Was there a year when they went to the fatter barrel or were both the tapered and fatter barrel available all the way to 1982?
So, the first thing for you to understand is the Model 64 was the stainless steel version of the venerable Model 10 .38 Military & Police revolver.
That is important because the numbering system and the barrel configuration on the Model 64 mimiced the pattern of the Model 10. For both models, the tapered and heavy barrel versions were produced side by side over the years. The two variations were identified by dash numbers.
With the Model 64, the initial introduction in 1970 was tapered barrel only. The heavy barrel was introduced two years later and initially was only chambered for the .357 Magnum (special order for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol). Soon, however, the Model 64-1 became the heavy barrel variant of the Model 64.
In 1977, the tapered barrel variant became the Model 64-2 and the heavy barrel variant became the Model 64-3. In 1988, the two became the 64-4 and 64-5, respectively. In 1991, the tapered barrel variant was dropped from the lineup.
All of the above is a true account of the evolution of the Model 64 .38 M&P Stainless.
However, with S&W there are exceptions to nearly every rule. The fact is there are some no-dash Model 64 revolvers that have the 4" heavy barrel. Since the frames were slightly different, that should not be the case, but they do exist. They seem to have showed up in the market in around 1974. Somewhere around that same time period, the original 64-1 .357 became the Model 65. The book says those came out in 1972, but I don't believe that is correct. In '72, they were marked as Model 64-1, if I recall correctly.
The bottom line is this: there is seldom anything simple about S&W history.
