Ok hypothetical question. Let's say you have a 4" Model 15 from 1975 and a 4" Model 67 from that same year. Would the trigger pull be the same on each? Other than the finish would there be there any differences between the two?

They are identical revolvers save for the blued or nickeled carbon steel of the 15 versus the 67's stainless steel.

From the factory, the trigger pulls would be virtually identical save perhaps for minute variations due to manufacturing tolerances and fit.

But who knows what lives each revolver has had in the the last almost fifty years? From use or tuning (or lack thereof), they might be quite different from each other now...or not.

Bottom line, though, is that mechanically speaking the 15 and the 67 from the same build year would -- when new -- be virtually identical in handling and feel.

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Pickpocket

Hello Bhfromme.

You have identical revolvers made by the same company so they should feel the same. However if you bought either one of them used, the previous owners could have done trigger jobs, changed springs and polished parts, on either one of them.

Unless it's a "safe" gun I want to resell, I generally do trigger jobs on most of mine. And have bought used ones that had work done on them.

If you have never opened them up, take the side plates off and at least oil them.

Good luck
Steve

You don't need to take the side plate off to lube them, it says so in the care and maintenance instructions included with every gun. However, I have found them to be pretty dry inside on the ones I have taken the side plate off of, so I don't disagree with you there.

If you do want to take the side plate off, there is a proper way to do it, and prying isn't it. Remove the stocks first; then remove the front side plate screw, which retains the yoke, and remove the yoke and cylinder. Then remove the other two screws and keep them apart from the yoke retention screw, since it is fitted to the yoke, although otherwise is identical to the left lower screw. While holding the frame horizontally through the cylinder opening and the side plate up, use a plastic mallet or even a plastic or rubber screwdriver handle, and rap the butt frame smartly downward once or twice. The side plate will pop up and can be removed. Replacement is done by inserting the small tab at the top first, and pressing the plate in position. Insert the bottom left screw first, screw it in slowly but don't force it. The start the screw that is hidden by the stock, and alternate tightening the two screws until the side plate is seated. Then replace the yoke and cylinder and its retention screw, and tighten all three hand tight only. Use care and brace the screwdriver tip against a thumb or finger to keep it from slipping and marring the finish.

I've found this to be an excellent guide for inspecting and maintaining a S&W revolver:
https://friedmanhandguntraining.com/...inspection.pdf

You people here are so kind to us newbies. Thanks very much for that information Mr. Hair Trigger.

I'm looking to buy a 67 or a 15. Leaning toward the 67 because of the condensation issues here in the winter. I like the blued finish but I'm all about low maintenance so I'll probably go with stainless. I have no need or desire to shoot .357 magnum loads so it's looking like the smaller 67 will be my next revolver. Does the shorter cylinder in the 67 make it feel much smaller than the Model 66?

I have neither a 67 nor a 66. I can't perceive a difference in the "feel" between my Model 15 and my Model 19. So maybe a fair comparison.

Great carry guns IMO. My current carry gun is a model 67 in an El Paso Saddlery Sky six holster.

I don't have a 15, so I can't offer a comparison. But I CAN say that my 67 has the finest balance of any of my Smiths. Also, it is the tightest gun I own. When I got it, there were only 12 rounds down the tube. It now probably has 500.

Although I didn't check specs, my guess would be that the 67 would be heavier because its SS.

At one point there was one of each in our house. The 15 had a wide smooth trigger and the 67 a narrower grooved one. I could tell the difference in the perceived pressure needed to fire each. The balance was the same. The 67 was bone stock and the 15 I can't vouch for.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

It happens that I have a model 66 and a model 67 that both left the factory in 1974. The biggest difference between them is the model 66 is 4.6 ounces heavier that the model 67. The model 66 has a slightly larger outside diameter barrel, a wider top rib, and an ejector rod shroud. The 4 ounces do make a difference in the feel for me. The 67 just seems to fit & balance better but it’s not a big difference. Sorry but I don’t have a M15 or M19 to compare triggers with but I don’t think there would be any significant differences in them.

Another reason I prefer the model 67 are the magna stocks that fit my hand better than the target stocks on the model 66 but it’s easier to shoot 357 loads with the targets.

Thanks, that's exactly the perspective I was hoping to read about. This forum never ceases to amaze me.

It's only a hair over 0.10" shorter than the cylinder on a M66, so it's unlikely you'd notice the difference. There is a very small difference in the frame size, although they are both K frames. The M65 and M66 (and M19) are slightly thicker in the yoke area of the frame than non-magnum K frames; even at that there is hardly any noticeable difference.

My three K frames. 1974 M15, 1979 M10 and 1976 M64. All have great triggers but the M15 seems a bit lighter on the single action. I bought it used at a local auction so don't know if previous owner had a trigger job on it. It has a serrated trigger and a semi-target hammer. Great revolver.

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Wow, that 15 is gorgeous. Now I'm rethinking the 67. Silver revolvers are nice but there's just something about that blued finish that calls out to me. Maybe I need one of each!

