Model 36, Detective Special or Model 10 snubs?? What's Your Favorite??

[Etalksalot]

I have never owned a S&W CS as it never appealed to me. I do have both a Pre-M10 snubby and a DS. I greatly prefer the DS. I am not high on the Agent or Cobra versions, as I just don't go for alloy frames. But I consider the DS to be the king of the smaller revolvers.

They are very nice guns, I'm hoping to one day own a 1st issue, 2nd issue and a 3rd issue. I agree as I don't like alloy frames either in Smith or Colt. Not to say I couldn't buy one, but I much prefer a full weight gun anytime. I have finally seen a RB model 12 snub and a SB 37 snub and they aren't bad, but I'd rather the 36 and the 10. I would like to one day get a nice Model 37 SB snub and bob the hammer. I like the bobbed look, but I don't know that I can bring myself to do it. There is a 3rd issue DS, blued for sale with a bobbed hammer and it is in great shape online. Unfortunately it has pachmayr grips and I don't like them. I want a set of 2nd issue panel magna style grips to go on any 3rd issue DS I ever get, but I have found this is no easy task. Finding a factory set of them is not easy or cheap. However, I have seen pictures of 3rd issues with those grips and it looks great.

Below is an example of a 3rd issue with magna style grips. I love the way this looks.....

 

[Etalksalot]

Model 10-5 3”

Pre model 10 2” from 1954
As a retired person I carry these


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Those are some nice guns!! I love SB 10's and I missed an opportunity to buy AA 3 inch RB Model 13, but I don't like the 3 inch K frame in RB. I do, however really like the SB 3 inch Model 10. That's nice.

 

[Etalksalot]

Oh gosh.

You still haven't found the best.

I do plan on buying a 3 inch model 36, but I want a tapered barrel. They are nice. That kind of misses my original point, I was asking why people compare the DS and the CS instead of the DS and Model 10. But your point is well taken. I love the 3 inch Chief's Special. It's one of the few 3 inch barrel I like other than a 3 inch SB Model 10. I would have to keep the original grips though. I love magna grips. I feel they are just as classic as the guns themselves. Something about the blued finish or the nickel finish with the wood magna grips. I love magnas on the K, L and N frames as well, snub or longer barrel.

 

[S&WsRsweet]

I must say I agree with you guys on the choice you made of favorite carry guns .Any of the ones mentioned would be not only reliable and powerful but also very practical in day to day carry and that is what it is all about so I agree with all of you .

 

[CQB60]

I purchased both a 70’s era DS & a new DSIV in the 80’s. I no longer possess either as J frames were easier to use and carry than the Colts.
I don’t get lost in the sentimentality that some folks do over Colts. The QA issues were the companies downfall and the advent of the polymer 9mm put them in many shooters rear view mirror. The J frame remains viable and still sells in large numbers for good reasons. It’s size makes it comfortable to carry for long periods of time and it’s simple to use. Some folks scoff the 38 caliber itself. The 38 in different weights has brought men down for years and Manufacturers have only made it better in the last decade. The model 10 is certainly the easier to one to shoot but I prefer the ease of carry of the 36. Make mine a 360J please...

 

[Etalksalot]

I like j frames for pocket carry but I think the M36 a bad choice for pocket carry because of the exposed hammer.

As a result, they’re relegated to belt holster wear.

Since the Colt DS or Smith M 10 are as easy to carry on the belt as the M36 but in slightly larger, more shootable packages with an extra round, I prefer the Colt or M10, not the M36.

