S&W 36, 3 inch.

noell316

July 23, 2012 21:37

A local gun shop has a S&W Model 36 with a 3 inch barrel. I am not sure of the serial #. The revolver has been carried / used, it is about 70%. I have seen only a few with the 3 inch tube, are these unusual or hard to come by? I "heard" that they were popular with the NYPD back in the revolver days. Any input would be welcome.

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  Laredo Lefty

  July 23, 2012 22:40

  I have one and had another years ago I sold. The 3" 36's are not rare, just not as common as the 2". I also have a 6" model 36, one of about 24 made this way.
  
  From 1967 to 1973 the NYPD bought 1500 model 36's with square butt and 3" barrels for issue to their female ofcrs.

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  dcs shooters

  July 24, 2012 05:08

  I've been kicking my butt for ever getting rid of the 3" 36 with adjustable sights I had years ago [xx(] It is a very rare 36, as most were marked model 50 [^]

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  beantownshootah

  July 24, 2012 06:19

  quote:Originally posted by noell316
  A local gun shop has a S&W Model 36 with a 3 inch barrel. I am not sure of the serial #. The revolver has been carried / used, it is about 70%. I have seen only a few with the 3 inch tube, are these unusual or hard to come by? I "heard" that they were popular with the NYPD back in the revolver days. Any input would be welcome.
  
  
  For years standard issue backup/ concealed gun for the NYPD was a square butt 1-7/8" tube Smith 36 (hence the term "New York reload". . .if your main gun ran dry instead of reloading, you reach for the backup). These went on the surplus market a number of years ago, and there are a lot of them floating around.
  
  But that said, I'm sure there were plenty of NYPD who did like a 3" bbl gun. That extra inch doesn't make the gun all that much harder to hide, but it does make it a lot easier to shoot accurately, and adds a bit of extra velocity, too.
  
  In terms of scarcity, they're a lot less common than the 2" bbl guns, though there are plenty of them out there. They're not "rare" in the sense that only small numbers were made or they're terribly hard to find.
  
  If you look on the auction site now, there are three of them listed for sale right now, in roughly the $400 price range. IMO, $400 is a bit high for one in only 70% condition. I'd actually rather pay more for one in better condition.

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