65 Ladysmith - She's a MAN!!!

[mattz357]

My love of 3" S&W .357s is no secret, and after I found my 3" 65-5 a couple of months ago, I knew I had to have a 65LS to match. I stumbled upon this one, another -5, days after I had sold my SIG and I knew it was meant to be. It looks like it has only had a few boxes of shells through it, and locks up like a vault.

Now comes the interesting part. Although I knew I wanted a 65LS, I also knew I didn't want it to say "Ladysmith." It wasn't the word itself that bothered me, I just don't like laser engraving anywhere on my guns. The other part is that I'm not a huge fan of the bead blasted finish. It looks great new, but I'm very particular about finish, and marks show very easily. Using the advice of a fellow forum member (thanks Roger!), I was able to de-bead blast the finish, and remove the laser logo in the process. Now this Lady(smith) is a MAN(smith)!!!

Here are the before and after pictures:

 

[Hellbore]

Hey, don't you know only ladies are allowed to shoot that gun?

Actually, think of it this way... If a gunsmith is someone who works on the tidbits of your gun... Wouldn't a ladysmith be... uh... OBGYN maybe?

 

[Standing Wolf]

...I was able to de-bead blast the finish...

Tell us how, eh?

 

[Voodoo]

What is the difference between a 3" 65 and a 65LS?

 

[HighVelocity]

Don't the ones marked ladysmith generally sell for more money?

 

[mattz357]

The difference between a 3" 65 and a 3" 65LS is that the LS has a shrouded extractor rod. Other than that, some of the LS models had factory trigger work, and normally they are bead blasted and have slim wood grips.

I started off with a lead free cloth and wiped down the whole gun, which knocked the edge off the bead blast. After that, I went over the whole thing with an old dish towel and Mother's Mag Polish. To get the entire logo off, I used three grades of Scotch Brite pads. I started with maroon, then stepped down to dark gray, and then white. I went back over the sideplate area with Mother's again to remove any leftover Scotch Brite scratches, and that was it. It took about two hours, and I did it while watching tv. Not really labor intensive or anything. The next step is a spring kit and lots of dry firing.

 

[mbs357]

I believe the Lady Smiths have smaller grips, or grips designed for smaller hands.

 

[mattz357]

Yes, they usually sell for more. While I take VERY good care of my guns, this is not a collector piece. I would rather have it set up the way I want it, and since I won't be selling it any time soon (hopefully ever), it doesn't matter all that much what it's worth to someone else.

 

[Standing Wolf]

mattz357:

Thanks, eh? 'Tis appreciated.

 

[MrTuffPaws]

So, do you carry that when you dress in drag?


So sorry, I just had too. I'm sorry.

 

[Stainz]

What did you do with those nice wood stocks? The 65LS was interesting to me for the neat, albeit small, stocks. Of course, it is basically a CC firearm, so they were quite functional. Sadly, the last new 65LS I saw on a dealer's shelf was over $500 new.

I 'made' a 65LS a little over a year ago. I had bought a beat up externally/new internally 88-vintage PR PD trade-in for ~$220 delivered - and fitted a set of re-profiled/refinished Hogue goncalo alves wood monogrips. What a nice piece! Of course, the horrific scratches, dents, & dings were softened with some rouge and a buffer, followed by some Flitz and elbow grease. The 3" 65 is a 'keeper' - and your 'man' Smith is a great idea. That is a revolver they shouldn't have dropped!

Stainz

 

[TarpleyG]

Are the trigger and hammer case hardened or are they using another method now? Or, were you able to get them cleaned up enough to look like that? Mine didn't polish up anywhere near that clean.

Also, does anyone know why you can't use a lead remover cloth on case hardened steel? Does it just remove the finish or does it react with the metal in some way?

Greg

 

[pax]

Nice job.

pax

 

[Penman]

"Are the trigger and hammer case hardened or are they using another method now? Or, were you able to get them cleaned up enough to look like that? Mine didn't polish up anywhere near that clean."

Greg,
My guess would be that the hammer and trigger are hard-chromed carbon steel. S&W went that route after they had some trouble with the stainless components in their revolvers someyears ago.

 

[Jim PHL]

I love my 3" M65. If I had my druthers I'd like the shrouded ejector (I wouldn't say I'm nervous about the unprotected ejector but I do think about it.). When I was looking I couldn't afford a new LS65 and couldn't find a used one. (The engraving wouldn't have bothered me.) I had already boiled down my decision to a 3" 65 or a 2-1/2" 66. Found both used at the same shop for the same price and chose the 65.
Yours looks great, nice job.

 

[mattz357]

Mine didn't have the wood grips. It had some rough looking Pachs that I'm not a big fan of, so the gun store let me swap them out for these. I don't really know the answer to the lead-free cloth question, but I wouldn't put one of those in the same room as anything but stainless. They are unbelievable!