With my 36's, my cargo pants (not the cargo pockets, but the regular pockets on them, they are slanted unlike Jean pockets) they tuck away nicely, but the hammer can catch easily, so I have made a habit of placing my thumb on the hammer spur as I draw it. That essentially makes it like a shrouded hammer. In that I mean it won't catch like the shrouded hammer Chief's. This way, as I draw it, once it's clear of my pocket I can drop my thumb into place OR I can cock the hammer if I so desire. You can do this with Jean pockets too. When you reach in and grab it, rest your thumb on the hammer spur, but don't use pressure so you don't accidentally cock it unintentionally. It helps dramatically. I also practice doing it a lot so it's instinct now to do it. I really want a DS and a Model 10 snub as well though. They would both hide easily in my pocket. I would like to get one one of these days and bob the hammer, I also like the Model 38's and 49's with the but the more I looked at shrouded hammer. I didn't want to like them, I really didn't. However, the more I looked at them, the more I liked them. I now love them and plan to buy one of each one day. They are down the list a but, but they will be in the collection one day.

 

[les.b]

Also, don’t forget the Centennial style J frames. They will not catch on clothing as the hammer is completely enclosed in the frame. Here are my four modern Centennials:

I mostly carry the 340 PD, (top gun in the above photo) which is the lightest at a bit over 11 ounces empty!! Of course that comes with a price to be paid in recoil, which can be fierce, it it sure is comfortable to carry.

Best Regards, Les

 

[ParadiseRoad]

...I love my no dash 36...

...I would also like to own an early square butt Detective Special...

...and a One Line 2" M&P...

...and the Ivories and T-Grip on the les.b model 49 make me want one just like it...beautiful...

 

[Etalksalot]

I purchased both a 70’s era DS & a new DSIV in the 80’s. I no longer possess either as J frames were easier to use and carry than the Colts.
I don’t get lost in the sentimentality that some folks do over Colts. The QA issues were the companies downfall and the advent of the polymer 9mm put them in many shooters rear view mirror. The J frame remains viable and still sells in large numbers for good reasons. It’s size makes it comfortable to carry for long periods of time and it’s simple to use. Some folks scoff the 38 caliber itself. The 38 in different weights has brought men down for years and Manufacturers have only made it better in the last decade. The model 10 is certainly the easier to one to shoot but I prefer the ease of carry of the 36. Make mine a 360J please...

Well said. I don't like the new J frames that much, but I am a classic person so I prefer older everything from TV and movies, to music, cars and of course guns. I love the old nickel and blued finish, but yo be honest, I didn't even like the stainless finish from back in the 80's and before. If it is polished I dig it, but otherwise I like nickel and blued best. However, I will say that the J frame is still a hugely successful and still highly bought type of gun in all its different variations. Colt finally got on board at the end of last year and finally started producing a revolver again. Though I think the new Cobras look just awful. No offense to anyone who likes or owns one, but they changed it way too much. I'd gladly take several new J frames over the new Cobras any day. I wish Smith and Colt would just start producing their old guns, just like they were now! I know Smith has their classic line, but come on now. Those guns are a vague shadow of what they used to be at best. Only offering blued finish, locks on them (I'm not so much against the lock as I am the change in the shape of the frame to put it where they do. Taurus puts theirs under the hammer spur so the frame stays the same and I forget it's there half the time), only offering one barrel length per model, and so on. I want them to make guns exactly like they did back in the late 70's for Smith and Colt to make the DS both with the ejector rod shroud and without. Those would sell like crazy. Have all the same options as before, barrel lengths, finishes and so on, and make the target and magna grips EXACTLY like they used to be. I know I'm dreaming, but if only.....

I love my 36's so much. I do love the J frames so much. Mine hides in my pocket with ease, even with the square butt. I love DS's and Model 10's as well, and I would carry both if I owned either, but I believe my J frames and any future ones I bought would be my preferred choice. I definitely consider myself a S&W guy.

 

[Etalksalot]

I purchased both a 70’s era DS & a new DSIV in the 80’s. I no longer possess either as J frames were easier to use and carry than the Colts.
I don’t get lost in the sentimentality that some folks do over Colts. The QA issues were the companies downfall and the advent of the polymer 9mm put them in many shooters rear view mirror. The J frame remains viable and still sells in large numbers for good reasons. It’s size makes it comfortable to carry for long periods of time and it’s simple to use. Some folks scoff the 38 caliber itself. The 38 in different weights has brought men down for years and Manufacturers have only made it better in the last decade. The model 10 is certainly the easier to one to shoot but I prefer the ease of carry of the 36. Make mine a 360J please...

