New Lady Smith and an interesting lesson

[target tech]

I picked up another 65-5 LS at a gun show today. I needed it like another hole in my head. Let’s call it penance for what I did to my original one.
When I bought my first one, I got it on sale at Gander Mountain brand new for under 400 bucks in like ‘97 or so. Back around that time it was pretty popular for the performance shop to have 3” K and L frame guns Magna ported. So I defiled my Lady to be “cool”. I never really regretted it till just the last few years.
So fast forward to this morning, and I am looking at a possibly unfired 65-5LS. No box or pistol rug or whatever it came in, buy very nice. I’m looking it over and for some reason it just doesn’t seem right. I buy it, it’s a dealer I’m on a first name basis with, he knocks 50 bucks and tax off of it. I still paid about twice what I paid for my first one, but we’re both happy.
Now I’m home, and I dig my first one out, and it hits me. The new one, which is actually older, doesn’t have the grooved back strap like a 66. I thought that was kind of odd that S&W would add that to a newer version of a gun. The couple other little things are the CH vs FC hammer and trigger and the different cylinder release. I guess it takes more than I thought to justify an engineering/ dash number change.
I’m guessing this one may have come in the hard jewelry box case rather than the pistol rug in a blue plastic box.
It’s funny the stuff you learn when you start buying multiples of things.

 

[murphydog]

There was a brief period of time in the 1990s when fixed sight RB stainless K frames had “serrated tangs”. I’ve never seen an explanation but I think it is possible the frames were intended for 2 1/2” model 66s.

 

[target tech]

There was a brief period of time in the 1990s when fixed sight RB stainless K frames had “serrated tangs”. I’ve never seen an explanation but I think it is possible the frames were intended for 2 1/2” model 66s.

You’re right, I just dug my unfired by me 3” 64-5 out of the safe and took the Uncle Mike’s grips off and lo and behold………a grooved back strap. I never even noticed it. I’ve probably never even had the grips off. It’s one that pretty much got bought and put away. It has all the same features as my first LS, CH hammer and trigger and new style cylinder release.
And all these years I thought the grooved back strap was a Lady Smith special feature that went along with the 66 style shrouded ejector rod.

 

[CH4]

Yep, some ladies have smooth tangs, others don’t; mine happens to be smooth.

 

[John Patrick]

I’ll have to look at mine to be sure, but I’m 99% sure mine is smooth. Came with the laminated magna grips and a LS pistol rug.

Update: I haven’t gotten my M65 LS in hand, but photos show CH hammer and trigger, and I think serrated rear grip frame (if the photo that shows the serrations is of the M65 LS.)