He bought this when he was in (or maybe when he graduated from) the academy.
Pre-Model 10, K-Frame Airweight.
Question: Safe to shoot? I know they eventually phased out the alloy cylinders...
...It is obviously lighter than his retirement presentation nickle plated Model 10.
Last edited by Drang; 03-28-2019 at 06:31 PM.
Recovering Gun Store Commando. My Blog: The Clue Meter
“It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
Glenn Reynolds
I think that I've read somewhere that both S&W and Colt made .38s with both alloy cylinders and frames for the Air Force. Even with a lower-powered .38 round, they had problems with frame cracking and stretching and some cylinder cracking.Originally Posted by Drang
Found this:
Those were J-frames and you have a K-frame. The early Model 12s had a frame that was a bit smaller than a steel K. So, I'd err on the side of "keep this as a keepsake of my dad's service as a cop" and not shoot it.
Last edited by Stephanie B; 03-28-2019 at 07:45 PM.
If we have to march off into the next world, let us walk there on the bodies of our enemies.
If it passes all the required mechanical checks I'd have no problem shooting it with standard pressure loads. Full WC target loads would be the perfect fodder for it. Shoot it and enjoy it.
Last edited by Spartan1980; 03-28-2019 at 08:54 PM.
I was under the impression that the alloy cylinders were an US Air Force thing? I know USAF had a low pressure cartridge they specified for use in the alloy cylinder guns.
Were the same firearms also sold on the civilian market? Did the manufacturer specify which loads were safe to use in those guns?
I bet your Dad's M12 has a steel cylinder. Like Tam said, shoot it with reasonable ammunition and enjoy it. If S&W brought out a modern version of the M12 sans ILS, I would buy at least two.
As long as it has the steel cylinder and you stick to standard pressure loads, it’s perfectly safe to shoot assuming it’s mechanically sound otherwise.
Semper Paratus,
Steve
Further research indicates pre-Model 12, steel cylinder and alloy frame. (The Brownells gun safe magnets stick to the cylinder and barrel, not the frame.) I assumed that they built these all alloy, but it would seem I was mistaken.
Lots of holster wear, but the bore seems... pristine. If dad shot this, he didn't do it much. Guessing he qualified with his issue sidearm. (All I remember from his qualification days was him bitching about how the length of pull was too long on the scatterguns, and the stage where he had to go from "ready" to "offhand" always left him with bruised biceps...)
Last edited by Drang; 03-29-2019 at 05:58 PM.
Recovering Gun Store Commando. My Blog: The Clue Meter
“It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
Glenn Reynolds
I agree with shooting it with standard pressure only.
Depending on the value you place on optimization verses keeping it as your Dad carried it, with a set of shorter grips that fill in the space behind the trigger area, that gun could potentially serve as a nice concealed carry revolver today.
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Or add a Tyler or BK grip adapter.
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