Also, I know a lot people don't like the 38 special, I personally don't like the 9mm at all. Nothing against it, but I just don't care for it. I'd take 38 special any day over a 9mm. At close range (which is how most self defense situations go) I'd trust my life with it, in fact I do every day!!

 

[Etalksalot]

I love snubbies. They tend to multiply - I guess I own 7 now. 3 J frames, 2 K frames, 2 L frames.

That said, I almost always pocket carry, so the J frame is the most useful size to me. My favorite is either my 637 PC or my LCR327. Both are just brilliant pistols. The 637 is a classic beauty, but the LCR is such a brilliant piece of engineering.

When I leave the house, I add a larger gun on my belt, but the J's get the most use in my pocket.

I agree, I love that my 36's fit easily in my pocket even with a square butt. I have 5 snubbies total so far, 2 J frames, 1 K frame and 2 Taurus snubs, one is J frame size and the other is like an L frame size. I love snubs. I like a couple J frames in 3 inch, and I like a few K, L and N frames in 3-4 inch, but snubs are definitely my favorite.

 

[Pants]

I love this thread! My all time favorite snubby is the 4th Gen Detective Special - with the rubber Pachmayrs.

I've been a gun nut since I was a kid, I use to buy G&A whenever I could. I remember when the 4th Gen was announced in whatever issue that was - I was probably 13 or 14 at the time and just fell in love! It's always been a grail gun of mine.

That being said, I wouldn't trade my Performance Center tuned Model 10 for the world! It's the most accurate snub I've ever fired.

 

[Etalksalot]

Given the choice of these three, I go with the S&W 36.
BUT!!!
You forgot one other cool option:
The S&W 49.... J frame, all steel, 38 special, with the humpback frame to protect the small hammer spur.

If it was good enough for Maxwell Smart, it's gotta be pretty good!

Best Regards,
Jim

True, I guess when I say 36 (or Chief's Special) I just clump many of them together. They are essentially all Chief's Specials with different options, shrouded hammer, internal hammer, in 38 S&W, in 32 long, Airweight and so on. I love the 49's too. I'll be honest, I did NOT want to like them, I really really didn't! But the more I looked at them, the more I liked them and I can't help it now. Now I want a Model 38 AND a 49!! One nickel (probably 38)and one blued (probably 49) if I can help it. I do not, however like the Centennials. I just don't like the hammerless option (DAO I mean). I don't like how the gun looks and I don't like the option of not being able to shoot single action. I know most revolvers have have a point where if you pull the trigger back almost all the way til you hear the cylinder lock in place, you can stage it right before it goes off, but that's not good enough. I want single action as an option even if I never use it. Rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. I know you can fire it from in your pocket, but you can do that with a 38 or a 49.

Very nice gun you have there.

 

[Etalksalot]

I love this thread! My all time favorite snubby is the 4th Gen Detective Special - with the rubber Pachmayrs.

I've been a gun nut since I was a kid, I used buy G&A whenever I could. I remember when the 4th Gen was announced in whatever issue that was - I was probably 13 or 14 at the time and just fell in love! It's always been a grail gun of mine.

That being said, I wouldn't trade my Performance Center tuned Model 10 for the world! It's the most accurate snub I've ever fired.

