What .357 K-Frames were available w/ 2" Barrels?

[413Maxwedge]

I'm looking for a stubby K-frame that chambers .357 but doesn't have adjustable sights. I like the size and looks of the 2" model 10 but it's a .38 only. I keep looking at model 65 but the shortest barrels I see are 3".

Can you fine members educate me on what .357 K-frames (new or old) were produced with 2" to 2.5" barrels?

 

[retired2006]

The only 2.5" barrel .357 K frame I am aware of is the Model 19 and Model 66, but they had adjustable sights. You might do a google search, seems like someone made a fixed sight to replace the adjustable at one time.

 

[Birdhunter6]

Try a 3" 13. I think that's as close as you will come to what you want. I love mine.

 

[alwslate]

If you must have a 2" K frame .357 get a 2" model marked 10 and have the chambers reamed for the .357. We now know that the cylinder steel is the same as the model 19 and many 10s have been reamed to .357 over the years since the late 60s and early 70s.

 

[JP@AK]

Can you fine members educate me on what .357 K-frames (new or old) were produced with 2" to 2.5" barrels?

You will not find a K frame revolver chambered for the .357 Magnum with a 2" barrel. The shortest would be 2 1/2". The reason being the length of the .357 Magnum case. A 2" barrel does not allow the extractor rod to be long enough to properly expel the empty cases. That is precisely why the Combat Magnum (later also named the Model 19) snubby always had a 2 1/2" barrel.

For fixed sights the only viable option would be the Model 13-1 (or later variations). But so far as I know, it was never offered with a 2 1/2" barrel. It was produced with a 3" barrel, as mentioned above. That is probably your best bet.

 

[crows]

Try a 3" 13. I think that's as close as you will come to what you want. I love mine.

Try a 3" 13 or 65, absolute perfection.

 

[T44spl]

Your other option is the Colt Lawman or Lawman MKIII but that's outside the realm of S&W. Your best bet is the model 13 in 3", a K frame that once you shoot and handle it you'll find ways to overcome the additional inch of barrel.

 

[VictorLouis]

Rock Island Amory is the current importer of the Czech Alfa-Proj revolvers.
They make that exact pattern. They 'street' for around $650 in my region.

AL3.1 Stainless 357MAG 6rd

 

[Doug M.]

A 2" barrel is not your friend generally. It will cut the performance advantage of the .357, and is not likely to carry/conceal any better. I happen to like the 3" K frames for looks and balance, but there are drawback to them for MY use that keeps me from getting one. The 3" M19/M66 are not common and are highly valued, so the price can be far higher than I can justify. The fixed sight M13/M65 are more economical but most S&W revolver fixed sights don't work well FOR ME, and adding good visible/custom sights is not cheap.

My main duty type K frame is a 4" M66 with a rounded butt (BMCM did it after we confirmed it would not impact the serial #) and it also has a gold bead/patridge front sight and some other Performance Center work. Most of the time I load it with .38 SWC, but I have qualified with 145 grain .357 Silvertips. 4" and longer barrels are really needed to make the most of the .357.

 

[alwslate]

Way back around 1980 I think, I bought a new S&W model 19 RB .357 magnum. Barrel length was 2 & 3/4", not 2 & 1/2" as stated above. Shot it once with some light cast bullet handloads and showed it to a uniformed LEO who was a friend and hunting companion. He immediately fell in love with it and wanted to buy it from me. HA! But he had a gun I wanted and wouldn't sell to me. An almost new 4" model 29-2 .44 mag. So he offered me the 29 for the 19 + a $50 bill. Wonder I didn't break my arm reaching for my billfold so fast. Still have the 29 after all these years. Probably best gun trade I have ever made.

 

[LVSteve]

I reckon the OP needs one of these, a 3" Model 65 with the small Pachmayrs.

 

[steelslaver]

You could fit a 2" model 15 barrel to a model 19 or a 2" model 10 barrel to a model 13. I wouldn't ream a model 10 cylinder to 357. I would install a model 19 cylinder in a model 10 frame. I would need to trim the barrel shank for the longer cylinder to clear and recut the forcing cone a bit. If I used a recessed 19 cylinder I would also need to file back the frame lug
Not 2" barrels but model 19 cylinders in 10-7 frames

in a 15-3 K frame

 

[413Maxwedge]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Currently my smallest medium-sized revolver is my 3" 686-6. I daily carry a J-frame and I'm looking for something in between, like a 2" model 10. But one that can chamber .357 if that's all I have left.

 

[413Maxwedge]

These nickle m10's keep showing up on GB and tempting me.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Model 13 or 65 3 inch, yes!
Have owned a 2 1/2 inch 66 for years, have shot a bunch of 357s in it.
It’s got a fair amount of recoil and Torque!
Have shot a much smaller number of 357 in 2-3 inch J Frames.
On the edge of uncontrollable!

 

[Truckman]

These nickle m10's keep showing up on GB and tempting me.

When the right one comes along, it's best not to hesitate...This one actually looks better in person, my poor photography does not do it justice......Ben

 

[Doug M.]

If that is a 7 shot 686, with those improved sights, I like it, except that I am not a fan of the full lug barrels as a general rule. I had to sell a 686-6 7 shot MG a while back and I have very real regret. It is likely one of the few guns I would spend the money to replace. Realistically as I look at setting this up for retirement and traveling more in our pending RV, I am not inclined to carry a valuable piece like that lest I end up with seized as evidence. I plan to mostly carry my Sig 239, my G33, or my M66, with a 12 gauge and a .357 lever action.

(Yes, I know that the firearm is almost never evidence, and should be returned within a business day once its condition is documented, but that knowledge gets me looked at like a 2 headed goat by most LE and far too many lawyers who ought to know better. That lack of knowledge is a potential impeachment issue under the Brady line of cases, but explaining that to command officers is like explaining physics to me.)

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Kimber K6s DASA 2 inch 357 Magnum just what you want.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

... I like the size and looks of the 2" model 10 but it's a .38 only.

Nothing wrong with the .38 Special.

 

[Dwaine]

Model 64 no dash 2" 38 Special with +P or 2.75" 66-1 with .357 magnums