S&W 37 3"

[hkcavalier]

There's a 37 3" for sale locally, some scratches but overall pretty good.

From what I understand, these were often issued to female police officers in lieu of a K or N frame. It seems like it would be a terrific gun for my daughter when she gets old enough.

This is the first one I've ever run across in the flesh, are they pretty uncommon? Anything I should watch out for?

 

[Bubba2014]

If the price is right, buy it. I would not shoot plus P ammo in it.

 

[ColbyBruce]

I don’t know how uncommon those 3” barrel guns were, but I saw quite a few while the model was in production. No doubt the snubbie was more sought after, just like the model 36. Frames on the 37’s could crack due to barrel over-tensioning. If you buy one, check it thoroughly.

 

[ABPOS]

Wowz. I don't think I've ever seen a 37 with a 3" barrel. Would like to see that one.

 

[RMFnLA]

I'd look for a steel frame for your daughter; the only advantage of the Airweight is ease of carry, probably not an issue for her and certainly not worth the additional recoil.

My $0.02...

 

[shouldazagged]

I'd look for a steel frame for your daughter; the only advantage of the Airweight is ease of carry, probably not an issue for her and certainly not worth the additional recoil.

My $0.02...

I'll second that. A steel-frame gun will be much more comfortable for her to shoot, especially if it's her first handgun.

 

[ColbyBruce]

redlevel has one, a square butt with $5.00 worth of electrical tape wrapped around the stocks. Maybe he will post a picture of it.

 

[Cal44]

Wowz. I don't think I've ever seen a 37 with a 3" barrel. Would like to see that one.

OK, here is mine.

Model 37-0 is the middle one on this picture.

The top gun is a 3" model 36-1. I believe the 36-1 was also issued to female officers way back

The bottom gun a a 2" model 31-1.

The 3" M37 was "born" in 1978:

 

[pigbike]

OK, here is mine.

Model 37-0 is the middle one on this picture.

The top gun is a 3" model 36-1. I believe the 36-1 was also issued to female officers way back

The bottom gun a a 2" model 31-1.

The 3" M37 was "born" in 1978:

I notice the checkering on the center gun is different then the other two. Is that model normally different then the rest of the line ?

 

[ABPOS]

They look like much newer production stocks. He may have had to replace whatever was on there when he got the gun. Might not have had the originals with it.....

Very nice Cal44. Thanks for posting. Love all the square butt J's.

Here's a question for you. In a self defense situation, which would you rather have. 5 rounds of .38 or 6 rounds of .32 in the gun?

 

[Cal44]

They look like much newer production stocks. He may have had to replace whatever was on there when he got the gun. Might not have had the originals with it.....

Very nice Cal44. Thanks for posting. Love all the square butt J's.

Here's a question for you. In a self defense situation, which would you rather have. 5 rounds of .38 or 6 rounds of .32 in the gun?

Right. The gun came with Pachmayr Compacs. I ordered the replacement grips from s&w.

Frankly, I'd rather have the extra round in the 32 h&r magnum vs 38 comparison. But, I'd rather have a 327 or 357 magnum than either.

 

[redlevel]

redlevel has one, a square butt with $5.00 worth of electrical tape wrapped around the stocks. Maybe he will post a picture of it.

Here you are, along with the duct tape pocket holster I carry it in.
I took the electrical tape grips off. I wouldn’t want anyone to get
the impression that I’m a redneck.

 

[ColbyBruce]

You know redlevel, if you hot glue a few sand spurs to the outside of that creation you can use it as a IWB holster!

 

[Rubone]

I bought a nice flat latch one about a year ago Great shape and fired very little. I like 3" Js!

 

[hkcavalier]

I'll second that. A steel-frame gun will be much more comfortable for her to shoot, especially if it's her first handgun.

She's become mighty good with my 34-1, but of course it's all steel and a mere .22LR.

Yes, that 37 is very light. Alloy frame and a lot more steel machined out of the cylinder vs. the Kit Gun. That, the proscription against +P ammo, and the merely "ok" condition of the gun are leading me to pass.

