Well I love shooting single action at the range. I mainly shoot clone SAAs and some other old Colt conversations. With that said I think I want a nice old shooter grade hand ejector. Older the better but I do not want a $1,000 shooter grade gun. What should I be looking for? I’d say my budget is $500-700ish. Caliber is open as I reload so I would just reload for this gun.

The easiest, inexpensive S&W would be a post WW II .38 special Military & Police with at least a 4" barrel. A good one can be had for $300-400. Generally, these have better sights than the pre-war ones. Or if you prefer adjustable sights, a K-38 is not that much more than the M&Ps.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Why not one of the millions of K-frames in .38 Special? $500-$700 should get you an older used one in mint condition.

The .38 M&P in .38 S&W Special is the most common gun S&W ever made. Pre-WWII vintage, shooter grade examples are plentiful, and can be found at reasonable prices. Barrel lengths range from 2 inch to 6-1/2 inch, with the most common probably being a four incher. The 2" is somewhat rare, and priced accordingly. The 6-1/2" lost a half inch in length about 100 years ago, so they're less common than the same gun with a six inch barrel.

That gun has been the 'bread and butter' for S&W since 1899, and has been in continuous production ever since - will several improvements over the years.

Mark

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S&W Forum Member #721

A 6 or 8 3/8” model 14 would be a good choice, probably with a nice wide Target hammer and trigger for SA use. An older (prewar) M & P would shoot fine but has a smaller, fairly slick hammer spur. Good luck in your decision.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

In that price range you should be able to find a nice K frame in 38 special. Particularly a 4 to 6" barreled model 10 or maybe a war period Victory model if you like history.

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Dave

I’d like something prior to WWII. WWI or earlier would be very nice.

I’ve been looking at the M&P 4th change. I see some are round butt and some square.

I’m open to anything though not just the M&P.

I’ll look into those now, thanks!

You will get a very large array of suggestions. Me, I like a very well balanced revolver and IMO there is NOTHING finer than a 38 Special 4 inch Combat Masterpiece, also known as the Model 15 (blued) or Model 67 Stainless. An older Model 10 will also balance perfectly the later "heavy" barrel model 10's are a touch muzzle heavy.

Note, as a fellow reloader I really like the 38 caliber because the bullets are as cheap as 9mm bullets.

Maybe a shooter grade 1917 in .45 ACP? It might take a while to find one for $700, but it would meet your pre-WW2 requirement.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

I found a 1905 Target on GB a while back. It had some finish issues (not terrible) so I got it for about $500 shipped. Bore and action pristine.

A between the wars 4th model M&P 38 Special with a 5 or 6" barrel should do the trick. Look for one with the Made in USA stamp as it will have the improve fixed sights. Square butts are the norm, though round butts were made. The latter command a premium price as do the adjustable sighted target models. You could find a target version for under $700 but it will take a lot of luck and time.
Personally , I would look for a pre model 14 or 15 from the late '40s or '50s. Shouldn't be too hard to find a good shooter grade gun of either for well under $700.
Good luck in your search and by all means post pics of your find!

John

Then there is also a variety of Colt DAs - Police Positive Special and Official Police in .38 Special are the most common. But they are likely to be somewhat more expensive than a S&W in similar condition. Still, you should be able to find a very good condition OP for less than the top end of your price range. For a Colt, my suggestion would be an early Trooper in .38 or .357, more or less equivalent to the S&W Combat Masterpiece or Combat Magnum respectively. But one of those in fairly high condition will probably go more than $700.

If you want dedicated SA on a S&W you can still find SA hammers and triggers on Ebay and probably Gunbroker.

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On the whistle draw and fire 6

Pretty simple to just remove the DA hammer fly if you want a SAO. But I am not certain that is what the OP desires.
"With that said I think I want a nice old shooter grade hand ejector."

I'm with some of the others here for range shooting a K38 pre 14 or post 14 are really hard to beat. The 14s have much better sights for target shooting rather then the little blade sight of the early model M&Ps or some post 10s.

Try a Ruger Blackhawk. When everyone else went DA, Ruger found a niche by improving the colt, later even added hammer block safety. In single action, they still lead the market. most any caliber, good sights, good price. Even the cowboy action shooters use the velaro version (fixed sights for quicker draw)

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Al

Any of the 1905 Hand Ejector 4th change, you say that you do not want an M&P .38 but you could find a 1920’s era round butt 5 inch if you want something a little different. If you really want some fun, try to pick up a .38/44 Heavy Duty, I have a couple and really like them.

I paid right under $500 for one and $550 or so for the other.



For even more fun try a 2nd Model Hand Ejector in .44 Special, I really enjoy shooting cowboy loads in mine!

I paid $500 for the nickel and $725 ish for the blue

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Life NRA, Life TSRA, C&R FFL

I would suggest a Model 28- two calibers in one, and you can probably find a nice one for around $600.

"For even more fun try a 2nd Model Hand Ejector of 1926 in .44 Special, I really enjoy shooting cowboy loads in mine!"

I believe you misspoke. The Model of 1926 is the THIRD Model .44 Special. The 3rd Model has the enclosed ejector rod. The 2nd Model doesn't.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I’m going to go with the members who have suggested a post-WW II K-38. This is just an all around useful gun every pistol shooter should own (IMHO, of course.). The SA/DA capability it normally has is a plus in my mind, but if you demand SA only, that was available from the factory or as a conversion kit. JMHO, of course and YMMV.

Froggie

And you are quite correct Mr Gill, thank you for pointing out my faux pas! Having pictures of Heavy Duties next to Second Model Hand Ejectors confuses the mind, I know what I wanted to say but the mind looked at the pictures and went off on a tangent.

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Life NRA, Life TSRA, C&R FFL

I like the 44sp too, but nice ones hard to find at a reasonable
price. The S&Ws in 38sp are easy to find and can be had reasonable. K38s and M&P targets can be found in $500 to
$800 range fairly easy.

I bought a pre-war M&P .38 spl for $295.00 on GB. Great shooter....I really am glad I bought it.
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