Friday, March 15, 2013

Ketchup.

So, during the hiatus from The Arms Room, I got a couple Smiths in addition to the .35 Auto that I posted this time last year. This means there are a few more Sunday Smiths in the tank. Here's a sneak preview of one:


The tag is from "Emroe Sporting Goods" which, as best I can tell, is no longer a retail sporting goods store, but still exists as a company that sells athletic apparel to high schools and colleges here in Indiana; their history page says they started out as a one-room gun shop downtown in 1864. (Would that they were still there!) The price tag reads "$46.50".

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Em-Roe was the top drawer gun store in Indianapolis for many decades. The store's street cred came from a couple of very fine gunsmiths.

Professor of Gunology Chuck Taylor, stationed at Ft. Ben, has very fond memories of Em-Roe.

Shootin' Buddy

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

I remember the Em-Roe store in Nora. I thought they had one in Glendale, too, but the neurons must be misfiring this morning.

staghounds said...

Hmm, on second thought, too small for a 39 or 41, too big for handcuffs. Escort?

staghounds said...

Still looks too big for Escort, too small for airgun. This is irritating!

Frank W. James said...

Man, this post took me back. Emroes was THE place back in the late 1960's and early 1970's if you were a S&W revolver degenerate. Would often run down from Purdue just to drool at their downtown store. Retail gun biz was on the 2nd floor I believe, about a block from the Circle if I remember right...

All The Best,
Frank W. James

CAR said...

Looks like an Escort box to me.

Anonymous said...

Frank, what was the enormous pawn shop downtown Indy? The guy had photos of Teddy Roosevelt and case after case of pistols.

It was there when I was working for the Secretary of State in 1989.

Shootin' Buddy

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

So it cost $46.50 new, and you bought it used, so that means you paid less than $46 for it, I'm sure.

Stuart the Viking said...

WHAT'S IN THE BOX!!??!??



WHAT'S IN THE BOX??!!!??!

s

rickn8or said...

Never thought I'd ever accuse Tam of being a tease, but...

NotClauswitz said...

How's it so..."square"? The one I have of that vintage design says $38.05 on it - must be a semi-auto.

Matt G said...

As has been pointed out elswhere, the box gives a clue to the period. 1965 to 1984. If it was 1965, I can MAYBE see a Smith going for under a C, but not under half a C note. It would be all steel. A Model 36 could be had in 1967 for $82. This might have been a very good deal.

Alan J. said...

I have the original box that my Dad's Model 36 S&W came in, along with the sales tag, dated on 2/11/67. The serial number is 486366, and the price was $71.50, which was a fair amount of money back then. It's not as shiny as it was, but it still shoots like a dream.

Old NFO said...

Since I'm NOT a Smith guy, I have absolutely NO idea, but waiting to see what you've found 'this' time! :)

Will Brown said...

Man, aren't we all going to be surprised when we find out Tam bought a S&W coffee table book.

J.R.Shirley said...

Will for the win.


WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

Anonymous said...

@Will--
What a great idea for an S&W coffee table book cover!

gfa

Anonymous said...

Tam! That is Cold...
Giving us a taste and then cruelly just leaving an afterimage of a dream.

Spunky already!

leaperman

Anonymous said...

You know what I think? <<Yes. I think; on occasion) I think Tam is re-reading Terry Pratchett
@Men at Arms@

leaperman

Anonymous said...

Give me Rutherford Hayes.

Anonymous said...

Tam is turning into an arsenal.

Stranger said...

Well, the Model 35 listed for $97 in 1970, while the plain jane Model 10 was $76.50.

But S&W boxes were $2.50 and readily available, and lightly used Model 10's were in the $50 range immediately after the enactment of GCA'68. (The only gun I ever sold was an unfired police trade in Nickel. I still miss it.)

My guess is probably wrong, but it would be one or another variant of the M10, sold used. Perhaps a police trade in, as many PD's traded up to .357's in response to the flood of guns from Illinois and New Jersey that were hitting the underworld at that time.

Stranger