Adopted another 357

[00Buck2]

Just got back from a gun show and this one followed me home. I cleaned it up, feed it some 38 specials and I was really surprised how well it shot at 20 yards. I haven't seen to many of these model 13's around but I took a chance and brought it home.

When I got it it would not work double action. The cylinder would turn and the hammer would move forward. The firing pin on the hammer would protrude through the frame, as if it had already been fired but the hammer would not move to the rear as I pulled the trigger. I informed the seller about this and he said it had been working fine until another man picked it up and messed with it earlier today.

I discovered that if I held the trigger in the rearward position I could cock the hammer and when I let the trigger go it would stay in the cocked position. The guy told me that he just wanted to get rid of it now because he didn't have the time to mess with it. Well I ended up with it for a song.

I got it home and started messing with it working the action, deciding weather I wanted to take the side plate off when all the sudden it just started working properly? Kinda odd, has anyone else had this happen, it was like something was in a bind and then just freed up? I think I will remove the side plate eventually but It shoots great now both single and double action, and locks up is very tight.

I may have posted this in the wrong forum because its a 13-3 with serial#AFC68**. I can not find the AFC prefix in my 3rd edition SWSC Can anyone help on the date of this one.

 

[TACC1]

CAN'T HELP ON DATE, BUT...

Congratulations! That is an excellent looking specimen, and
even if you need to replace some parts, that'll just add to the
history of your "rescue operation". What a beaut! TACC1

 

[Ashlander]

Super gun. Take the grips off and spray it out with brake cleaner or Radio Shack cleaner/lubricant. I'll bet a bunch of black gritty gunk comes streaming out.

As to the prefix on the serial number the SWSC does not begin to list all the prefixes -- but certainly enough that you can get a good feel for where yours fits in. Looks like around November 1984. to get any closer than that, you'll have to send for the letter.

 

[00Buck2]

Thanks for the info. I got the swsc a few days ago and now I guess I just need to learn how to read it.
I have $200 in this gun it has a chip in one of the grips and a small patch of bluing wear on the cylinder. Is the swsc price on this gun still close to that value today? And how common is the 13?

I noticed there is only 4 possibly 5 dash/variations. I'm guessing that it was designed for LE and just never really caught on like the model 10.

 

[chud333]

Nice pick-up my friend. Man you got it bad. Which show did you go to?
I went to Greenfield today and man what a crowd. Nothing really reached out to me and i'm a little cash poor right now so no purchases. The guns i was interested in we're all kinda highly priced, "as usual".
Nice looking mdl 13.


chuck

 

[00Buck2]

Found this one at the Sunman gun show, I had never been there before. I didn't know there was a show in Greefield, that would had been a lot closer.

I was actually looking for that elusive pair of Cokes I need to buy when this thing begged me to take it home.

Now I'm that much further from getting those Cokes.

 

[CajunBass]

Nice gun there. Congratulations.

I just sold the one I had a few weeks ago. I could just never warm up to the heavy barrel. Just never felt right to me. If I run into a 3" barrel one, I'll give it a try again.

 

[chief38]

Beauty! Clean up the grips a little and you'll have yourself a really nice M13!! Good luck with it.

Chief38

 

[MDMarauder]

Congratulations! Have fun at the range.

 

[00Buck2]

Thanks for the comments,

I took Ashlander's suggestion yesterday and sprayed the action. Not much black came out so I took the side plate off today. bunch of rusty colored oil all over the place. Got out my new Brownell's gun smith kit my first chance to use it, and I took it apart. It was just really dirty doesn't, appear to have been fired much just bad storage I guess. Wiped it down, oiled it, stoned the double/single action put it back together and its as slick as glass.

It is defiantly a keeper/shooter, It doesn't feel quite as balanced as my 19-3 4" but it sure is fun. The heavy barrel just feels a little different.

 

[mbliss57]

002 Buck you are on a tear!! How many is that in the past month? At least 3 that I know of.. 2 model 29's, now a Model 13... and I think I missed one or two..Go man go! Very nice pick up. I shot a friends model 13 a few weeks ago. He was carrying it in his lunch bucket, no holster just the model 13 a box of 357's and a can of coke. No joke! It was not a pretty gun. But it had the smoothest trigger I have yet to shoot on a S&W. Again Congrats!!

 

[00Buck2]

002 Buck you are on a tear!! How many is that in the past month? At least 3 that I know of.. 2 model 29's, now a Model 13... and I think I missed one or two..Go man go! Very nice pick up. I shot a friends model 13 a few weeks ago. He was carrying it in his lunch bucket, no holster just the model 13 a box of 357's and a can of coke. No joke! It was not a pretty gun. But it had the smoothest trigger I have yet to shoot on a S&W. Again Congrats!!

That make 3 for the month, 2 of them were by accident, this one and the pre 29. I have to slow down so I can get a set of cokes.
Just came back inside from putting some 357's through the 13. I have to adjust my grip after every other shot when I shoot it one handed. I don't care for the small grips but I think I will keep it original.

 

[mbliss57]

Hmmm I don't recall hearing that one before..."Honey, I bought 2 beautiful S&W revolvers by accident"...by accident?...ROTFL

 

[Snapping Twig]

Nice 13-3

Bought one myself not too long back, damn things grow on you, shoot straight too.

The heavy barrel seems to make double action shooting a mite easier, stay on target and such.

Enjoy it.

 

[mbliss57]

That would look nice with a set of Combats on it. I think you will like how it shoots better too.
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...57998_757843_757837_ProductDisplayErrorView_N

 

[00Buck2]

That would look nice with a set of Combats on it. I think you will like how it shoots better too.
Product: K Square Rosewood Combat Grips

Nice choice, I have a set of those on my 25-5 they are real comfortable. For this 13 I'm thinking of a Tyler t grip. Its something a little different, and I kinda like the look of them. Any experience with the T grip adapters? I haven't seen or held one in person.

 

[Snapping Twig]

I've got a T grip on a 36, and it's pretty nice, but for my 13-3 I went with rosewood Hogues. Then again, ALL my pistols have Hogues, except the 36.

 

[dscampbell]

I had a Tyler T-grip on my model 13 when it was my duty gun it really makes a difference. I traded mine to my BIL. He won't trade it back. So now I have a model 10-5 3" which I really like. Congradulations On the 13.