S&W Model 36

[scarymike23]

After getting one of the police trade in Model 10s the revolver bug bit hard and I started looking for something I could use for my CCW gun. A pawn & gun shop about an hour away had a Model 36 for $350. That seemed like a decent price compared to what they were going for on Gunbroker and Armslist (yeah, not the best indicator of price...) so I went and picked it up. If I recall correctly this is a mid-1970s vintage. The finish is a bit rough in spots and shows typical holster wear but mechanically it's flawless.  Apparently it was the back-up & off duty carry piece for a retired police officer on the local force. The gentleman is in his mid 90s now and has sold off some of his guns to this shop. I've got a spare hammer coming in that will get bobbed. Sorry for the crummy cellphone pics!





Here it is with it's bigger, younger, cousin:



Any thoughts on IWB carry holsters for this or any other helpful advice from experienced Model 36 owners would be welcome!

[Phosphorus32]

Classic!    Is it a .38? Barrel looks a bit under 2". I guess you would use the rear edge of the frame for orientation and the front sight and quite a bit of practice to get a feel for how to aim this snubby.

[running-man]

That's a neat one Mike.  How well does it fit in your particular hand?

Get us a range report when you take her out, I'm interested to see how accurate that thing is.  I doubt I could hit the broad side of a barn with it!  (though that isn't saying much, I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a sniper rifle with a massive scope either)

[Dannyboy53]

Nice wheel-gun scary, these are ideal for concealed carry. Light weight, small and plenty power in the Special cartridge. Iirc the barrel is, as Phosphorus says, just under 2 inches.

I never carried one Mike but several officers I worked with did, most of them used a pancake type holster worn on the back side of the hip. During cold weather they simply carried it in a jacket pocket, snagging the hammer was not an issue with them as the idea was to simply fire it from the pocket in an emergency! There is no time for wild west theatrics in a gun fight when seconds count and lives are on the line. I have heard of misfire issues when going to a "bobbed" hammer, something to consider. The springs do not compensate for the loss in hammer weight is the way it was explained to me.

They are surprisingly accurate for so short a barrel but of course it's primarily for close work. As with any handgun there is a blinding fireball at night. Practice closing your firing-side eye the instant before pulling the trigger at night to prevent the bright spot in your vision. Learn to fire and strike your target in a critical area out to about 20 feet without the sights. With practice this can be done easily if you are consistent in how you hold the pistol, "instinctive shooting" is surprisingly accurate and saves you critical time. Practice...practice...practice!

Nice revolver,  I think you are going to enjoy this one!

[scarymike23]

Thanks all! Yup, the barrel is 1 and 7/8ths inches. I'm starting to lay in a stock of Speer Gold Dot +P JHP ammo for carrying it.

RM, the thing feels amazingly natural in my hand. Better than my square butt model 10-8. Before I went and got it I was thinking about buying a t-grip but when I picked it up it fit great just as it is. The trigger is predictably heavy but very smooth. The sights are very minimalist but I'm used to shooting commie guns with primitive leaf sights so they actually look okay to me    It'll probably be a while before I get back out to the range but I'll update this thread with a report as soon as possible.

Thanks for the heads up on the potential hammer issue Dannyboy! I'll be sure to shoot it as-is for a while to get used to how the gun behaves before swapping the hammer.  Looking forward to practicing, practicing, and practicing with this one!