Smith and Wesson 64-3 MPD

[Plutonius]

I picked up this real nice police issued Smith and Wesson model 64-3. I am fairly certain this was issued to the Miami Police Department as evidenced by the MPD marked on the butt. The only issue I had with this revolver is some jackleg filled off the single action shelf on the hammer resulting in a DAO action. Thankfully, I was able to restore the notch with a set of stones. After stoning, testing, stoning and go slow it works like a champ. No hammer pushoff and the trigger pull is like glass in single action. Pretty happy with it! I will have to keep an eye on it as the surfaces most likely are compromised from a hardening standpoint due to the initial filing. May need a replacement hammer in the future.

 

[PPCSHOOTER]

OR IT COULD BE MEMPHIS PD. I BELIEVE THEY WERE MARKED AS SUCH ALSO.

 

[Plutonius]

OR IT COULD BE MEMPHIS PD. I BELIEVE THEY WERE MARKED AS SUCH ALSO.

Is there a definitive way to know? S&W letter?

 

[Texas Star]

Minneapolis PD? Monrovia? Malibu? Need the letter.

I think Miami did require DA-only guns after a bad police shooting.

Your gun has stocks probably from an M-15 or M-67, more square on the butt than the rounded plainclothes stocks of an M-64.

If your M-64-3 shoots like mine did, it'll be scary accurate. I only sold mine to move to a better school zone when my ex let me have the kids. I replaced it ASAP with a new M-66-3, as I wanted .357 power when warranted. The M-66's my favorite of all handguns I've owned and is still with me. Bought new in 1990. It, too, is very accurate.

 

[Plutonius]

Minneapolis PD? Monrovia? Malibu? Need the letter.

I think Miami did require DA-only guns after a bad police shooting.

Your gun has stocks probably from an M-15 or M-67, more square on the butt than the rounded plainclothes stocks of an M-64.

If your M-64-3 shoots like mine did, it'll be scary accurate. I only sold mine to move to a better school zone when my ex let me have the kids. I replaced it ASAP with a new M-66-3, as I wanted .357 power when warranted. The M-66's my favorite of all handguns I've owned and is still with me. Bought new in 1990. It, too, is very accurate.

Are you sure on the grips? The frame is square butt and the grips are perfectly contoured to the frame.

EDIT: Ahhh...I see what you are talking about now.

 

[Gary M]

I have a similar 4" 64-3 with a SN about 600 before yours also marked MPD and also DAO. Even the stamp location, size and font look the same.
Only difference is mine has numbered to gun PC grips.
I picked mine up from a Michigan LGS in early 2001 for the then ridiculous high price of $125.

Lots of "M"'s out there, so without docs, it is hard to say.

 

[Plutonius]

I have a similar 4" 64-3 with a SN about 600 before yours also marked MPD and also DAO. Even the stamp location, size and font look the same.
Only difference is mine has numbered to gun PC grips.
I picked mine up from a Michigan LGS in early 2001 for the then ridiculous high price of $125.

Lots of "M"'s out there, so without docs, it is hard to say.

Was your hammer spur bobbed (i.e. Factory DAO)

 

[Gary M]

Was your hammer spur bobbed (i.e. Factory DAO)

Nope, full hammer.
I opened it up years ago to clean and didn't look to see if the SA notch looked "factory", armorer or Jimbob.

I've thought about bringing it back to SA/DA, but the DAO doesn't bother me enough to make it worth the effort since I typically prefer revolvers DA anyway for the consistent trigger pull.

 

[Plutonius]

Nope, full hammer.
I opened it up years ago to clean and didn't look to see if the SA notch looked "factory", armorer or Jimbob.

I've thought about bringing it back to SA/DA, but the DAO doesn't bother me enough to make it worth the effort since I typically prefer revolvers DA anyway for the consistent trigger pull.

I just find having the hammer spur there and being DAO to be a very disconcerting. I wouldn`t mind DAO but it would have to be bobbed. Mine was filled at a angle, it looked jimbob but who knows.

 

[gwpercle]

My model 64 - 3 is from the Baton Rouge Police Dept. , serial number 7D03, 852 , (1980 ?) the square butt grips have the more rounded bottom , the checkering begins/ends higher up on the panels .
4 inch heavy barrel with both DA/SA modes .
This was carried by a uniformed patrol officer not a detective or plains clothes officer . The officer was my personal friend and verified that the grips were the original ones issued/carried by him , he purchased the model 64 when the dept. went to 357 magnums . The reason I asked was the grips are not stamped numbered to the gun....if done in pencil ...the number may be there and I just can't see it .
Same 7D series but mine is 6,501 units earlier . I think 7D10,353 would be 1981 ship date.
But who knows what happens with grips...so easy to swap out .
Gary

 

[Doug M.]

I think Miami did require DA-only guns after a bad police shooting.

*
You are half right. Miami did require DAO after an OIS, but the shooting was not bad. The prosecution was frivolous and based on a purported eye witness claim that the officer had cocked his revolver before the shooting. The claim was thoroughly debunked (and would have been irrelevant anyway) and the prosecution was shown to be unaware of the reality of officer perception of threat. Ayoob has done a couple of articles on it as I recall, and I think I have seen others. The State's Attorney in question (Janet Reno) should have been disbarred.

 

[murphydog]

Is there a definitive way to know? S&W letter?

A letter may show it shipped directly to a city or department, or it may have gone to a distributor, which then sold it to the department. Presumably that would narrow down the city possibilities to one state.