{"id":5303,"date":"2021-11-17T03:17:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T03:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/?p=5303"},"modified":"2021-02-06T03:19:23","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T03:19:23","slug":"smith-wesson-model-13-revolver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/it\/smith-wesson-model-13-revolver\/","title":{"rendered":"Smith &#038; Wesson Model 13 Revolver"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/it\/smith-wesson-model-13-revolver\/#Smith_Wesson_Model_13_Revolver\" >Smith &amp; Wesson Model 13 Revolver<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/it\/smith-wesson-model-13-revolver\/#The_Smith_Wesson_Model_13_revolver_was_a_combat_classic_back_in_the_day\" >The Smith &amp; Wesson Model 13 revolver was a combat classic back in the day.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Smith_Wesson_Model_13_Revolver\"><\/span>Smith &amp; Wesson Model 13 Revolver<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Smith_Wesson_Model_13_revolver_was_a_combat_classic_back_in_the_day\"><\/span>The Smith &amp; Wesson Model 13 revolver was a combat classic back in the day.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"MainContent_hero_photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/content.osgnetworks.tv\/handgunsmag\/content\/photos\/SW-Model-13-Revolver-770.jpg\" alt=\"Smith &amp; Wesson Model 13 Revolver\" title=\"Smith &amp; Wesson Model 13 Revolver\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>July 31, 2020By Payton Miller<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith &amp; Wesson\u2019s hugely successful Military &amp; Police service revolver morphed into the Model 10 in 1957\u2014when the company began numbering its models. It\u2019s since served as the launching pad for a head-spinning array of handguns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Barrel lengths\/configurations, calibers, sight types and finishes may change, but the basic template has always been a medium-frame revolver featuring either a round or square butt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The .357 Magnum made its medium-frame, mid-1950s debut in the Model 19\u2014a beautiful, adjustable-sighted revolver envisioned by its champion, Bill Jordan, as the ultimate law-enforcement tool. In 1974, however, a down-and-dirty, fixed-sight, heavy-barreled .357 variation on the Model 10 theme appeared: the Model 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Originally a square-butt four-inch gun, it was followed later by a three-inch round-butt version that has the distinction of being the last FBI-issue revolver before the Great Semiauto Takeover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oddly enough, the Model 13\u2019s stainless twin, the Model 65, actually preceded it by a couple of years, and the first Smith I ever owned was a Model 65. I liked it, but I was less than enchanted with the fact it was stainless steel, a bit of retro snobbery that sparked a long, long search for a Model 13. Apparently, I had some competing soulmates in the carbon steel\/blued department because it took me quite a spell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I found it, there was one kicker. It had a square butt. I knew enough about the Model 13 to know that the cataloged three-inch guns of FBI fame all had round butts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/content.osgnetworks.tv\/handgunsmag\/content\/photos\/SW-Model-13-Revolver-1.jpg\" alt=\"SW-Model-13-Revolver\"\/><figcaption>Miller\u2019s three-inch Model 13 sports a bobbed hammer and service-type stocks. It was, he said, \u201ccarried a lot and shot a little.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, a bit of consultation with gun writer Massad Ayoob provided the answer. Seems Smith &amp; Wesson made a limited run of square-butt three-inch guns for an Australian agency\u2014some of which managed to filter back here to the States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fact that it was a three-inch made it instantly more desirable. I\u2019m a sucker for three-inch Smiths in either J- or K-frame configuration. Many hot hours slaving over a chronograph have shown me the velocity increase from a two- to a three-inch barrel is considerably more significant than that between a three- and four-inch barrel\u2014particularly with +P .38s in the 125- to 158-grain weight range. With .357s? I don\u2019t much care. My days of shooting high-test magnums out of anything smaller than a Marlin lever action are pretty much done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And there\u2019s one more argument for a three-inch gun over the classic three-inch snubbie: The added stretch of sight radius makes the sight picture much more forgiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The sights are fixed and pretty much bulletproof, so a bit of fooling around with different loads is required in order to find a reasonable compromise between point of aim with point of impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My used Model 13 was one of those \u201ccarried a lot, shot a little\u201d specimens that make it possible for Smith &amp; Wesson nuts to own more long-out-of-production classics than they could otherwise afford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mine was far from pristine, but I didn\u2019t care. It had a couple of desirable old-school features as far as I was concerned\u2014namely a blued finish, a pinned barrel (Smith &amp; Wesson began crush-fitting its barrels in the early 1980s) and that square butt. It also had a factory bobbed hammer that appealed to me, as it would force me to work on double-action shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I chose 20 feet as the yardage to check the zero on those low-profile fixed sights. Since I\u2019d installed a lighter trigger return spring\u2014a Wolff spring I bought from Brownells\u2014the double-action pull weight on my Model 13 was just a hair over six pounds and smooth as butter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/content.osgnetworks.tv\/handgunsmag\/content\/photos\/SW-Model-13-Revolver-2.jpg\" alt=\"SW-Model-13-Revolver\"\/><figcaption>Twenty-yard groups with 158-grain lead semi-wadcatter (c. cartridge) were solid.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I decided to stick with two loads that would be period-appropriate selections from the Model 13\u2019s heyday. Back in the mid-1970s, during the final law enforcement pre-9mm hurrah for the .38 Special, there were two preeminent loads for those who didn\u2019t like .357s. One was the so-called \u201cTreasury load,\u201d a 110-grain jacketed hollowpoint; the other was the \u201cFBI load,\u201d a +P 158-grain lead semi-wadcutter hollowpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My Aussie Model 13 preferred the FBI load from Buffalo Bore over some vintage Super Vel 110-grain jacketed hollowpoints\u2014marked \u201cPolice Only.\u201d This was fine by me. I\u2019ve always thought a 125-grain minimum was preferable for any .38\/.357.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What was also gratifying was the fact it shot generic 130-grain full-metal-jacket ammo at about the same point of impact as most 125-grain +P jacketed hollowpoints. Unfortunately, it didn\u2019t shoot my handloaded 148-grain wadcutters worth a whoop. But that\u2019s a small price to pay for such a handy, packable chunk of a vintage service revolver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My gun was manufactured in 1979\u2014which, at my age, doesn\u2019t seem all that vintage. The Model 13 was discontinued in 1998, but it\u2019s still worth looking for.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Smith &amp; Wesson Model 13 Revolver The Smith &amp; Wesson Model 13 revolver was a combat classic back in the day. July 31, 2020By Payton Miller Smith &amp; Wesson\u2019s hugely successful Military &amp; Police service revolver morphed into the Model 10 in 1957\u2014when the company began numbering its models. It\u2019s since served as the launching [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5303\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primegunseurope.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}