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After doing some reading and looking around one the web, the front runners at this point are the S&W Ladysmith & the S&W model 60. Nipping at the heels is the Ruger SP101. Wildbill from your pics you have a revolver in wood grips and one in rubber. Is one grip more comfortable to shoot than the other? Grips aren't really important to me because they can be changed but the difference between the Ladysmith and the model 60 is the grips and finish. I am headed to the gun show tomorrow so I'm hoping to find a deal on one of these.

I cannot take credit for my Lovely Colt. She was a gift to me from my Sweet hubby (valentines - rose wood grips are better than roses) Middle Age Russ - we got it from Doc540 - he did the awesome refurb on it. He keeps posting lovely Colts that make me drool. Doc had the hammer bobbed and checkered and the grips done and had it refurbished before selling it to me. It is a sweet shooter! Thanks for the compliments - I am proud of her and she makes me almost wish we had open carry

Good luck with your choice!

Divided Attention wrote:I cannot take credit for my Lovely Colt. She was a gift to me from my Sweet hubby (valentines - rose wood grips are better than roses) Middle Age Russ - we got it from Doc540 - he did the awesome refurb on it. He keeps posting lovely Colts that make me drool. Doc had the hammer bobbed and checkered and the grips done and had it refurbished before selling it to me. It is a sweet shooter! Thanks for the compliments - I am proud of her and she makes me almost wish we had open carry

Good luck with your choice!

He did an incredible job! It's possible something may follow me home from the gun show tomorrow. I haven't yet refused a stray.

S&W, Colt, Ruger....all good revolvers. I've never owned a Colt revolver but have owned my share of S&W snubs and Rugers. I now have only one S&W M36 (in nickle), but like it's predessors it gets very little use. I have come to love my 3" SP101 .357 so much that I rarely carry anything else. Solid, dependable, reliable and very accurate shooter. I just could never master the little j-frames...particularly the airweights. The M36 in steel is a very good shooter, but I prefer to carry .357, and the 3" SP101 handles even the hot loads as well as the M36 handles the .38 spl's. As for pocket carry... it's not for me anyway, so not an issue in my day to day routine. But, I can wear a loose cover shirt rather than "office attire" during my daily work routine so the SP101 is belt carried. I will admit that "out of the box" the Smith's have much better triggers, but with a bit of patience, a lot of dry firing, and maybe one step down reduced power springs (very inexpensive and easy to install), the Rugers can be very smooth. Detail stripping a Ruger is pretty darned easy too.


surv

(oh, I would love to have a vintage Colt Detective Special some day, but I'd probably still carry the SP101)

urnoodle wrote:Wildbill from your pics you have a revolver in wood grips and one in rubber. Is one grip more comfortable to shoot than the other? Grips aren't really important to me because they can be changed but the difference between the Ladysmith and the model 60 is the grips and finish. I am headed to the gun show tomorrow so I'm hoping to find a deal on one of these.

Urnoodle - I have two Detective Specials with rubber grips and one with the wood. Of course, they are all interchangeable. The rubber Pachymeyer's are the most comfortable to shoot. I also have a Colt Python with factory checkered wood grips. The walnut wood grips are very nice looking and easy to shoot, but I also bought a set of Pachymeyers which I use rather than the wood. The DSs are pretty heavy and not .357Mag, so the recoil isn't really much of an issue. The smooth badger grips don't have checkering so I am a little concerned about using them for self defense since I would probably have sweaty hands in a tense situation.

Good luck on your hunt tomorrow. As I stated previously, I really like the Ladysmith. IMO, the only drawback of it versus the Colts is that it holds 5 rather than 6 rounds. I believe the Ladysmith is also available with a 3" barrel, which makes it much easier to aim and get tighter groups. It might be harder to find a holster for the 3" barrel.

was at a pawn shop a few weeks ago. found an old flat latch mdl 36 pined barrel nickel finish looks to be from late 65 or early 66 for $400 and its very clean.
just keep looking for a deal they can be found

Seems like the prices have are much higher at the gun show. Not very many revolvers there but those that I did see were mostly polymer frames or aluminum frames. There were a few stainless Taurus so I got to get a feel for them. There was a beautiful Colt Detective Special in what looked like nickle but it was quite a bit over my budget. Soooo since I had seem them cheaper elsewhere... I ordered one. It should be in on Wednesday. I'm not going to tell you what it is until I get it but it will be sporting some of these.

Yea yea I know they're pink but I like pink

urnoodle wrote:Seems like the prices have are much higher at the gun show. Not very many revolvers there but those that I did see were mostly polymer frames or aluminum frames. There were a few stainless Taurus so I got to get a feel for them. There was a beautiful Colt Detective Special in what looked like nickle but it was quite a bit over my budget. Soooo since I had seem them cheaper elsewhere... I ordered one. It should be in on Wednesday. I'm not going to tell you what it is until I get it but it will be sporting some of these.
[ Image ]
Yea yea I know they're pink but I like pink

Why are you being so secretive?

I bet she found a genuine nickle plated late model Clerke in .38 spl and wants to surprise everyone.

Naaahhhh, those are just too rare

WildBill wrote:Why are you being so secretive?

Because I'm a and if I have to wait to shoot it, you all get to wait to find out what it is.

mr surveyor wrote:I bet she found a genuine nickle plated late model Clerke in .38 spl and wants to surprise everyone.

Naaahhhh, those are just too rare

You are getting warm....

urnoodle wrote:

WildBill wrote:Why are you being so secretive?

Because I'm a and if I have to wait to shoot it, you all get to wait to find out what it is.

mr surveyor wrote:I bet she found a genuine nickle plated late model Clerke in .38 spl and wants to surprise everyone.

Naaahhhh, those are just too rare

You are getting warm....

I sure hope not (the Clerke ain't what you want anywhere near you if loaded with live ammunition)


surv

Any of the K frame Smiths built in the 80's before the MIM triggers and locks are my favorite. Very nice triggers. You can find plenty of excellent ones used for under $500 or even under $450. They are well built, easy to clean, and very very dependable. I shoot my Model 64-5 double action and make just the nicest ragged hole at 7 yards and a respectable group at 15 yards. They make it easy. They were the guns carried by law enforcement for decades until the semi's took over. K frames are too large for pocket carry, but a 3" bbl will sit nicely in a belt holster. I carry a little J frame airweight all the time, but much prefer to shoot the K frame. For me, they are just the right combination of weight/recoil control and accuracy. I appreciate the Ruger's too, but their heavier trigger pull is harder on my aging hands.

B"H
I loved the revolver (S&W 640, 357) I gave to my wife, so much that I need one as backup inside my car. Charter Arms Pitt Bull 5 shoots, in 40SW. Well built. Pay ~$370 at gun show in Houston 3 months ago. Academy now has Charter Arms.

TexasGal wrote:Any of the K frame Smiths built in the 80's before the MIM triggers and locks are my favorite. Very nice triggers. You can find plenty of excellent ones used for under $500 or even under $450. They are well built, easy to clean, and very very dependable. I shoot my Model 64-5 double action and make just the nicest ragged hole at 7 yards and a respectable group at 15 yards. They make it easy. They were the guns carried by law enforcement for decades until the semi's took over. K frames are too large for pocket carry, but a 3" bbl will sit nicely in a belt holster. I carry a little J frame airweight all the time, but much prefer to shoot the K frame. For me, they are just the right combination of weight/recoil control and accuracy. I appreciate the Ruger's too, but their heavier trigger pull is harder on my aging hands.

TexasGal - A very good summary of the advantages of a S&W.

The suspense was killing me. So without further ado, here it is;


Fresh from the FFL.


All ready for the range.