I have plenty of time to find her a centerfire handgun...she can't even pull the double action trigger on the 34 or my K-22.

 

[Doug M.]

I hope she is pretty young and can engage in appropriate strength training - far too many girls and young women are afraid of it for reasons that both inane and mere folklore (appearance and that they will bulk up). In that, she needs grip/forearm strength devices, and should pick a few so she has a broader type of training. (I really hate that many young women are not encouraged to be as aggressive as they need to be, and helped to train to a level that will make that work.)

That little bit of preaching aside - j frames are an expert's gun. They are not friendly to novices and hard to use for the most important purpose - fighting. The sights are tiny, and thus hard to pick up in a hurry and not as precise as one would like. The action is often stiff - much more so than an K frame. This is due to the design and construction of the platform, and not easily fixed while leaving adequate reliability. This is made worse because that heavy trigger is pressed against a light firearm, which makes adequate precision more difficult, compounded by the short barrel. A j frame can be just as mechanically accurate as anything - it's the ergonomics that make them seem like small bore shotguns when you look at the paper.

Putting aside that a revolver may be sub-optimal for her in the future, the better answer in the near future is a K frame with adjustable sights (not because the adjustability is needed, but because thy are easier to see). A 4" is most likely to be the easiest to shoot well. If a short barrel is really critical, a 2" M15 is the best answer that comes to mind. Properly loaded and used, a .38 special can be adequate for self defense (remember that pistols suck and are carried only because there is no specific reason to expect a problem requiring a firearm - if there is reason to expect such, a rifle is the choice). I have gone full reactionary, and almost never carry anything in a .38 revolver (including a .357) but wadcutters and semi-wadcutters. Placement (got to know where to put the rounds) and adequate penetration will win the day.

 

[RMFnLA]

She's become mighty good with my 34-1, but of course it's all steel and a mere .22LR.

Yes, that 37 is very light. Alloy frame and a lot more steel machined out of the cylinder vs. the Kit Gun. That, the proscription against +P ammo, and the merely "ok" condition of the gun are leading me to pass.

I have plenty of time to find her a centerfire handgun...she can't even pull the double action trigger on the 34 or my K-22.

In that case I'd avoid all J frames.

Find a nice K frame and have the action worked by someone who knows what they are doing. A combat trigger will help, too.

J frames use a coil mainspring and the action just won't slick up as nicely as a K.

 

[hkcavalier]

She can pull the trigger on my shoe-equipped K-38. Those S&W rimfire triggers are all pretty stout for reasons explained at length elsewhere on this forum.

I do agree that a J frame trigger is never going to be as smooth as a good K frame, not really a debate there.

 

[RMFnLA]

She can pull the trigger on my shoe-equipped K-38. Those S&W rimfire triggers are all pretty stout for reasons explained at length elsewhere on this forum.

I do agree that a J frame trigger is never going to be as smooth as a good K frame, not really a debate there.

I know those reasons; there is still some room for improvement.

 

[hkcavalier]

So I went and looked at it again. It has a 4 number serial stamped on the backstrap. So I'm 99% sure it's a police gun at this point. Still $399.

But there was also a shooter-grade all original numbers matching WWII era LUGER there too for $899.

I'm pretty tapped out but I could manage a layaway...Christmas present for me?

What to do...

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Steel instead of aluminum, everyday.

Here are shots of my 36-3 Lady Smith. S&W had he grips anatomically designed to fit a woman's hand. Every woman I've handed this gem to falls in love with it. I sold the Model 60 like this to a friend, and she absolutely loves it.

Some on the forum say the Lady Smiths have a tuned action. I have no idea if that's true, but this one's like butter.

For what it's worth.

 

[Twiki357]

If it’s in good condition, I would definitely go for it at $399. If the seller has been sitting on it for over a month, he might just take $350.

I love my 3” model 37nd. That extra inch in sight radius make a big difference.