Why such a price difference between similar models of J frames?

[Josh M.]

Why are the basic .38 air weight J frames soo much cheaper than the steel .357 J frames?

Why is a 640 with a 1 7/8" bbl so much less than the same gun with a 2.5" bbl?

And the huge premium pair for a 3" m60 (current production or old)?

 

[off road]

I would guess that a steel .357 needs more expensive alloys and heat treatment, than an aluminum frame .38.

 

[ol timer]

You're looking at it backwards.

I say be glad the .38 Spl. guns are so much cheaper than the .357 Mag. guns of similar frame size.

As for the 3" M60, don't these have different sights?

 

[Josh M.]

I'm not complaining about how cheap the .38 airwieghts are...they're a steal at current pricing.

m637 1 7/8" .38 airweight - $361 at Buds
m637 2.5" .38 airweight - $454 at Buds

An extra 5/8" of barrel drives up the price $93, that a 25% increase in price...

You will see this example repeats itself across all the J frames, alloy and stainless...but why?

 

[ol timer]

It's not just a 5/8" longer barrel. One has a naked extractor barrel and the other has a shrouded, full underlug barrel.

 

[photoman]

Supply and demand I would think. I'm guessing S&W sells ten Airweights for every one steel .357 J frame.

 

[tom turner]

My opinion, and I'm not flaming here at all, is that they charge much more for the .357 guns because . . . emm . . . anyone who is an experienced handgunner knows two things that a novice does not about snubbies until they purchase one in .357:

1. .357 is NOT the caliber to be used in a snubbie and novices buy the .357s because they think more powerful is better.

2. It is easy to take advantage of novices.

My always carry snubbie is a plain old Model 37 Airweight in .38 Spl. and I feel quite well armed with this little revolver . . . which is a tackdriver in my hands.

Shooting hundreds of handgun matches through the years, and winning quite a few too in various calibers from .22LR to .44 Magnum, I'm not concerned with recoil BUT . . .

I've learned what shoots fast and accurately "at speed" in a winning manner . . . and a .357 snubbie is NOT going to win a snubbie match against .38 Special revolvers in the hands of most, if not all, experienced shooters (much less novices)! And, winning in matches AND more importantly in self defense, is what matters.

 

[Josh M.]

My opinion...what shoots fast and accurately "at speed" in a winning manner . . . and a .357 snubbie is NOT going to win a snubbie match against .38 Special revolvers in the hands of most, if not all, experienced shooters (much less novices)! And, winning in matches AND more importantly in self defense, is what matters.

Agreed, but you still have to pay quite a premium to get up to the .38 in a steel frame.