Smith & Wesson m/58 Airweight

Description

USAF & Swedish Air Force issued with holster, highly collectable! In 1953, the United States Air Force (USAF) ordered a variant of the S&W Military & Police Airweight with a two-inch barrel & aluminum cylinder to be issued to US Air Force flight crew members, called the Revolver, Lightweight, Caliber .38 Special, M13. Some 40,000 Smith & Wesson M13 revolvers were produced. After persistent reports on cylinder & frame failure with the M13 & its counterpart, the Colt Aircrewman, the Air Force attempted to remedy the issue by issuing a dedicated low-pressure .38 cartridge for the weapons—the Caliber .38, Ball, M41 round. However, after continued negative reports, Air Force officials decided that the revolvers were not suitable for issue & the model was withdrawn from service with all but a few examples being crushed or destroyed. The aluminum cylinder proved insufficiently strong to withstand continued firing with standard .38 Special cartridges & in 1954, S&W changed over all new production Airweight revolver cylinders to steel, increasing the weight to 18 ounces. The m58 is a S&W model 12 airweight with aluminum K-frame contracted by the Swedish Air Force in 1958. Just 1,500 were ordered according to the S&W standard catalog, 3rd edition & this revolver appears to be one of these as the Swedish 3 Crown stamp is clearly visible on the alloy frame. For the collector of Aircrew survival weapons, this is one of the Holy Grails & rarely come onto the collectors market, let alone here in Australia. Also in excellent condition, it comes with the original Aircrew holster which is iconic in it's own right. This is the full deal so don't hesitate if you want to be the one to have this unique & rare piece of military aviation history. A modern collector's license is required to own this highly collectable piece of history. We are not going to try & rate the condition out of 100 as everyone seems to have a different opinion on what the percentages should be, so we'll let the pictures be the description. You will know if this is for you so view the photos carefully & make your decision based on what you see as they form the main description & override all written information. Ask for more if desired. We think we have described it accurately & correctly but do not claim to be infallible so if we have got anything wrong, it is unintentional. Whilst we check these out for serviceability, the warranty has expired & this is sold on an 'as is' basis. As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting. Standard cost for shipping to metro locations is $55 & all guns are sent via StarTrack without insurance but packed very well.

Specifications