klw Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 How many were made? When were they made? Were they all from the performance center? What are they going for now? How well do they hold up to serious shooting? klw 31116 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tennessee Stud, SASS# 43634 Life Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 How many were made? When were they made? Were they all from the performance center? What are they going for now? How well do they hold up to serious shooting? klw 31116 klw... from the S&W forum... Production of S&W Schofields. "I lettered my Schofield 2000 and Roy Jinks gave the following information in the letter: The Performance Center Schofield 2000 was introduced at the January 2000 SHOT Show. 2600 7" blued versions were made from 2000-2002. 200 Wells Fargo Express 5" versions were made split between blue and nickel. 151 150th Anniversary gold embellished 7" Schofields were also made in 2002. That totals at just 2951. They were hand assembled and many parts (including the barrels with their unique contours) were virtually hand finished." ts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Beady Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 I have two, one of them is SN #13 (GWS0013), and it came with a ton of "special" paperwork and extras (the first 250 were sold directly to consumers). There is almost no comparison between the PC guns and the Uberti replicas; just holding them will tell you the difference; the Ubertis feel "clunky" in comparison. I've had mine fit with elephant-ivory grips, which I'm now thinking about getting engraved/scrimshawed, and I'm also wondering about tarting up the front sites somehow. Generally, you can get them on Gunbroker for between $1800 and $2k, and they're not uncommon. As the saying goes around here4, they're far more accurate than I am. They seem to have the same problems with BP as the Ubertis, but I've never heard of a PC failing in the field mechanically or otherwise. There's also the same sense you get between a genuine, brand-new Colt Peacemaker and an Italian clone; a Performance Center Schofield is a genuine S&W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 How well do they hold up to serious shooting? Howdy It all depends on how you define 'serious shooting'. I have a S&W New Model Number Three that was made in 1881. Yes, I do occasionally bring it to a match and shoot it. But I am not a serious competitor. I do not shoot it 'fast and furious' two handed style, yanking the hammer back with the thumb of one hand and pulling the trigger as fast as I can with the trigger finger of the other hand. That kind of shooting puts a lot of strain on the lockwork. And I only shoot it with Black Powder. If I owned one of the S&W Performance Center Schofields I would have no qualms about shooting it one handed relatively slowly. Of course the 2000 series Schofields do not do well with Black Powder, so I would have to shoot Smokeless rounds from it. The design is a time tested design, used the way it was meant to be used the gun should last a life time. But if you want to be in the winner's circle at a SASS match I suggest you stick with a Ruger, or an Uberti SAA clone that has been tuned. If you wear out the Uberti, you can replace it at a reasonable price. You can't do that with the 2000 series Schofields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Here is a 5" Nickel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jake1001 Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 The Smith & Wesson PC guns are built for smokeless powder. The Original .45 S&W round (Schofield) were Black Powder and shorter than .45 Colt. The Guns has a shorter cylinder and a gas ring that the NEW ones don't have. Smith & Wesson had to lengthen the frame and cylinder a little to make room for the .45 Colt round. No Gas ring now, and shooting Black Powder will clog up the gun within 6-12 rounds. If you want to shoot smokeless, a S&W PC will do the trick. If you want to shoot Black Powder, buy an original S&W new model #3 or a Schofield if you can find one and afford it. If you get a new one, you can clean and lube it every 6 shots. Just sayin' Jake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283 Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Smith & Wesson had to lengthen the frame and cylinder a little to make room for the .45 Colt round. No Gas ring now, and shooting Black Powder will clog up the gun within 6-12 rounds. Howdy Again The Schofield replicas made by Uberti are chambered for 45 Colt and 44-40, bringing on the associated problems of the lengthened cylinder robbing length from the gas collar, and resulting in poor Black Powder performance. These guns actually do have a gas ring, it has simply been shortened too much to be useful in blocking BP fouling from working its way down into the cylinder bearing surfaces. However the S&W Schofield Model of 2000 made between 2000 and 2002 were chambered for the original 45 Schofield cartridge, not 45 Colt. For whatever reason they saw fit, S&W redesigned the Schofield Model of 2000 slightly, and they too are poor Black Powder performers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancho Peacemaker Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 The Performance Center Schofields have two significant differences from the original design: 1) no gas ring and 2) a frame mounted firing pin. They are offered in .45 S&W only. They have the same cylinder and frame dimensions as the original. Quality wise, they are leaps and bounds above the Ubertis. The blueing is stunning. Because of the relatively shorter frame, they balance and point much quicker than an Uberti replica. Handle the two side by side and you'll be amazed at how different they feel. Here's a picture of mine: http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b231/gsonnenmd/NCOWS/DSC07446.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283 Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Hey Pancho Very nice photo. Would it be possible for you to get a close up of the barrel/cylinder gap area and post it someplace? For comparison, here is the arrangement of the gas collar on my original S&W New Model Number Three. The nice long gas collar is why this gun performs very well with Black Powder, as it was designed to do. New Model Number Three Gas Collar New Model Number Three Gas Collar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancho Peacemaker Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Hey Pancho Very nice photo. Would it be possible for you to get a close up of the barrel/cylinder gap area and post it someplace? For comparison, here is the arrangement of the gas collar on my original S&W New Model Number Three. The nice long gas collar is why this gun performs very well with Black Powder, as it was designed to do. New Model Number Three Gas Collar New Model Number Three Gas Collar As you requested, http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b231/gsonnenmd/Stuff%20for%20sale/27812C49.jpg http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b231/gsonnenmd/Stuff%20for%20sale/AB5A135F.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283 Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Pancho Thanks very much for the photo. Now I understand why when queried, S&W said the Model 2000 was designed for Smokeless powder, not Black Powder. That almost non-existant bushing would not stop anything from getting past. As you might guess, I am very interested in the design of S&W gas collars and how they perform with Black Powder. I had the chance to take a photo of an original First Model Russian last year. Here is the gas collar arrangement on that gun. First Model Russian I have a bunch of original S&W Top Breaks, mostly pocket pistols. They all have good sized gas collars. Here is the gas collar on a 38 Safety Hammerless (lemon squeezer). Safety Hammerless Gas Collar Here is the gas collar on my big 44 Double Action: 44DA Gas Collar Smith and Wesson knew how to design a Top Break revolver for Black Powder. What ever the reason, they chose not to do so when they built the Model of 2000 Schofields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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