chaim
Member
I love my 3" S&W 65LS. However, since it was my first .357mag I want to keep it nice and don't want it to be carried and certainly don't want to modify it the way I want a 3" K-frame to be modified for carry (when in a state where I can CCW of course). So, I was checking out various online gun sources...
Has anyone checked the prices on 3" K-frames lately
The 65LS I found was over $600, for a more garden variety 3" 65 prices ranged from the low to mid $400s (in relatively poor condition) to the high $500s. The 3" S&W 13 prices were about $50-100 more.
This is getting insane. It is almost to where 3" fans would be better off buying a 4" gun and having a smith lop off 1" of the barrel (maybe not even almost- I just checked smithing prices for Cylinder and Slide, there are probably less expensive options). With the Model 13's I'm not even sure it is just "almost" at that point.
Also, why do the Rugers not suffer this fate? The 2 3/4"-3" Security/Speed/Service Sixes that I saw were generally in the low to mid $400s for guns that looked pretty good, and some were in the $300s. The Rugers have been out of production longer than the K-frame .357s, they seem like they should be just as desireable (the 3"ish Security/Speed/Service Six handles and feels about the same as the 3" K-frame), yet they don't cost as much. Did Ruger make more 3" models than S&W?
Anyway, I just had to vent.
Has anyone checked the prices on 3" K-frames lately
The 65LS I found was over $600, for a more garden variety 3" 65 prices ranged from the low to mid $400s (in relatively poor condition) to the high $500s. The 3" S&W 13 prices were about $50-100 more.
This is getting insane. It is almost to where 3" fans would be better off buying a 4" gun and having a smith lop off 1" of the barrel (maybe not even almost- I just checked smithing prices for Cylinder and Slide, there are probably less expensive options). With the Model 13's I'm not even sure it is just "almost" at that point.
Also, why do the Rugers not suffer this fate? The 2 3/4"-3" Security/Speed/Service Sixes that I saw were generally in the low to mid $400s for guns that looked pretty good, and some were in the $300s. The Rugers have been out of production longer than the K-frame .357s, they seem like they should be just as desireable (the 3"ish Security/Speed/Service Six handles and feels about the same as the 3" K-frame), yet they don't cost as much. Did Ruger make more 3" models than S&W?
Anyway, I just had to vent.