In 1899, Smith & Wesson introduced the .38 Military & Police 1st Model Revolver. It first saw service in the Philippine Insurrection in .38 Long Colt, and in the stateside market, it was chambered in .38 Smith & Wesson Special. The .38 Special, as it came to be known, is possibly the most widespread and important handgun cartridge of the 20th Century.
A friend compares carrying a gun to wearing ladies' underwear. It's comforting, and as good as it looks, it's not something you'd want to have to explain to a random person on the street. It's a secret you keep to yourself, but one that could save your life one day (*).
It's vital to have one that fits the hand just right. Under stress, the weapon needs a sure grip, and one in which the sights line up naturally. The quality of grips is a rarely-mentioned factor in this.
This is a Smith & Wesson Model 67, the stainless Combat Masterpiece in .38 Special. According to Supica & Nahas, it was manufactured in 1974. This one’s a no-dash model from the first production run and has the stainless sights. It also has the tapered and pinned barrel, which would later be replaced with a straight, heavy barrel to match the Magnum frames.
At least that's what I hear at least once a day from yokels who see me carrying one. Their arguments are puerile for the most part, and they all seem to echo the same misguided sentiments.
The first is accuracy. People will claim that the revolver is somehow inaccurate. What they really mean is that they can't shoot it well. In fact, the revolver, having a fixed barrel, is capable of greater accuracy than many automatics. Case in point:
S&W 696, .44 Special, 8 yards, 2" bullseye.
Another neglected stray finds a loving home:
It's a classic K-Frame, manufactured in 1988. The actual model number is 66-3. With this iteration, the recessed cylinder was abandoned, but the gun was given an endurance package to reduce cylinder endshake. The firing pin is still mounted to the hammer, which is the way it should be.
