Was wandering around the last show and stumbled across a somewhat unusual 82.  Three inch barrel and a lanyard ring on the oversize rubber grips.  CIA import from 2016, production 2002 I think.  My first thought was foreign cop gun of some sort.  Got it home and started studying it in more detail.   It has German proof marks.  This had has me a bit baffled.  No LE in Germany uses revolvers.  Three inch with lanyard ring would be an odd configuration for the civilian market.  French proof marks I could understand; French LE do use wheel guns to some extent.

Aside from a minimal amount of holster wear the finish is excellent.  The grips do show more wear than the metal.  

I am an absolute sucker for three inch barreled revolvers and even more so for guns with lanyard rings.  Put the two together and it's like crack to me.  I've only got $300 tied up in it so it's kind of a no harm no foul deal.  

Any thoughts/ideas?

...and not a single picture!!

Posting pictures on this site is a pain in the ass.  Smith & Wesson Forum is much easier.

Maybe used in the German prison system? You could take a pic with your phone and use the upload feature near the post button, very easy.

Maybe private security?

That's my best guess at the moment.

Back in 2018 I went on a cruise and Marseilles, France was one of the day stops.  We went to a few places and one of the things I noticed was the security guards carried revolvers.  I saw Mahnurin, Ruger Security/service 6, Taurus, Rossi , and S&W.  All had weird looking grips.  The French have to be unique I guess.  All .38 special.  I always try to strike up conversations with LE overseas.

The French use a lot of revolvers, somewhat unique for Europe.  I've got a Ruger SP-101 that came from the French Railway Police.  The grips were probably Trausch. French outfit, basically a one man show kind of like Tyler T-grips.  I don't think they're made any more.  They're great grips but hard to find in the states.  They never had an importer.

Did you get the PM I sent you?

Yes I did. Thanks.   I rarely check the messenger feature.

So it posting photos on this board.  Smith and Wesson Forum is so much easier.

Right-click the photo and copy the image address then paste it in the little window frame like you would for a youtube or twitter link.