S&W Model 37
- Thread starter 4570Tom
- Start date
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Hi Tom,
Personaly, i found it to be the best .38 you could have back then.
Classic line, old thumbpiece and diamondgrips, it looked and felt just right for me. Kept just one and it will never be sold.
With roundbutt and bantam grips it's a manageable powerful handgun even today. You must use standard pressure loads, although. Should be point of aim with 158grainers.
Sole drawback was the easy wearing of the anodized aluminium frame.
The new S&W titan or scandium ones digest .357 Mag or at least .38 spl+P, but the old trigger mechanism is far better than the new one, imho.
At least you should buy it to complement a collection, if in good condition and if passed the usual check.
Personaly, i found it to be the best .38 you could have back then.
Classic line, old thumbpiece and diamondgrips, it looked and felt just right for me. Kept just one and it will never be sold.
With roundbutt and bantam grips it's a manageable powerful handgun even today. You must use standard pressure loads, although. Should be point of aim with 158grainers.
Sole drawback was the easy wearing of the anodized aluminium frame.
The new S&W titan or scandium ones digest .357 Mag or at least .38 spl+P, but the old trigger mechanism is far better than the new one, imho.
At least you should buy it to complement a collection, if in good condition and if passed the usual check.
jhvaughan2
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I love that ol' 37.
You asked for it. I am a big fan. A m37 from the '70s is my EDC.
I once owned a 442, 642 and 637. There are advantages to the x42 design and, even to me, it seems the best logical design for a CCW firearm. However for me the revolver just "feels" better with the exposed hammer. So, of the three, I preferred the 637. Since I do not carry in my pocket, the key advantage of the hammerless design is lessened for me.
I also understand the value of "stainless" but, again my preferences were for a "blued" revolver. All of that led me to give the old m37 a shot. (Why isn't there a "437"?)
Immediately I was convinced, and all three of the "modern" guns are gone. The m37 had a better trigger, better look and actually felt more balanced and lighter than the others.
Be warned that any of these alloy j-frames can make your hand sore if you do much shooting with it, but the right set of grips helps. I experimented with multiple rubber grips but getting a better hold meant, harder to conceal. have settled on some "banana" grips that I happened to luck into on eBay. These allow all four fingers to grip while not adding the bulk or the "stickiness" of the larger rubber grips. (And they look so much better.)
Finding a pretty one will be a bit more difficult as the alloy finish does not hold up like bluing over the decades. My advice is if you can find one in the $400 range, and you want a classic well made, light firearm for carry, snap it up. (Search some of the forums here about alloy smiths. You should check around the barrel and forcing cone for cracks on the frame. I've never seen any but I've heard...)
And now, to satisfy those with visual urges:
You asked for it. I am a big fan. A m37 from the '70s is my EDC.
I once owned a 442, 642 and 637. There are advantages to the x42 design and, even to me, it seems the best logical design for a CCW firearm. However for me the revolver just "feels" better with the exposed hammer. So, of the three, I preferred the 637. Since I do not carry in my pocket, the key advantage of the hammerless design is lessened for me.
I also understand the value of "stainless" but, again my preferences were for a "blued" revolver. All of that led me to give the old m37 a shot. (Why isn't there a "437"?)
Immediately I was convinced, and all three of the "modern" guns are gone. The m37 had a better trigger, better look and actually felt more balanced and lighter than the others.
Be warned that any of these alloy j-frames can make your hand sore if you do much shooting with it, but the right set of grips helps. I experimented with multiple rubber grips but getting a better hold meant, harder to conceal. have settled on some "banana" grips that I happened to luck into on eBay. These allow all four fingers to grip while not adding the bulk or the "stickiness" of the larger rubber grips. (And they look so much better.)
Finding a pretty one will be a bit more difficult as the alloy finish does not hold up like bluing over the decades. My advice is if you can find one in the $400 range, and you want a classic well made, light firearm for carry, snap it up. (Search some of the forums here about alloy smiths. You should check around the barrel and forcing cone for cracks on the frame. I've never seen any but I've heard...)
And now, to satisfy those with visual urges:
