The Three Inch Wheelgun

It is rare that I find myself coveting another man's gun. The three inch Smith & Wesson revolver is one such handgun though. I have yet to find a used one, pinned and recessed, in the wild.

Marko, who owns the blued wheelgun pictured here has written extensively about the three inch S&W revolver. The three inch barrel is the perfect compromise between a revolver short enough for concealment, yet still possessing an ejector rod long enough for full ejection of the empty cartridges. The heavy barrel makes up for the weight differential between the same revolver with a four inch tapered barrel.


Perhaps I am being too persnickety in my search. A couple of years ago, I purchased a Smith & Wesson Model 65-5 Ladysmith for three hundred bucks. I shot it a bit, and ended up selling it to Peter to pass on to one of his students. It was a lucky find, in great condition, but the lack of a pinned barrel, the stainless steel, MIM action and the Ladysmith inscription turned me off. That was a mistake. I'm glad the student got a great gun at a fair price, but I sometimes wish I had kept that one. I have not seen another three inch Smith & Wesson revolver since.

I suppose there is a reason for that....... People who own three inch revolvers know shooting. They seem to be people who have settled on the wheelgun whether for reliability, simplicity or both. They then set about finding the best compromise between concealability and the potential problems inherent in using a wheelgun for self defense, such as a reload slowed by partially ejected brass. Through the process of elimination, they arrive at the three inch revolver, and when they find one, they buy it and keep it for life.