SOLD: A S&W Model 65-5LS Ladysmith, 357 magnum, stainless steel K frame, six shot, fixed sights, and shrouded ejector rod.
But this Lady has some dark secrets that are mostly hidden by her clothing.
The Story: Although this Lady's not been fired much at all (the action is very tight), she's been the victim of some well-meaning and unintentional cosmetic abuse by the Bonehead former owner.
The said Bonehead thought it a good idea to put grease beneath the grips to "protect the metal" as he told me. He works in a plant that has a number of ovens for baking the products made there. So the former owner "borrowed" some high-temp grease ("The good, red-colored, thick, sticky stuff," he said.) and applied it to the grip straps under the grips. What the Bonehead didn't know was that said "good sticky stuff" contained some graphite filler. Graphite is a corrosion initiator in 17-8, 18-8, and some 400-series stainless steels. And it did.
The results:
That is pit corrosion, and it's not something that's going to "buff out." The next two photos show the pitting on the grip straps and the left side of the frame under the grip "horn:"
As can be seen in the photos, there is some pretty extensive pitting on the gripstraps and on the side of the receiver that's covered by the grips. The pitting is a dark gray in color and in some areas too deep to buff out.
When I got the gun three years ago I got the "red rust" surface corrosion buffed out and then I dipped the gripstraps in nitric acid to "pickle" any remaining rust and stop further attack. Since then the Lady has received a few wipedowns with Corrosion-X. In three years the rusting has not returned, but the damage is done, cosmetically.
It's a shame, because mechanically the gun is virtually as-new. And when wearing grips, you can't see the pitting save for a couple spots on the front and rear gripstrap edges as show in the photos above. So all that makes this Lady just a working girl, but yet respectable.
That's the story.
If you've been looking for a 65LS for a "carry" gun, this is it.
The Lady will come with a different set of original red laminated grips (the greased grips have been in a landfill for three years) and a nice set of K/L Round Butt "target" grips as came on the 547:
SOLD: Price is $485 for the Lady and two sets of grips, and I will pay HALF actual shipping to your FFL. There is no box, paperwork, or carrying case.
MO is preferred, but I'll accept a personal check if you don't mind waiting a few days for it to clear.
NO TRADES at this time, thanks.
Please contact:
[email protected]
Thanks,
Noah
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