gun show find...a real ugly duckling!

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omegapd

New member
I swear guys, if it says Smith and Wesson, I'm a sucker for it. Even worse if it's a K frame...

Made the gunshow in town this weekend and found this "beauty". ;)

An NYSP trade-in S&W 65 .357 w/ 3 inch barrel.

ccw042.jpg


Some clown did a crummy job of bobbing the hammer and smoothing out the cylinder release but that just brought the price down even more for me. ;)

This'll make a great woods/truck/bummin' around CCW. The trigger is S&W perfection, the bore is clean and the 3 inch K's are getting harder to find. I just ordered a Clip Draw for it because I don't know if the ol' gal is worth a decent holster.

Can a tabletop gunsmith like myself replace the hammer without too much trouble? I've heard that bobbing it yourself can cause light primer strikes. Hope to get a chance and wring it out tomorrow and see...

Whatcha think?

EW
 
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Webleymkv

New member
If you got a good enough deal on the gun, I'd think that you could have have a 'smith install a new hammer and still have less in the gun than it's worth. It'd be worth it to me to know that the repair is done by a professional. By 'smoothing' the cylinder release I assume you mean rounding the sharp edges. If this is the case, a release button is very simple to replace and I wouldn't think you'd have any trouble doing that yourself.
 
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Bill DeShivs

New member
If the gun shoots well (and it should), I would leave the hammer alone. These mods may have actually been done by a department armorer. They didn't want these guns to be used single action, because of liability purposes.
Bill
 
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DeathRodent

New member
Looks great to me - what did it cost you?

I think by smoothing the cylinder release he means that there is no more checkering on it - it look smooth in the picture.

Some PD's required their revolvers to be DAO so it may have been changed by a gunsmith.
 
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skeeter1

New member
There's nothing wrong with that Smith that you can't fix up yourself if you can get your hands on a Dremel mototool. A little careful grinding on that bobbed-hammer and some polishing with a felt wheel and some Simichrome polish, maybe fancy it up with some new wood grips, and you'll have a brand new gun! Good catch! :)
 
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omegapd

New member
Thanks for the replies, guys. I was able to get out to my range a day ago or so and ran a few rounds through it. Mainly Master Cartridge 148g LSWC and about 12 Georgia Arms 158g .357

ccw044.jpg


Overall, it's pretty accurate. This was from the 7 yard line and was 24 rounds of the Master C. I also did a little bit of bullet expansion testing with the GA .357s and thats also shown in the picture. Penetration was fairly high because I only found one bullet but it did a fair job of what it's supposed to do. I had no problems with light primer strikes so that was a good sign that the hammer bob (while ugly) was done pretty much correctly.

Next up is some better grips because my hand had enough after the 12 rounds of .357 with the factory ones on there. :D

For DeathRodent, it cost me 250 and some change. Not the best deal I ever got but fair for prices around here.

Thanks again,

EW
 
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Hal

New member
Re: the smoothed cylinder release.
I'd try the gun with some .357's first before I'd replace that.
My model 66 w/2 1/2" barrel just chewed the living daylights out of my thumb, mostly from the roughness of the release.

It was odd because the other K's I have with longer barrels don't do that.


(oops see that you did already try some)
 
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NCHornet

New member
$250 and a $20 set of Hogue grips and you got a great deal on a fine shooter. Enjoy. I am still fond of my old 686 4", gotta love a S&W revolver!!
 
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hpg

New member
I purchased 2 S&W 681's several years ago and both of them had that exact same NYSP stamping just like that 65.

Whatcha think?
Click to expand...

I wish I had 1 or 2 just like it. Great find.......hpg
 
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omegapd

New member
Sig,

I don't know if the NYSP ever allowed the 3 inch barrel for duty. They went through so many revolvers in very few years that it's possible they said 3 inchers was okay.

EW
 
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jbcap

New member
S&W Model 65 3 inch

These Smiths were carried by NYSP Investigators as the duty carry weapon. The hammer was bobbed off by someone after they were traded in for the Glock 17. Uniform members carried the model 681's.
Omegapd - Do you still have the gun? interested in selling it?
 
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18DAI

New member
Very sweet model 65. Probably one of the top CCW revolvers. Congrats! The 3" barrel is my personal favorite. I've got a 66-4 3" that I carry often. It's the last revolver I would sell. Regards 18DAI.
 
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