Smith & Wesson Model 64

Smith & Wesson's Model 64 revolvers are available in two versions. The .38 with a 3' barrel costs $612 and the .38 with a 4' costs $583. Both were introduced in 1899 (a version with a 2' barrel was also launched sometime thereabouts). Along with them, Smith $ Wesson introduced - for the very first time - the redoubtable .38 round, which became the most highly used ammunition in the world. It is a rimmed, center-fire round that finds its highest use in revolvers to the present day. It became the preferred service round for most of America's law enforcement departments and ruled the roost from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Both calibers of the S&W Model 64 revolver chamber six rounds and come in satin stainless steel finishes. The S&W Model 64 revolver is approximately 8.5' in length, weighs around 36 ounces when in an unloaded condition and features a .312' smooth combat trigger. The front sights consist of a serrated ramp and the rear sight of a fixed notch. The sights are not adjustable for windage or elevation.

The S&W Model 64 Revolver is a stainless steel version of the far more popular six-shot Model 10, which was a preferred police handgun. It is highly reliable and is often said to be one of the last of the true-blue quality Smith & Wesson revolvers. Spent cartridges are easily ejected, unlike in S&W's more compact models in later years. It has very reasonable recoil and is extremely accurate at up to seven yards. Those who are not used to firing revolvers usually find the S&W Model 64 revolver an ideal handgun to practice with. Though it is not generally considered suitable for use by women, it now comes with specially contoured rubberized grips that make it more effective and comfortable in female hands.

The first Model 65, which chambered .357 Magnum ammunition, used the Model 64 as a prototype. It saw some moments of media glory when Ed McGivern set a shooting record with it in 1932- he fired five shots from the S&W Model 64 on target in .45 of a second. The time measurement device was crude and the readings far from reliable, but the record was apparently broken by Jerry Miculek - a speed shooter and competition shooting instructor who is reputed to be the fastest revolver shooter on the planet. He replicated McGivern's feat in .57 seconds, grouping the bullets in a group the size of a playing card.

The S&W Model 64 revolver has a rather illustrious heritage. It comes from a long line of innovative handguns introduced by Smith & Wesson. The company is known to be among leading experts in revolver and ammunition technology. It has given the world some of the most reliable and effective revolvers it has ever seen. For instance, the Model 10 was the first .38 Special.

Among the other noteworthy examples are the Model 3, which was the first automatic ejection of used ammunition and the Model 19, which was the first low weight .357 Magnum. The Model 1917 was the world's first revolver adaptable to .45 ACP pistol ammunition and the Model 340PD was the first revolver to be crafted in Scandium alloy. The latter was definitely another breakthrough in handgun technology, since Scandium alloy is extremely lightweight. It is commonly believed that the Model 340PD used the famous J-frame Chief's Special, which was introduced over half a century before, as its prototype.

The S&W Model 64 Revolver may be more of a collector's curio than a mainstream handgun today, but it has definitely stood the test of time and retains its place among the world's most enduring, robust and efficient handguns. If that does not constitute history, what does?