feralmerril
Absent Comrade
Larry and I soon will be rideing together. I seen a post here and noticed we are in the same town. We hooked up and larry showed me a collection of guns next to none! I cant carry his water!
3" model 36...what do you think?
- Thread starter Jim NNN
- Start date
Hey you guys, I BOUGHT IT!! Thanks for the encouragement and experience. I got it for about $425 after the discounts and stuff. I brought it home and I'm not disappointed at all...it's just as appealing when it's not in a lit guncase. I wish I was better with cameras and computers so I could show you a picture...I'll keep trying.
I LOVE old Smith and Wesson revolvers. I feel very fortunate to have found it when I wasn't looking for one. Now I can go back out and prowl around for what I WAS looking for...a model 14
I LOVE old Smith and Wesson revolvers. I feel very fortunate to have found it when I wasn't looking for one. Now I can go back out and prowl around for what I WAS looking for...a model 14
GF
Member
"Hey you guys, I BOUGHT IT!! "
Man...how often have I shouted that.
36-1 & 60-10
We're gonna' need pictures of that revolver ASAP.
GF
Man...how often have I shouted that.
36-1 & 60-10
We're gonna' need pictures of that revolver ASAP.
GF
Cooter Brown
Member
You are definitely going to like it!
mkk41
US Veteran
Bought mine off a local towns Chief of Police for $225. Had the oversize J-frame target grips on it. Sold them and bought the Hogues. The like new 3in Bianchi 5BHL came from a shops bargain box for $15.
SgtSam
Member
To those that wanted me to expound a little on the use that AFOSI put their M36s to, here is a little more info.
All AFOSI Agents were, at the time I was in the organization, required to qualify twice a year. The qualifying was virtually an all day affair. I don't remember exactly how many rounds we put through them each time, but it was a considerable number.
If you were on one of the specialty teams, or some other type of special ops, you were required to qualify four times a year. Same courses of fire, plus additional. We fired both double and single action courses. I was a four timer.
Now, these guns should have held up with no problem. S&W guaranteed them to do so when the Air Force bought them. They were bought to replace the M15 to enable AFOSI Agents to have a more concealable weapon under our suit and sports coats. The ammo that was used exclusively was the military .38spl hard ball. I don't know from whom this ammo was purchased. I do remember, however, that the quality control surrounding its manufacture didn't seem to be the best. Most of the rounds felt like maximum .38spl loadings without being +P, a loading which we didn't really have back then. Some felt like a .22lr and if we couldn't positively determine that we had hit the target, we would check the barrel to ensure that the bullet had exited. And sometimes, it felt like a damn fullhouse .357.
The final result was that a number of these revolvers experienced problem such as, bulged cylinders, cracked forcing cones, extremely excessive end shake, and binding when trying to fire them. It got so bad that AFOSI started to look for a new gun, just 3 to 4 years after the M36s had been put into service.
It might have been the ammo? It might have been a number of guns in which the steel just had been made correctly? It might have been a number of things. Of course, not all of the guns purchased experienced these problems. But enough of them did that it caused a logistic problem keeping serviceable guns in the field. Periodically, all of the guns had to be cycled through the Air Force Armory at Lackland AFB for complete checkouts and necessary repairs.
That's about all I can tell you as I was not personally involved with the decisions surrounding the gun.
All AFOSI Agents were, at the time I was in the organization, required to qualify twice a year. The qualifying was virtually an all day affair. I don't remember exactly how many rounds we put through them each time, but it was a considerable number.
If you were on one of the specialty teams, or some other type of special ops, you were required to qualify four times a year. Same courses of fire, plus additional. We fired both double and single action courses. I was a four timer.
Now, these guns should have held up with no problem. S&W guaranteed them to do so when the Air Force bought them. They were bought to replace the M15 to enable AFOSI Agents to have a more concealable weapon under our suit and sports coats. The ammo that was used exclusively was the military .38spl hard ball. I don't know from whom this ammo was purchased. I do remember, however, that the quality control surrounding its manufacture didn't seem to be the best. Most of the rounds felt like maximum .38spl loadings without being +P, a loading which we didn't really have back then. Some felt like a .22lr and if we couldn't positively determine that we had hit the target, we would check the barrel to ensure that the bullet had exited. And sometimes, it felt like a damn fullhouse .357.
The final result was that a number of these revolvers experienced problem such as, bulged cylinders, cracked forcing cones, extremely excessive end shake, and binding when trying to fire them. It got so bad that AFOSI started to look for a new gun, just 3 to 4 years after the M36s had been put into service.
It might have been the ammo? It might have been a number of guns in which the steel just had been made correctly? It might have been a number of things. Of course, not all of the guns purchased experienced these problems. But enough of them did that it caused a logistic problem keeping serviceable guns in the field. Periodically, all of the guns had to be cycled through the Air Force Armory at Lackland AFB for complete checkouts and necessary repairs.
That's about all I can tell you as I was not personally involved with the decisions surrounding the gun.
WB5MHA
Member
Go ahead and buy it! I've had one for decades and rely on it. It's from S&W's golden age of quality and hand fitting. It works every time.
Shot mine today as a matter of fact. No target pistol but accurate enough.
The only gun fight I was ever involved in (Brownsville Texas 1980) my weapon was my trusty 36 Chief's 3". I felt fully armed and survived to tell the tale.
Shot mine today as a matter of fact. No target pistol but accurate enough.
The only gun fight I was ever involved in (Brownsville Texas 1980) my weapon was my trusty 36 Chief's 3". I felt fully armed and survived to tell the tale.
Will Carry
Member
I have my little M36 3" nickle in a hollowed out book on my night stand. I found it in a pawn shop with the original box and papers.
Mine was born in the late seventies. The quality for this little jewel is outstanding. BUT don't let those good looks fool you, this is a deadly piece of hardware and will serve you well. I practice drawing and firing from IWB and it is the fastest pistol I own to draw and fire. I don't shoot +Ps in it but but the bad guy will not notice.
Mine was born in the late seventies. The quality for this little jewel is outstanding. BUT don't let those good looks fool you, this is a deadly piece of hardware and will serve you well. I practice drawing and firing from IWB and it is the fastest pistol I own to draw and fire. I don't shoot +Ps in it but but the bad guy will not notice.
S+W Newbie
Member
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2006
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bogman
Member
My new woods running gun is a #36-1 HB RB. it shoots great with my 158gr. swc cast bullet at medium velocity. I also carry two rounds of snakeshot. we have a lot of snakes in Ga.
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smith revolver cop
Member
I (once again!) outsmarted myself on Gunbroker, and I have TWO 3" Model 36 SBs on the way to my local dealer. One is a no-dash, the other a -1. Both look great in the pix. Just shy of $400 each with shipping, another $10 each once I do the transfer. So, if you got a great condition one in person for $449, you did pretty well. I'm looking forward to mine!
bogman
Member
Yep, and the 36-1 is an excellent choice as a snake gun, especially in Georgia.
What part of Ga. are you in. I live in Dallas, but hike in the Cohutta WMA
samandglove1
Member
Nice weapon
Great gun, whether NIB or everyday carry piece.
NIB 1970
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Great gun, whether NIB or everyday carry piece.
NIB 1970
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