canidate for a refinsh though.

[iwanna]

Doesn't even look salvageable. A sad thing.

[gvf]

Very sorry. What happens specifically to cause that damage from long term improper storage: I mean what causes what chemically that is so catastrophically damaging?

[mswill]

Very sorry. What happens specifically to cause that damage from long term improper storage: I mean what causes what chemically that is so catastrophically damaging?

My first thought also. Is that damage on the trigger-guard in the last picture repairable? What a shame.

[hope2]

looks like they stored it in a salt water fish tank. they just don't care. not right. painful to look at.

[swamprat]

Very sorry. What happens specifically to cause that damage from long term improper storage: I mean what causes what chemically that is so catastrophically damaging?

Acid fumes from the cardboard! Sulfuric acid is used in the manufacture of paper & cardboard.

[doc540]

I DID not know that.

Maybe still possible to refin.