I thoroughly enjoyed seeing photos of favorites last winter and wouldn't mind now seeing some pics of the unusual and rare pieces hiding in gun vaults.
I would like to begin by sharing the following, a S&W 35 Semi-Automatic Pistol aka Model of 1913. It was S&W's first venture into the semi-auto field and fired the proprietary .35 S&W Auto cartridge. Only 8,350 pistols were manufactured circa 1913-1921 and the ammunition was dropped in the late 1940s. There are several unusual characteristics of this pistol.
1) The grip safety is on the front of the grip.
2) A small thumb wheel on the rear of the grip is the safety.
3) The recoil spring is mounted above the barrel.
4) It is a blow back design with a recoil spring so strong that the slide is extremely difficult to withdraw. To aid in cycling, a thumb actuated cross bolt is depressed to disconnect the slide from the recoil spring.
5) Takedown is accomplished by pulling down on the trigger guard and tilting the barrel up slightly. Then a horizontal screw must be removed from the top rear of the slide to complete disassembly.