Bring It Back!

[Stephanie B]

The Model 12.

S&W discontinued it just before shall-issue became a thing. If they could bring it back, rated for +P, that would be fantastic. (DAO, please, with no IL.)

[Bergeron]

Yes, please! I'd like multiple options in barrel lengths, as long as the wishing well is open.

[Jim Watson]

They have beefed up the K frame, it should improve the durability of the Airweight.

[WobblyPossum]

A +P rated Model 12 with the lock-up improvements seen on the 66-8 would probably be the revolver version of a Glock 19. Preferably DAO with good sights. I just wonder if the market is there. Most of the people carrying revolvers these days are carrying J Frames or Ruger LCRs or they’re carrying big bore revolvers for animal defense while hunting.

[OlongJohnson]

Most of us agree.

I've speculated in the past, and will again here: With only one run of scandium K frames ever made of something like 576 pieces and never again, while scandium L and N frames continue in production, it's a reasonable hypothesis that something happened to the tooling, and they can't actually build any more without renewed capital investment. Just some blue sky wondering that doesn't involve shaking my old man fist at a cloud.

I can't find where I posted it, but I've previously thought the formula should be:

• Scandium frame
• .38 Special +P - don't need people wasting them with 125-gr Magnums.
• Blackened stainless cylinder. I can find no evidence that there's ever been a Ti K frame cylinder made by S&W. However, the cylinder should be short because Special only. That will save a few grams.
• Barrel should start at 2.75 or 3 inches or whatever is necessary for a full length ejector rod.
• A snubby barrel would also be good, either at launch or later.
• Leave out the lock and call it a "314 Pro" or "M&P 314" the way they do with J frames.
• A version with fixed sights would be OK, calling it a "312 Pro" or "M&P 312," as long as they also do an adjustable sight version.
• Factory bobbed hammer available. S&W is stupid anyway for not just tooling this as a MIM part that could be dropped into any MIM-hammer K frame. They'd sell at least dozens of them to members of this forum.

However, the existence of the 856 Defender makes me think that if S&W just retooled the J frame to fit a six-shot cylinder and released the no-lock M&P 340 with six shots, that would probably be perfect. If it turns out something did happen to the K frame scandium tooling and they would have to start over anyway, this would definitely be the way to go. Make a three-inch barrel version every few years, and I'll get one eventually.

[Zeke38]

S&W needs Lipsey's--Talo to make a test run of 500 units to see how they sell. Something more like the Taurus 856 UL would be my "want-to".

[jtcarm]

Most of us agree.

I've speculated in the past, and will again here: With only one run of scandium K frames ever made of something like 576 pieces and never again, while scandium L and N frames continue in production, it's a reasonable hypothesis that something happened to the tooling, and they can't actually build any more without renewed capital investment. Just some blue sky wondering that doesn't involve shaking my old man fist at a cloud.

I can't find where I posted it, but I've previously thought the formula should be:

• Scandium frame
• .38 Special +P - don't need people wasting them with 125-gr Magnums.
• Blackened stainless cylinder. I can find no evidence that there's ever been a Ti K frame cylinder made by S&W. However, the cylinder should be short because Special only. That will save a few grams.
• Barrel should start at 2.75 or 3 inches or whatever is necessary for a full length ejector rod.
• A snubby barrel would also be good, either at launch or later.
• Leave out the lock and call it a "314 Pro" or "M&P 314" the way they do with J frames.
• A version with fixed sights would be OK, calling it a "312 Pro" or "M&P 312," as long as they also do an adjustable sight version.
• Factory bobbed hammer available. S&W is stupid anyway for not just tooling this as a MIM part that could be dropped into any MIM-hammer K frame. They'd sell at least dozens of them to members of this forum.

However, the existence of the 856 Defender makes me think that if S&W just retooled the J frame to fit a six-shot cylinder and released the no-lock M&P 340 with six shots, that would probably be perfect. If it turns out something did happen to the K frame scandium tooling and they would have to start over anyway, this would definitely be the way to go. Make a three-inch barrel version every few years, and I'll get one eventually.

Yep, this.

Build it with a shrouded hammer and no frickin lock.

[03RN]

I'd rather have a steel frame, tapered barrel, night sight up front, round butt, 3" barrel

Between recoil mitigation and longevity I'd just rather have steel.

[Wheeler]

S&W will build a run of just about any configuration rotary gat you’d like as long as you meet the minimum cost requirements. It was $50k around six years ago. It has probably gone up since they have to pay for their upcoming move.

[Lex Luthier]

I'd rather have a steel frame, tapered barrel, night sight up front, round butt, 3" barrel

Between recoil mitigation and longevity I'd just rather have steel.

I could see a Classic model 10 round butt frame with an updated 38-44HD tapered barrel shroud and a pinned front sight.
They would sell many thousands with a good ad campaign.

I could also see all of the effort S & W has put into it's MIM alloy J-frames making for a really good durable analogue to the old model 12.

Sign me up for both!