Help on a SA Smith M64-5

[Kirk Freeman]

I am able to resist anything but temptation and today, leaving the office early, I stumbled across a deal on a single action Smith & Wesson 64-5 (trigger cocking only) revolver. The serial number reads 1993 and it is not marked "NY".

Anyone to find out if this was a law enforcement original sale pistol? Contact Smith & Wesson?

Just curious. TIA.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

No one? None of my fellow Smith fans have any insight on this?

 

[geronimojoe85]

Do you mean double action only?

I know NYPD bought a ton of smith 64s and had them modified for DAO because its safer that way.

Solid guns none the less
I've never heard of one that was single action only, but then again I've seen stranger incarnations of S&W revolvers.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Do you mean double action only?

Yes, double action only is single action.

I know that some use "double action" to refer to trigger cocking only but I use double and single action according to Dr. Ezell.

Sorry about any confusion, but, yes, trigger cocking only.

Solid gun, I got it for a song. Any deal on a pre-lock Smith is a great deal. It will live it's life in my range bag once it gets back from the gun doctors Tennessee.

 

[Colt556]

This may help.

Collection Online - NYCPD - S&W Model 64 NY-1 RB 2 inch

 

[geronimojoe85]

Let me know of you stumble upon another one, it'd be worth the drive to Lafayette to pick one up.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Let me know of you stumble upon another one, it'd be worth the drive to Lafayette to pick one up.

You know I love you, but if I stumble upon another deal like this, I am buying it myself.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

This may help

Yeah, this is definitely not a NYPD gun. No serial number in 3 places.

 

[BE Mike]

Smith and Wesson define a revolver that is only capable of double-action fire as "double-action only". That is good enough for me.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Ok, fair enough, we shall go with *shudder* "double action only* (pssst, that means single action).

Well, the revolver and some of its fellows from the 2012 recruit class are off to Tennessee. I shall post photos when it comes back all spic and span from the gun groomer.

 

[jgreiner]

I am able to resist anything but temptation and today, leaving the office early, I stumbled across a deal on a single action Smith & Wesson 64-5 (trigger cocking only) revolver. The serial number reads 1993 and it is not marked "NY".

Anyone to find out if this was a law enforcement original sale pistol? Contact Smith & Wesson?

Just curious. TIA.

Can't tell you much about it.......but S&W is very good about telling you about your gun, just call them with the serial number. I did that with my MP. Also with my dad's S&W 66 no dash.

 

[indiucky]

I am able to resist anything but temptation and today, leaving the office early, I stumbled across a deal on a single action Smith & Wesson 64-5 (trigger cocking only) revolver. The serial number reads 1993 and it is not marked "NY".

Anyone to find out if this was a law enforcement original sale pistol? Contact Smith & Wesson?

Just curious. TIA.

Kirk,

A letter to Roy Jenks is the only way to confirm. It can still be a NY Smith even without the NY prefix but a letter is the only way to know. It sounds like a very nice piece.

 

[686 Shooter]

When you manually cock the hammer on a revolver the trigger has one single function, release the hammer. When the trigger is pulled on a double action it both cocks the hammer and releases the hammer, therefore it performs two functions and is considered a "double action". With that being said, there are some good deals to be found on model 64's, most people will overlook the model 64 because they are .38 special only and they would rather have a gun capable of .38 special and .357 magnum.
Good find on the model 64, it's one of those guns that would make a great training tool for a new shooter or an additional gun to add to the collection.

 

[HoughMade]

Single-Action or Double Action only.....I guess it depends on whose perspective. The shooter's or the gun's. From the shooter's perspective, HE is performing a single action- pulling the trigger. From the gun's perspective (possibly the first time I've bought into the left's idea that a gun has a perspective), the single act of pulling the trigger is performing 2 tasks- double action.

....in any event, looks like we all know what gun we're talking about.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

When you manually cock the hammer on a revolver the trigger has one single function, release the hammer. When the trigger is pulled on a double action it both cocks the hammer and releases the hammer, therefore it performs two functions and is considered a "double action".

Thank you for restating the modern notion of double action. I concede that this is the majority definition in practice now.

I stick to the original definition and what I was taught by the late Dr. Edward Ezell, the most knowledgable man regarding firearms that I have ever met who wrote that single/double action was defined by the number of ways the pistol can be fired.. Dr. Ezell was born and raised in Indianapolis (an important INGO fact--INGO, know your Hoosier gun culture, it is very broad).

Edward Ezell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It can still be a NY Smith even without the NY prefix but a letter is the only way to know. It sounds like a very nice piece.

Really? Even without the third serial number on the side of the frame?

Hmmm, maybe worth a letter just to be sure. Are they still like $75?

It is a very nice piece especially for the money paid. Used revolvers are very utilitarian purchases.

 

[686 Shooter]

Thank you for restating the modern notion of double action. I concede that this is the majority definition in practice now.

I stick to the original definition and what I was taught by the late Dr. Edward Ezell, the most knowledgable man regarding firearms that I have ever met who wrote that single/double action was defined by the number of ways the pistol can be fired.. Dr. Ezell was born and raised in Indianapolis (an important INGO fact--INGO, know your Hoosier gun culture, it is very broad).

Edward Ezell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not wanting to debate the issue, but I am curious why Dr. Ezell would have considered your gun to be a "single action"?

 

[BurninBrass]

Not wanting to debate the issue, but I am curious why Dr. Ezell would have considered your gun to be a "single action"?

This train of thought is also new to me. But the way I interpret it, if there is only 1 way to fire your revolver then it is single action. If there are two options when firing (pull triger OR cock hammer then pull trigger), then it is double action. Single action (in this case) is being used instead of the more widely accepted DAO, or double action only, because of it's single way of firing the revolver.

 

[BE Mike]

This train of thought is also new to me. But the way I interpret it, if there is only 1 way to fire your revolver then it is single action. If there are two options when firing (pull triger OR cock hammer then pull trigger), then it is double action. Single action (in this case) is being used instead of the more widely accepted DAO, or double action only, because of it's single way of firing the revolver.

I think that you are confusing action and function. The action is double action. The function is single (DAO). As I said previously, I defer to S&W for the definition. They did manufacture the handgun after all.

 

[BurninBrass]

I think that you are confusing action and function. The action is double action. The function is single (DAO). As I said previously, I defer to S&W for the definition. They did manufacture the handgun after all.

Not confused as I 100% agree with you. The model in question in the original post (to me) is a Double Action Only revolver. I was simply answering another post as to why Dr. Ezell would consider this to be a Single Action.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Not wanting to debate the issue, but I am curious why Dr. Ezell would have considered your gun to be a "single action"?

As Dr. Ezell defined it:

Single action: one is able to fire the pistol one way.

Double action: one is able to fire the pistol two ways.

I will get the pinpoint citation when I return home after yoga.