...just that they tend to be very accurate and have very sensitive personalities...need to be held, fondled, carried, and manipulated regularly...and, of course, shot often...seriously, you've gotten ahold of a fine revolver that can last for generations...may I recommend Pachmayr Compac grips for a good shooting hold and easy concealment and hope you enjoy it...

Everything but the fondling part sounds good to me!

...you'll learn...

its a fine handgun...........your weapon (strickly guessing) probably was carried much and seldom shot.

many "k" frame grip options are available as well as holsters. Parts available from various vendors if needed.

Fixed sights but smith usually has them regulated well.........best sight regulation in my experience has been with 158 gr bullet weights.....which i also personally believe the 158 +p SWCHP to be a great defensive load.

I actually read somewhere in the last couple of days that 158gr. is the preferred round for the Model 64s, so you're probably onto something there.

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/H...%20Special.htm

Ok, I pulled the trigger (pun intended) and bought the Model 64. With shipping and the transfer fee, it looks like it's going to come in right at $250. I'll update with pics when it arrives.

It probably won't win any beauty contests, but I picked up the 64 late yesterday evening and I'm happy with my purchase. It's a 64-6 with a serial number that begins with CEA. I'm not an expert, but I believe that means it is a 2000 model. It is pre-lock. The rifling looks like it still has many thousands of rounds to go before it's done. The grips are Uncle Mike's and while I don't really have anything against them, the bottom back portion of them are slightly damaged... either this guy pistol whipped a lot or he had a cat that was teething. Either way, I think I'm going to order some rounded bottom grips anyway. When all is said and done, I think it was a fine purchase for just under $250 total.

Here are a few pictures... pre-cleaning.

looks like a winner.......

as far as the grips being dinged or worn, that is common. in duty holsters, the gun is "out there" exposed and not covered by clothing. the butt of the gun frequently gets wear if you bump up against items you normally don't think about day-to-day.
door post of a vehicle, seat belt, going thru door ways, etc. etc.

over the course of years, it adds up.

Then depending on who, what when where how why, the daily storage in gun lockers, shift changes, etc.

I am of aware of a prison facility for example where the handguns change hands every 8 hours as a new shift comes on......so the gun gets three times the carry.......but still rarely shot.

I'm looking at holsters and grips now. Since the gun will most likely spend most of its life in the center console of my vehicle, I don't want to plop down $75+ on a nice leather holster. I figure a nylon holster will suffice. I've found two by Uncle Mike's that I'm interested in, but I was wondering if there are any pros and cons to these two specific models. If anyone has any opinions of these, please feel free to share them here. Here are the links:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tnumber=372972

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tnumber=110233


As I mentioned above, I'm also looking for some new grips. I really like the texture of the grips that are currently on the gun, but I don't care for the looks of the squared bottom or the little extra chunk that comes along with it. Luckily, Uncle Mike's also makes this grip with a rounded bottom, so I'm fairly certain it is the one I want. I was previously thinking about nice wood grips, but I've since decided against them for the same reason I don't want a leather holster.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...roductId=13003

if you are not going to wear the holster and need the thumb break, i perfer the first style UM holster you listed as it is more secure.

the 2nd style holster you listed relys on velcro to position the snap which i don't care for.

as far as grips, check out the hogue rubber grips......functional and good feel to them.

for square or round butt http://www.hoguestore.com/index.php?...ex&cPath=22_36

Well, I ordered the grips this morning. I'm really sold on the Uncle Mike's grips that I posted earlier. The gun currently has Uncle Mike's grips on it and the only thing I don't like about them is the square butt, so the problem is solved with the round butt grips that I ordered.

As for the holster, I almost ordered the first one I posted this morning too, but with shipping and all, it was going to be almost $25. I knew I was going to be near the local Gander Mountain today anyway, so I decided to wait and I'm glad I did. I picked it up for less than $21 out the door and I didn't have to wait on shipping. I do have two minor complaints about it though. 1 - The trigger guard is not fully covered. If the gun didn't have such a heavy trigger pull, I would return it in favor of something that covered it, but it would be very hard to accidentally discharge the weapon with the heavy trigger pull and the face that the bobbed hammer is completely covered by the strapt. 2 - The strap is way too long. After adjusting it to securely hold the gun in its place, I have 4-5" of extra strap that just gets in the way of the snap. This will be easily remedied with a pair of scissors, but what can I do to keep the nylon from fraying once I cut it? Burn the end?

after you cut the strap, take a bic lighter to it and SLOWLY/CAREFULLY melt the fresh cut edge. That will take care of it.

I trimmed the strap of the holster with much success. It looks great now.

As for the grips, I got them in today, but someone in the shipping department made a boo boo and sent me the wrong ones. They actually sent the same grips that I already have. The bag that they came in clearly had the correct part number for the grips that I ordered, but the grips themselves were different. I sent them back out and am now anxiously awaiting the arrival the correct grips again.

Fast-forward to today and I still haven't received the correct replacement grips. I just gave S&W a call, and they said it usually takes 3 weeks to process returns. It only took them 4 days from the date I placed the order to get the incorrect grips to my door. Why does it take 3 weeks to get the correct ones to me? Blah!

I finally received the replacement grips and decided to take a few pictures.

On a side note, is there any thing I can use to give the stainless some shine? It has a lot of fine scratches throughout. They don't necessarily bother me, but if I can make them look better at a relatively low price, then I'm all for it, lol. I've read about people using 3M Scotchbrite pads, Flitz, etc., but would really like to hear some first hand stories and maybe see some before and after pictures. I've yet to see any of those.










From left to right: .22LR, .38 Special, and 7.62 Nagant