The 3" DA Revolver

[david s]

RicinYakima and Petrol & Powder I don't disagree with either of you. My point is simply that if your carrying a hand gun you've already compromised. The individuals subjective choice between gun size, caliber, level of carry convenience, how to carry, and all the other variables will be made by the individual to their level of how comfortable they are with that compromise. Regarding sights my 696 is an adjustable sighted hand gun. If you look at the photo you'll notice the rear sight is cranked down as far as it will go. The front sight is a S&W .296 serrated ramp that's been filed to the point of impact at 25 yards. If this gun was a fixed sight handgun it wouldn't bother me at all. It is however an adjustable sighted gun though pains have been taken to make the fairly delicate rear sight as sturdy as possible.

 

[CZ93X62]

It was not my intent to cause upset by listing my preferences and tastes in sighting gear used on sideiron carried in harm's way. It is just One Guy's perspective, and there are a number of very savvy and deeply-experienced gun hands on this site. It ain't The Gospels, by any means. It is just how I have done business for 43 years of discreetly-armed life in Kalifornistan.

 

[Walks]

I haven't carried a handgun since I busted my back 20yrs ago. It's hard enough to walk without 2+lbs of steel hanging off me somewhere. Use a shoulder rig when I do that rare walk off the concrete.

The S&W k-frame 2 1/2" ?
After beating a M65-3" half to death in only a few years it wasn't a hard choice to pick between a M19 2 1/2" and Ruger Service-Six 3" . And the S&W was 40bucks cheaper.

I do recall a Loong time ago one of My Dad's shooting buddies brought a S&W M34 - 2" bbl out to a shooting weekend.
Everyone tried it, Nobody could hit anything past 20ft with it. So I have a low opinion of 2" short bbl'd revolvers with adj sights.

It amazes me the difference between a 3"bbl w/adj sights and a 2" bbl w/adj sights.
Have a Friend with a S&W Airlite 3" , I can sure shoot that with little trouble.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

David S - that's an excellent modification to the sights on that 696.

And a nice gun overall !

 

[Outpost75]

Ever seen one of these?

"D" FRAME​

The Colt Courier was an aluminum "D" framed revolver similar to the Colt Cobra.

The Courier was available with a 3 inch barrel and a blue finish with bright blue-black anodizing on the aluminum frame and parts.

Calibers were .22LR, and .32 Colt New Police (.32 S&W).

Some of the .32 caliber versions were made with aluminum cylinders.


There were only 3,053 Couriers made from 1953 to 1956. Mine was made in 1954. It still has its original aluminium cylinder. I bought it at auction for a "shooter's" rather than a collector's price, because of its exterior finish wear and "dings." It appears to have been carried as a backup by a cop who probably shot it very little and apparently only with mild factory loads, as it remains tight with a bright bore and crisp action. I ordered a steel cylinder from Numrich which will be fitted before I actually shoot the thing. Even in its holster worn condition shown, it is worth too much to "get stupid" with. I've requested a factory letter for it. Just the thing to carry on my country walks for defense against Monty Python's and Jimmy Carter's killer rabid attack rabbits.

 

[david s]

Were the Couriers made for the Air Force as downed pilots gun or were those in 38 special?

 

[Walks]

I thought the AF guns were S&W K-frames ?

 

[Outpost75]

COLT U.S. AIRCREWMAN
"D" FRAME​

In the early 1950's General Curtis Lemay was building the Strategic Air Command (SAC) to deliver atomic weapons in case of war with the Soviet Union. Lemay wanted a compact, lightweight .38 Special revolver to arm the crewmen who manned the big bombers. SAC asked both S&W and Colt to develop small revolvers with aluminum frames and cylinders to lighten the revolver as much as possible. It's believed that a major reason for developing light weight pistols was because a heavy pistol became very dangerous during ejection from a bomber. As ejection seats became more sophisticated and reliable, the need for special pistols ended.

Colt based their revolver on the Colt aluminum "D" frame, essentially the Colt Cobra revolver fitted with an aluminum cylinder. The barrel was 2 inches, and the finish was blued steel and blue-black anodized aluminum parts. Weight was 11 ounces. The grips were unique to the Aircrewman and overlapped the frame above the grip frame similar to the S&W "Magna" type grips as used on most S&W revolvers. The silver medallions were U.S. Air Force emblems.

Colt manufactured approximately 1,189 Aircrewman models in 1951 and possibly 1952. Colt factory serial numbers ranged from 2,901LW to about 7,775LW. The revolvers had "Property of U.S. Air Force" stamped on the back strap, and an Air Force issue number on the butt. Issue numbers ran from AF No.1 through AF No.1189

It was discovered that the aluminum cylinders made by both S&W and Colt didn't stand up well to some .38 Special loads, so all revolvers were ordered to be destroyed. It's believed that less than 25 Colt Aircrewman revolvers survived destruction, most probably kept by senior officers.
Due to the extreme rarity, Colt Aircrewman revolvers have been counterfeited. Source: http://www.coltfever.com/Aircrewman.html

 

[Ben]

I always love to read your post ! !

