Model 13

[David S.]

A local fun store has a 13-3 4" in stock for just under $450 that caught my eye.

This would be my first dabble into the revolver world. What do I need to know?

Cheers,
David

[JHC]

A local fun store has a 13-3 4" in stock for just under $450 that caught my eye.

This would be my first dabble into the revolver world. What do I need to know?

Cheers,
David

SWEET revolver. You chose well. I dunno, be patient if you haven't shot them DA much before. Dry fire that DA and have fun. What sort of grips came on it?

[David S.]

It's a blued finish, not that you asked, with hogue rubber grips.

Round, I believe.

[41magfan]

I'm not exactly sure what kind of input you're looking for but with the right holster it will be relatively easy to carry and for a mid-size revolver they're relatively easy to shoot. The only downsize to the fixed sight configuration might be getting an acceptable zero if you shoot bullet weights at the extreme ends of the spectrum (110 or 180 gr) at longer than casual use ranges. If you find your gun doesn't shoot to POA, locate an old school S&W Armorer with a lead babbitt and he'll be able to beat it into submission. Once zeroed it will never wander under normal use.

I still have the one I carried before pistols nudged revolvers out of use in LE circles and I personally find it to be the ideal medium caliber revolver. I even pushed mine into doing duty as a hunting handgun once and it worked OK.

[Keltyke]

SHUWEEEET!!! My first gun was a 13 and I've always regretted selling it. It's a fixed sight 4" .357 Mag on the S&W "K" frame in either nickle or blued finish, It'll handle anything you put in it.

[David S.]

I'm not exactly sure what kind of input you're looking for ...

I've never seriously considered revolvers, but with all the recent love they've received and my jumping on the Sig bandwagon, I'm intrigued. I really don't know what I don't know.

Is this a solid model? It appears the answer is yes.
Is this a reasonable price (depending on wear)?
I see model 64s available for less but like the versatility of .357 mag.

Cheers,
David

[Wheeler]

I've never seriously considered revolvers, but with all the recent love they've received and my jumping on the Sig bandwagon, I'm intrigued. I really don't know what I don't know.

Is this a solid model? It appears the answer is yes.
Is this a reasonable price (depending on wear)?
I see model 64s available for less but like the versatility of .357 mag.

Cheers,
David

It's hard to go wrong with a Model 13. The price is not far out from what I see solid condition used models listing for locally. A few thinks to check are lockup. This is how much the cylinder moves from side to side while the gun is cocked. A small amount of play is acceptable, a lot of play is not good. This should be checked on all cylinders.
Endshake: this is forward/rearward movement of the cylinder while the gun is cocked. A very small amount is acceptable. A lot indicates the possibility of a lot of heavy loads ran through the gun.
With the yoke open, spin the cylinder and watch the ejector rod, make sure it's straight with no wobble.
Check the motion of the ejector rod by depressing it. If it binds it's bent. While its depressed look under the extractor star for trash. Release the ejector rod and make sure the extractor star returns to a flush position with the rear of the cylinder.
Look at the forcing cone and top strap for excessive erosion/flame cutting.
Look in each individual cylinder for pits, burrs or flaws in the cylinder walls. It's not common but is possible.
Close the cylinder and make sure the cylinder release latch goes back fully. If the gun won't cock the cylinder release latch is most likely sticking.
Check the yoke at the front of the cylinder. If there is a sizeable gap near the barrel there's a good chance some idiot has been doing the Hollywood snap to close the cylinder. Unless you want to order and replace the yoke I'd suggest handing it back to the salesperson and thanking him/her for their time.
You should be able to cycle the gun through all six cylinders with little difference in trigger pull. If there is a significant difference from one cylinder to the next there's possibly a timing issue.

I hope this helps.

[41magfan]

I've never seriously considered revolvers, but with all the recent love they've received and my jumping on the Sig bandwagon, I'm intrigued. I really don't know what I don't know.

Is this a solid model? It appears the answer is yes.
Is this a reasonable price (depending on wear)?
I see model 64s available for less but like the versatility of .357 mag.

Cheers,
David

K-Frame S&W's are about as good as it gets with medium frame revolvers and $450 is about right if it's in good condition. If it's a surplus law enforcement gun it was likely carried a lot and shot very little. I too like the versatility of the .357 Magnum cartridge but I wouldn't poo-poo a properly loaded .38 Special if that's all I had. There's some high performance .38 loads out there that a K-Frame will digest without difficulty.

If you'll pay your dues learning to manage the trigger on a DA revolver, everything else will seem easy.

[David S.]

Thanks gents. Wheeler, thanks for the great writeup. That will be super helpful.

I too like the versatility of the .357 Magnum cartridge but I wouldn't poo-poo a properly loaded .38 Special if that's all I had. There's some high performance .38 loads out there that a K-Frame will digest without difficulty.

I'm not poopooing the .38 Spcl. What I meant by versatility was that I appreciate the ability to run both the .357 and .38 as opposed to just the .38.

[Wheeler]

You're welcome. I hope it's helpful.