Smith 38's

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aliveisalive

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On a revolver kick... wondering if either of these are a decent price. I'd like a nice cheap .38 for plinking.

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the 10-5 is a better buy, but the 37 is the better gun IMO. They both are decent but not a great bargain, unless they are in mint shape, or close to it...I'd lose interest at about $375 for the 37, and $300 for the 10-5...but that's personal preference.
 
And the Model 37 is a five-shot J frame. Those are both K frames, holding six rounds. The top revolver appears to be a Model 15, Combat Masterpiece (adjustable sights, square butt frame).
 
When you ask for a nice, *inexpensive, 38spl revolver for plinking my first thought was "Look around for the S&W model 64 revolver."

I think the only draw back to this revolver, as a range gun, is the fixed sights.

The model 10, like this one, is in blue and may show a decent bit of holster wear on the finish but looks like a good value all the same.

http://www.slickguns.com/product/used-smith-and-wesson-model-10-38-special-22999-free-shipping

Model 64s are 38SPL +P rated, it's stamped right there on the gun by S&W.

I think model 10s are too, however I cannot say for sure since I don't own one.


Hope this helped....
 
ANY S&W stamped 38 Special on the barrel is OK with +P. In 1899 the max pressure for the caliber was 21,000 PSI. All S&W revolvers in 38 Special made since 1899 were built to handle 21,000 PSI chamber pressure. Modern +P is loaded to 18,000 PSI.

That top gun is not a 37 but a 15. Prices shown are top of the range but if the guns are as nice as they look in the photos they may be worth it.
 
All S&W revolvers in 38 Special made since 1899 were built to handle 21,000 PSI chamber pressure.
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Can you document that statement with a cite? They introduced the .38 Special cartridge in 1899 (loaded with black powder) and didn't heat-treat cylinders until 1919 at serial No. 316,648. Smith & Wesson says that revolvers made before 1957 should not be used with Plus + ammunition.

Also I don't believe they had any way to determine pressure in 1899, just velocity and penetration through x-number of wood baffles. Strain gauges and copper/lead disk pressure gauges hadn’t been invented yet.
 
In 1899 the max pressure for the caliber was 21,000 PSI
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I would love to be able to cite this.


Smith & Wesson says that revolvers made before 1957 should not be used with Plus + ammunition.
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The idiots at Smith and Wesson REFUSE to say how much pressure their revolvers can take. They just say "Hope....change...no plus pee"
 
I started looking at revolvers recently. Is this a good deal? Is it a good gun?
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Yes and no...

The S&W model 37 is a 5-shot/.38 Special/1 7/8" barrel "snubby," with a aluminum frame. This makes for easier packing, especially in one's pants pocket. However they are less rugged then an all-steel model, and the recoil is sharper.

Any compact revolver with a small handle and 2" (give or take) barrel is more dificult to shoot accurately then a larger one with a bigger handle and longer barrel. The quoted price is at top-of-the-market for a revolver of this kind, in the condition it's in. How good it is for you depends on what you intend to use it for.
 
I just recently started looking at revolvers. I know very little about them. I'm told they are easier to conceal than a semi auto and you can get a larger caliber in a smaller frame. I have been carrying a medium-frame .380 and a full size .40, both semi autos, but I'd like something much smaller, as both of my current guns are sometimes hard to conceal depending on what I'm wearing that day.
(I do have to dress office-casual for work, no jeans/t-shirts)
 
The idiots at Smith and Wesson REFUSE to say how much pressure their revolvers can take. They just say "Hope....change...no plus pee"
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But they are on record as saying, "Limited use in steel-frame revolvers stamped with a model number" (which started in 1957).

Now go back to the core question and explain how, in 1899 Smith & Wesson was able to determine that their new Military & Police revolver could withstand regular use of cartridges loaded to 21,000 PSI, when the necessary equipment to measure pressure hadn't been invented yet.

The first industry pressure standards for small-arms ammunition were established by SAAMI after its formation in 1926.
 
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Revolvers are wider, but only where the cylinder is. Because of the cylinder some 9mm pocket pistols are slightly thinner, especially those with polymer (plastic) frames. You can get a major debate going about which is the better cartridge- .38 Special (revolver) or 9mm Luger (pistol). The revolver's strong point is reliability because it doesn't depend on the ammunition to cycle a slide.

Regardless of what kind of gun you pick, about the only way to conceal it without a covering garment is in a side pant's pocket or ankle holster. The problem with the latter is that if you sit your pants leg may lift and reveal the holster.
 
I'm told they are easier to conceal than a semi auto and you can get a larger caliber in a smaller frame.
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You were told wrong then.

A revolver cylinder must of necessity be larger in diameter then at least 1 1/2 (5-shot) to two (6-shot) of the cartridges it fires.

A single stack auto only needs to be wider then one row of cartridges, although most of them are much wider then they need to be any more.

For instance, a Colt 1911 .45 slide is .916" wide.
A S&W .45 revolver cylinder is 1.798"
Thats nearly twice as wide!

A S&W Model 39 9mm pistol slide is .923".
A 5-shot J-Frame S&W .38 Spl cylinder is 1.308".
Again, nearly 4/10" wider!

The differance though is, a round butt J-frame revolver doesn't print under clothing near as much as a 1911 or other auto pistols big'ol butt.

rc
 
rcmodel said:
You were told wrong then.

A revolver cylinder must of necessity be larger in diameter then at least 1 1/2 (5-shot) to two (6-shot) of the cartridges it fires.

A single stack auto only needs to be wider then one row of cartridges, although most of them are much wider then they need to be any more.

For instance, a Colt 1911 .45 slide is .916" wide.
A S&W .45 revolver cylinder is 1.798"

A S&W Model 39 9mm pistol slide is .923".
A 5-shot J-Frame S&W .38 Spl cylinder is 1.308".

The differance though is, a round butt J-frame revolver doesn't print under clothing near as much as a 1911 or other auto pistols big'ol butt.

rc
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I disagree as I find revolvers much easier to conceal. True the cylinder is wider. But that's only one point that's usually covered by the belt. The rest of a revolver is typically quite thin but probably the biggest factor is a revolver really doesn't have any right angles that print GUN through a cover garment like the grip slide junction of an automatic does.
 
Pants pocket is out--I have yet to find a pair of women's pants that are even REMOTELY fashionable that have a pocket big enough to get my hand into, nevermind a gun.

RCmodel those are good points. THe cylinder is very fat. But what I was told is that since the grip is curved, it doesn't print as obviously.

If I stick with semi-auto I already have my new baby picked out, P238HD.
 
Why can't we all just get along?? ;)

I meant no disrespect to you.

And I will assume you didn't to me either.

rc
 
The rest of a revolver is typically quite thin but probably the biggest factor is a revolver really doesn't have any right angles that print GUN through a cover garment like the grip slide junction of an automatic does.
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+1- looking at the human body there is not one flat or square shaped part, the body is all curves and the curves of a J frame just melt right into the scene in your pocket
 
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