Being at the shop part-time is a pain a lot of the time. I enjoy it mostly, but it's days like the one I had a week or so ago that make it worthwhile.
Enter one 1934-35 S&W 38/44 Outdoorsman. Idiot touch-up reblue on the frame, everything else untouched. All numbers match, including grips. Bore is perfect - if this thing has seen a more than a few hundred through it in the last 70 years, I want to shake the hand of the guy who did the lockwork.
The best part? Since the part numbers were individually labelled "1513", the guy who bought it when I wasn't behind the counter thought it was a 15-13 - and paid Model 15 beater prices.
Sure, it's a shooter with the reblue. Yes, I got some bad glare off the sideplate in the photo, but this is one I've been wanting for a long, long time.
I cannot say no to a pre-war S&W with adjustable sights for under two bills. No, not me.
(And yes, I know what the grips alone are worth

)