Also: mine.

I have its twin and its cousin. Thats a 3" model 36, but is it the new production or an older one?

Those were produced when Jim Cirillo discovered that detectives scored about 40 percent higher qual scores when shooting a 3" gun than a 2" gun, and most found the 3" just as easy to carry in EDC holsters. Jim was the head of training for NYPD, and later went to the Customs Dept and set up weapons training for them.

I have a 36-6 which looks like a 3" 686 smaller, and I have a ex NYPD 3" which used to be my back up.

This is new production -- it's one of the Lew Horton limited editions. (Most of those are tarted -- err, have lots of special feature. This one's only special features are the 3" tube, the nickel plating, and the grips. It's apparently had a trigger job; it's significantly smoother than the usually pretty good out-of-the box S&W triggers.)

Very pretty

Is it OK to pet one's computer screen?

Probably better to arrange to be at BPR some time when I'm there and take it for a spin. (Sharing is something that I would have learned in kindergarten, if I'd gone to kindergarten.)

That's a good looking wheeley.

Very darn nice! I love a good wheel gun.

<- envy

Well, no arrangements were made, but I was lucky enough to run into you today while tagging along with Rothman's carry class. Folks, this gun is even nicer in person. I should have taken you up on your offer to fire it, but I'd already blasted up a cylinder-full of .44's out of your Redhawk and didn't want to push it. Fondling and dry-firing was good enough for me.

Joel, you're plenty good at sharing...thanks!

Easily handled, if that's the issue -- just buy me some more. (I go through a fair amount of ammo, what with the training and practicing; a few more rounds doesn't matter to me.) .38 and.44 Magnum is easy to come by; I tend to be a bit stingier when it comes to my .44 Special stuff, as Tom Castonguay loads it for me, and it takes a while to get more.

The .44 Magnum I had with me is a lot of fun; it's a highly-customized Redhawk (barrel cut down; Black-T; hammer bob) that I bought off a friend who used to carry it as his backup when he was working SWAT, and, in a weak moment, sold it to me.

(It's usually a bedside gun, although plblark has made an IWB holster for it that I'm eager to try out.)

I would have offered to let Rothman shoot it, but he was both busy with his class, and, well, he's shot my other .44 before, and this one kicks a trifle more. (He did take a spin with the new .38. Shoots even nicer than it looks, IMHO.)

Nice gun!

When I got my carry permit I was shooting a Ruger SP101 3" .38 +P. Traded it in for a S&W 642. I think another 3" is in my future...but I think it will be a .357.

For a guy who claims not to be a masochist, Joel does like big recoil on tiny, hard grips an awful lot.

The .38, in contrast, shot beautifully, and had pleasantly manageable recoil.