 

[david s]

Thank you for the enlightenment. I can't remember where I originally read about the Air Force requesting light weight revolvers.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Several years ago at a gun show I saw a 2" Model 12 with an aluminum cylinder. I know the history of that model and know that most of the aluminum cylinder models had been destroyed. I was suspicious that it was a fake. The asking price was out of my range by a couple of numbers left of the decimal, so it didn't really matter if it was authentic or not.
When dealing with rare guns (or art, or coins, or cars, or anything) one must be educated in order to make an informed purchasing decision.
If I was seriously in the market for something like a rare revolver, I would want an advisor like Outpost75 on my team.

 

[Outpost75]

The factory lettered S&W lightweight M&P, pre-Model 12 pictured above can be examined at C.S. Arms in Upperville, VA.
http://www.csarms.com/scripts/csa_view2.asp?ID=8825 If anyone is interested give Cliff a call. Not a USAF aircrew version, but a civilian sale, so noted in the S&W factory letter. Gun has great mechanics, crisp action but is holster worn. Carried alot, but seldom shot.

I have two 12-2s in both 2" and 4", and they are my favorite everyday carries. The 4-incher came back from West Germany before the Berlin wall came down. Local contracted security was hired for GSA-leased buildings. The standard contract language, which was the same as used stateside, required .38 Special revolvers be used, and my four-incher which dates from 1972 is a later example of one of those.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I have three Model 12 revolvers, one RB, one SB and a RB that is a paperweight due to a cracked frame.

 

[Outpost75]

Thirty or so years ago S&W made a version of there J frame with it's concealed hammer in 9mm. I wanted one then and still do.

The Model 940 stainless Centennial. I have one.

I have three Model 12 revolvers, one RB, one SB and a RB that is a paperweight due to a cracked frame.

Any idea of the ammo history? My experience has been that if firing ordinary, standard-pressure .38 Special there are no issues. But I was told by a former DEA Quantico instructor that they didn't allow agents to carry airweights, even as backup, because they wouldn't stay together for one tactical revolver course firing their issue +P+ Q4070 load.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

The gun looked to be un-fired when I obtained it. It is a 12-3. I put 12 rounds of standard pressure 38 Special through it and the frame cracked right under the barrel. The loads were mild, 158 gr SWC sized to .357" or .358".
I assumed it was a defect that went undiscovered because despite the age of the gun - it was still a new gun.

 

[CZ93X62]

Yeah, that Q4070 ammo was warmish for sure. If I had a quantity of Q4070 on hand, one of the J-frame 357s might be just the ticket for making use of that stuff.

P&P--sorry to read about your Model 12-3 developing that fault so early in its service life. Your explanation of causation makes empirical sense.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

You pay your dollar and you take your chance.

I can't fault the seller, the gun was new old stock as near as I could tell. I examined it before I shot it and it appeared perfect. I contacted S&W but they were unwilling to replace it. I cannot blame them either; it was made long before their current warrantee was put in place.
I keep it for spare parts but it is a paperweight at this point.
My other model 12 revolvers are fine and are shot from time to time without issue.

 

[CZ93X62]

I'm sure that aluminum alloys have come a long way since the time your Model 12-3 was made. Aluminum gun parts have never given me warm, fuzzy feelings anyway. My most recent addition to The Herd is my Model 642 in 38 Special +P. I have run about 100 +P loads through it with 125 grain JHPs, and about 500 standard pressure loads using either Lyman #358477 or #358429. No balkiness, no extraction issues, it has behaved itself completely. We shall see how it holds up. All good so far.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

The aluminum alloy J-frames are a lot tougher than most people give them credit for.
As for that one Model 12-3 K-frame that cracked, I don't think the alloy used to make the frame was the problem. Aluminum alloy frames have been used by S&W and Colt since the 1950's and that includes revolvers and pistols. While aluminum alloys are not as strong as steel, that doesn't mean they are too weak to work.
My best explanation (guess) is the crack on my 12-3 was already forming but not visible on the outside. Perhaps the barrel had been over-tightened ? After the first few rounds the crack expanded and reached the outside of the frame where it became visible.

While frames made of aluminum alloy are not as strong as steel, I think they are serviceable under the right conditions.

 

[Outpost75]

Looking at your crack photo I would agree barrel was overtorqued and the resulting hoop stress was a contributing factor in probable stress corrosion cracking through the thin section. Stresses sufficient for crack initiation and crack growth can be far below the stresses required for gross yielding.

Here is another example on a more recently manufactured S&W revolver: