Info needed for 65-3, Chicago area

[Jcon72]

Looking for someone knowledgeable concerning a 4-inch S&W model 65-3 that may have been purchased for Chicago area law enforcement in the early to mid 80's.
A few years ago I picked up this gun at a gun shop in western Illinois. According to the SCSW, the dash-3's either came in a 3-inch round-butt configuration or 4-inch square-butt. Not until the dash-5 did they make the 4-inch with a round butt when they standardized on that grip frame style for all revolvers.
Mine is a 4-inch dash-3 round butt. Since obtaining it I have always wondered if someone rebarreled it at some time or if it was a special order, but it hasn't been quite important enough to me to spend $100 to get a letter. Upon inspection it is evident that this is not a case of someone converting a round-butt to a square-butt, either. As you can see, on the side of the grip frame is the engraved inscription "CMS 118018" (or perhaps 118618).
Saturday while at a gun show I got to talking to a gentleman who obviously had an interest in Smith revolvers. When the subject of this gun came up he informed me that yes, S&W in fact DID make some (apparently uncatalogued) 4-inch round-butt 65-3's which were shipped to a police supply store by the name of "Ray O'Herrons" (still in business today), and that a gentleman by the name of Wayne Harrison (now deceased a few years) was the sales rep responsible for placing the order. He said these guns were intended to be issued to the then-current class of police officers in the academy, but before the recruits could graduate the Department made the switch to semi-autos. As a result, these guns were not issued and were instead sold to a security company in the Chicago area, the name of which he could not recall. He thought the name was "<something> (but not "Chicago") Metropolitan Security" which would correspond with the engraved letters CMS, and the numbers would have been an inventory code. For some reason the gentleman at the gun show also didn't seem to think a factory letter would provide any additional information regarding the combination of barrel length and butt style.
If anyone can corroborate or add additional information to this story it would be greatly appreciated. I may reach out to O'Herrons at some point but am not sure if there would be any employees still around who would know anything about this model.

[Doug M.]

O'Herrons is in Danville. I shopped there quite regularly in the very late 70s through mid-late 80s. IIRC, CPD had their own academy and did not send their recruits to PTI.

A 4" RB K frame is a good package. I had my M66 cut by BMCM and it a real joy to carry and shoot.

[Jcon72]

Yes, and they also have a store in Downer's Grove. Back in the day they apparently had one in Lombard, too, but that one seems to be closed now.

[clang444]

I have a 4" Model 65 that I bought off a LEO in the Chicagoland area several years ago It was converted from square butt to round butt. The seller told me it was a fairly common modification at his department as many officers preferred the round butt Pachmayr grips on their guns. Mine came wearing Pachmayr Compacs and they do feel great and look pretty good on the gun too.

Model 65s do not have any grooves on the grip frame and the stainless steel does not need refinishing, so the conversion is a relatively simple procedure. My gun is a 65-1, so it has a 4" barrel and round butt on a pinned and recessed gun. It is fairly unusual, but I like it.

[five 0]

Could be the Downers Grove or Lombard stores handled the purchase and they were for the Chicago Academy and not PTI, and they went back to the state and were marked for the IL Department of Central Management Services, which is referred to as CMS and the numbers are some sort of catalog numbers.

[Jcon72]

Originally Posted by five 0

Could be the Downers Grove or Lombard stores handled the purchase and they were for the Chicago Academy and not PTI, and they went back to the state and were marked for the IL Department of Central Management Services, which is referred to as CMS and the numbers are some sort of catalog numbers.

Perhaps. From what the guy said I assumed they were for the Chicago Academy rather than PTI. He said the guns were then sold to a security company in the Chicago area, though.

[Doug M.]

PTI had some guns that students could use, but the vast majority of my classmates and others I saw while attending other classes, role playing, etc., were brought by students, either issued or personal owned. This was in the period of transitioning from revolvers to auto pistols, so there was a good mix of platforms.