HI there! I'm glad you love the thread. I love discussing guns, and I love trying to come up with topics that make people want to respond! This one is turning out to be great so far! I love that Model 10!! I'm also very VERY happy to see you have magna grips on that bad boy. I am a magna grip freak. I want nothing but those grips on any Smith I buy, from J frame - N frame and snub - 4 inch! I love them!! Someone on here told me they aren't called magna grips on Colts, but the magna "style" grips that the first 2 issue DS's came with, I would want those on a 1st or 2nd issue DS AND on a 3rd issue. Don't know if you saw the picture I out up earlier of a 3rd issue with pearl magna style grips, but I LOVE them on those DS's!! I love that they stop short of the top, but I don't care much for the Smith service grips that stop short. I feel like Smith's lacks something that the Colts have with that shorter grip. Nice gun!!

 

[Etalksalot]

...I love my no dash 36...

...I would also like to own an early square butt Detective Special...

...and a One Line 2" M&P...

...and the Ivories and T-Grip on the les.b model 49 make me want one just like it...beautiful...

My apologies, I thought the 49 in the picture was yours! Still a beautiful gun and I like the t grip on it! My blued 36 is just like yours, minus the T grip which I hope to change soon. I want to get a polished brass one with finger grooves so bad for it!

 

[Etalksalot]

I almost forgot!! here's my 49:

It is certainly a viable option!!

Gorgeous gun, I dig the 38's and the 49's as well. I like your profile pic, Lee Marvin is definitely a favorite of mine. Just watched some old TV show, can't remember the name, but it had Lee Marvin and Keenan Wynn in it, another favorite of mine!

 

[Etalksalot]

I have carried a 36ND & 60-7, a 1950 vintage Detective Special and a 2" 64-2 for work at various times. I shoot the best with the 64, but like all of them. Currently I carry the 64 with a 340 as back up.

Very nice collection! I guess I assumed more people would lump the Model 64 into the list, but I guess I should've said that in the beginning. Definitely a little jealous of a few of those.

 

[Etalksalot]

I'm a died-in-the-wool S&W guy.

The Chiefs Special is the epitome of a carry revolver. Compact, easy to conceal and the right caliber. The older, therefore the smaller (the Baby Chiefs), the better. Here are some of my favorites.

'52: 2" smooth ramp front sight, 1st style flat latch

'53: 3" 2nd style flat latch

'54: 2" 3rd style flat latch -- unique to nickel Chiefs

'55: 2" 4th style flat latch

'59: 2" 5th style flat latch (Model 36)

I knew there were a few different styles of flat latches, but I didn't realize there were FIVE different ones!! Are those your's or pictures you found to give an example??

 

[Etalksalot]

I own a 36-9 a 642 a 15-3 snub and a 1974 Colt Cobra. Sorry S&W fans but I carry the Cobra. The extra round, fantastic trigger and light weight do it for me. Cobras and Dick Specials made after 1973 are +P rated.

I too own a snub 15-3. If I may ask, is it blued or nickel?? Mine is blued, but I absolutely want to get a nickel one too one day! They are beautiful! My blued 15 snubbie is one of my couple favorite handguns ever. I have wanted one since I was a kid, even decades before I actually like revolvers. That was my first Smith! I love it more with each passing day. I have a blued snub 15, and a blued SB 36 which makes a K and J frame pair. I would love to get the nickel one so I will have a blued pair and a nickel pair, one K and one J frame each. I just saw one at a local Gun show last week along with about 20 or so other beautiful Smiths and Colts that I would LOVE to own. Unfortunately I went with no money!! Doesn't matter though, I didn't have any money to spend even at home. My goal is in 7 months to walk out of that show with something new (old gun, new to me of course).

 

[Etalksalot]

Lots of opinions here, and they all make sense. in one way or another
Like my 640, a bit weighty but easy to shoot +P or even .357 mag & no hammer spur issues. Have never been thrilled w. 2 inch barrel K frames, but the Model 13 3 inch barrel is another story...it is superb!

Unfortunately I missed an opportunity to get a blued, Model 13 snub. It was pinned and recessed. I didn't own a Smith yet, and I didn't want it to be my first. Never even thought about trade value!! I still kick myself every time I think about it.