I have a need for a 3" smith revolver. I already have a 681-0 4", a 638-3 "with the lock ", and a 65-3 4".

My choices are a model 60, 65ls, or a 65 3", although it is mainly coming down to the 65ls and the 65 3".

My question is this. I ideally want a 65ls but they are sooo expensive and rare I am almost willing to just get the 65 3".

Which one should I get? Should I just fork over the dough and get exactly what I want under lug and all, or is a 3" 65 good enough and the 65ls is not needed?

I understand it is all up to my preference but I would like your opinions before I make my decision.

My two cents?

It's a gun for carry, not a gun for major range time. The entire idea of putting an underlug on it is a little silly: if you want a heavy Model 27 N-frame, buy one. If you want a K-357, you want something fast and light . . . and you're saying that you're man enough to shoot it with real loads. Which are not that big a deal from the thing, anyhow.

Leave the 65LS for the ladies . . .

Personally I too like the shrouded extractor rod on the LS but from a practical point I have never bend the rod on my J frame that I carry in my pocket. Granted it is in a holster all the time. I don't think the weigh difference is significant at all when it comes to recoil. I think I am going to go with the standard 65 in 3" and put the price difference into practice ammo or the starter fund for another pistol.
That is my $0.02

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Kevin

I am an unabashed K frame groupie. I like em all. My first experience with one was in the Army when they issued me a M10 pencil barrel RB to pack as an aviator. Later as a cop, I continued the affair with a M10 HB and in 1970 I got one of the first 64 pencil barrels with a RB. Still got it. So naturally I have a clutch of 64/65 series with various barrel weights, lengths, and butt shapes. I even have a 65 that I had a 3" LS barrel installed on, really neat looking and has some actual use advantages, but not so much advantage that I would do it again. The 3" 65 (or 64 for that matter) is an ideal packing weapon. Like most folks I know, I use hot .38 special loads instead of magnums for most everything. I suppose that the botique .357 loads will give one some more oomph in the 3" barrel, but not that much more that it would be significant in real life. It is my HO that using a hot .38 load in either 2,3, or 4" barrels will do just as much for practical purposes as the magnum loads generally available, and give me better recovery times to boot. Proper bullet placement is primary, followed by penetration, with everything else, including bullet expansion, a distant third. I tend to stick with hard cast or jacketed SWC, with or without a HP(with the HPs being somewhat softer lead), moving at 900-1,000 FPS. They will do the job every time. Remember the first .357 magnum load was a 158 gr lead SWC, to which a cup was added later to reduce leading. And that slug did wonders on just about everything, albeit at about 1300-1400 FPS. It still works well at the lower velocities.

Here is my nickel (inflation)...

Which one can you get first? Probably the std. 65 3".

Get it - use it - take care of it. If at some point, a nice Lady Smith shows up you can always sell the std. 65 to get the Lady (if that's what you want to do).

If you look right now, there is a nice looking 65-3 in the "For Sale" section of this forum.

As a 65 LS owner, don't let the folks challenge your manhood over a gun marked "Lady Smith". I always smile when I put mine on and say "I'm taking my Lady out for a ride" (she's a good lookin Lady, too!)



I picked this one up a year or so ago, LNIB for $475.00, so they are out there.

Take care,
Bob S.

I had 3 of them, but now am down to one...I just sold one in the classifieds here, and my dad got the other...I hope it's new owner likes it as much as I do...still can't believe that I let it go, but I have a bigger project in the works....how many of you can say that you have actually handled a 3" 681? ....well, I'm not extravagant with the $$$, so I procured an extra 681 barrel that my local wizard is reducing to 3" and adding the relief cut to the shroud...it will look really close to the PC center, but with much less cost....I am saving the factory 4" barrel and un-bobbed hammer in the unlikely even that I decide to sell it one day.

Go for the 65...they shoot great, carry well, and I seriously doubt that you will ever wear it out....the heavy profile barrel makes up for not having the ejector rod shroud (in weight terms only)....best luck.

3" model 65s are fairly easy to find, but a 65LS is not and will cost substantially more. Personally I would opt for the regular 65 and keep looking for the 65LS at a reasonable price, which happens occasionally. You may decide you don't really need/want the LS after living with the 65 for a while.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I found this thread quite by accident and thought it would be a great idea to revive this thread. If there's one K-frame I really like, it's the 3" model 13. Many like the model 65 but I think this Lady Smith really looks great, maybe even better than the M13! did I just say that?!

Well, I think the Lady Smith is very attractive and it would be interesting to see what the current thinking is on this revolver. As I said, my preference would be for a model 13, but, if a Lady Smith came along I'd be sorely tempted, even just because she's a different and so good looking!

I am a hard-core lover of the M65. It satisfies all of my needs and is by far easier to locate than the LS. If I could find a LS at a reasonable price, I guess I would go for it, but I will not lose any sleep over not having one. My friend has his 65-3 and his wife her 65LS. They both like their respective revolvers and do not covet each others model.

Attached Images

01model65-6.jpg (56.2 KB, 172 views)

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GA Carry member
Vietnam Vet

I believe the 65 LS is among the rarest of S&W's.

Saw this for sale on CalGuns and jumped on it!



This is how it looks today.



Ahrends just don't fit my hand, but Hogues do.

If all you can find is a 65, then buy it.

If you really want the LS version - don't kid yourself otherwise.

Either way they are fantastic - 3" & RB. They do what they are supposed to do and do it well.

Youl will do fine with either.

The 65LS is essentially a reintroduction of the Model 19RS, a special 3 inch, fixed sight, round butt Model 19 .357 Magnum made up for the French after Raymond Sasia (hence, the RS) learned about combat revolvers from his training at the FBI Academy back in the early 1960s. The big difference between the 65LS and the 19RS is the stainless construction of the 65LS with a "frosted" finish and the LadySmith markings, while the 19RS is blue.

The standard 3 inch 65 is a stainless version of what the FBI later adopted. It is, essentially, a Military and Police revolver with non shrouded ejector and round butt.

The shrouded ejector has pros and cons. On the one hand, it protects the ejector rod from damage in hard use and provides a tad more weight out front to help with Magnum loads, but the shroud can also can fill up with mud or foreign matter in harsh environments. Personally, I can live with either revolver.

Very interesting insight in terms of the M19RS. I've tried to do some research on it but came up empty. Imagine getting your hands on a M19RS...

Just wanted to pull a helpful thread out of the attic! I just picked up a 3” 65 and this info helped push me over the edge...!

Regards, Jim

I have only owned 1 three inch K frame. 66-3. I was super excited to get it and shoot it.
I took it out with my 66-1 2.5” for comparison. My reaction was, MEH! Sold it for a tidy profit and decided 3” K’s were not any better than a 2.5 in my hands.
Couple years go by and I get an itch for a 696. End up with a really nice no dash and take it out and shoot it. Absolutely love that gun.
Guess what I am saying is that perhaps the underlug makes a bit of a difference for me. But cant speak for anyone else.

Yep, handle a 3” 681 all the time. But I recommend rounding the butt also.

How about a 2 1/2" model 681

Attached Images

P1010166.jpg (221.4 KB, 76 views)

S&W 65 with 3 inch barrel in classifieds-with factory combat grips.