Now you’re catching on.

This is the way.

To me, every revolver has a different feel. One that has been shot more, or had the action tuned, feels different than a less used one. Wear, manufacturing tolerances, spring temper, skill of the fitter, etc, makes a difference. In other words, it is difficult to make clear cut comparisons. Yes, two different guns may have 3 pound single action trigger pulls, but the feel will be slightly different. All have their own personalities!

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

What Nightowl said! Each revolver, even within a single model and variant will be slightly different due to tiny differences in manufacturing as well as each gun’s history of usage. I had both a Model 67 and a Model 15 within a couple of years of each other so I never did a side by side comparison, but both had very smooth trigger pulls (especially in single action) and functioned extremely well. I would feel well equipped with either of them.

It has been stated that stainless internal parts, while rust resistant, are less wear resistant, so a Model 67 might wear out internally sooner than its carbon steel cousin, but this would take a high volume of shooting, and many of them came with flash chromed or even case colored carbon steel hammers and triggers to address this.

Of course if you plan to carry it a lot (like in a holster) a blued gun will show wear more permanently while stainless can be polished up a little to look like new... this was a particular concern among LEOs when revolvers were commonly carried.

Bottom line; whichever suits your planned use and feels best to you, go for it. It would be hard to go wrong with either of these fine revolvers.

Froggie

Last year, I found a LNIB 15-2 from 1967. Gun was spotless. Hardly even a turn line on cylinder. Even the box looked perfect. I noticed the action was sticky. I tried cocking the hammer and blasting brake cleaner into the action followed by compressed air. No improvement. I finally carefully took the side plate off. I do that for every used revolver I buy, but was hesitant on this one since it looked so perfect.

There’s a thread I started if you care to look, but it was a mess in there. Looked like ear wax smeared over the innards. hrfunk on YouTube has a great video of a seemingly excellent condition pinned and recessed Model 66 that was so gummed up, probably by a well meaning owner, that the action would hardly move. He could barely get the cylinder to open. Same issue as mine. Decades of someone squirting something, probably WD40 and then too much lube. I completely disassembled my 15 and gave it a thorough cleaning. It’s perfect now.

I pop the side plate on every used revolver I buy. Usually no surprises in there, but there have been a couple. One time, there was no hammer block in the gun. Doing it carefully, a light brushing with Hoppes, followed by brake cleaner and compressed air, and a proper light lube, is the way to go. No need to fully disassemble unless it’s a real mess.

I have an early 67 no dash. All stainless rear sights. Shipped 1973. My wife wants to shoot that 1 when she goes to the club.
I keep hoping that I will find a 15 snubbie that is priced decent! Bob

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Buy both, shoot them, see what you like better, sell the other one, then spend the rest of your life regretting selling it, buy it (or one like it) and be satiated.

Unfortunately, you really can't tell which is better over the internet. We can speculate and share good knowledge like how stainless and carbon wear differently due to meturgical differences, but, only handling and close examination of the firearms can tell the true story. While it could stand to speculation that both guns "should" be similar based on design and quality control, its possible one was not polished as well as the other. Understand that back in the "day" there was a lot of hand fitting and finishing of parts and the human factor gets a vote. Also as you see mentioned in this this thread, a lot can happen to a firearm over the years. Maintenance, over-maintenance or lack there of and wear can lead to dramatically different felt trigger pulls, functionality and safety. I highly recommend that you find a "used revolver inspection check lit". There are a couple floating around and they include key inspection points you should check before purchase. Also, shooting pencils with a revolver is fun.

As always, Your mileage may vary.

I had an early 67 with stainless sights LNIB - never really warmed up to it and was soon traded off.

I ran upon a less than pristine 15-3 at a price point I couldn't refuse a few years later. It has turned out to be a wonderful workhorse.

My favorite of either version is the 15 with a 2" barrell which was not made available in the 67 model.

In S&W revolvers I prefer blue, Rugers, stainless.

Can't go wrong with a 15 or 67.

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

"Need" and "Want" become interchangeable concepts on the Internet, lol. Having said that...



The weight is about the same, the stainless Model 67 is about 32 oz, and the Model 16 is about 33, with the grips shown (the smooth presentation style grips are about an ounce lighter that the target grips on the Model 15. The Model 67 shipped in 1972 (I bought it from the classifieds here). The Model 15 dates to 1977.



edit: An interesting side note is that neither barrel is EXACTLY 4". The Model 67 barrel is 3-15/16", and the Model 15 is 4-1/8". I lined them up as best as I could, and if you look carefully, you can see the difference in the pics.

Those are beautiful. I'm thinking my "need" is getting stronger!

Thank you. I is worth repeating that the best condition revolvers and grips (and a semi-auto pistol) I acquired last year, has been either in the classified section here, or indirectly thanks to the help from other members... including one of the revolvers in the pics, and both sets of stocks,

Actually, I have one of each and a Model 10 from 1976. I cannot tell any difference in trigger pull from one to another when they are fitted with the same grips.