Picked up a hitchhiker on the way home today

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TwoNiner

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For some reason every time I go to the gun shop I pick up yet another hitch hiker! Never had a model 15 before:

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Would anyone mind dating this bum? The serial is #K9301XX.

I found it on the consignment rack and it appears to be in mint condition, aside from needing a good cleaning (there appears to be lead fouling in the barrel but the lands look good).

Also interesting to note is the very wide hammer and trigger. The trigger is actually wider than the trigger guard. I've never seen a revolver...do you guys know if this was a special edition, or perhaps modified by the previous owner?

Anyways I am looking forward to getting some range time on this 38 soon!
 
Target hammer and trigger could be ordered on the gun or obtained and added later.

Darn nice looking gun.

Enjoy it.
 
Given the target stocks a former owner added I'd guess the hammer and trigger were also added at some point. These came with standard H&T and while the wider versions could be ordered I suspect very, very few were so optioned.

A classic revolver in every sense. Probably a 15-3?

Here's my pre-model version posed with baby brother in 22 caliber.

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And a 15-3 like yours made a few years later in nickel wearing polished elk stag stocks.

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A Combat Masterpiece with target hammer and trigger. No more enjoyable handgun ever made for an afternoon of shooting in my opinion.
 
You called it SaxonPig, yes it is a 15-3.

The grips are are new to me...no S&W medallions or markings on them. Did S&W ever ship 15s with custom grips?
 
Those after market grips appear to be deluxe Herret's andd are indeed pretty. I'd try them before dumping them, they worked very well on the range.
 
TwoNiner

Great find and so nice of you to take in an itinerant traveller like that. About the grips: as soon as I saw your pics I was thinking maybe they were made by Fuzzy Farrant. Just Google his name and grips and see what you think. Congrats on a super sixgun.
 
Target hammer and trigger could be ordered on the gun or obtained and added later.

Darn nice looking gun.

Enjoy it.
Looking at those wonderful custom grips I do not share your opinion. I believe the gun came with target trigger and hammer spur. The only odd thing is short barrel length. Normally hombre like that would go for 6" or longer.
 
Smith & Wesson shipped a lot of model 15's with TH (Target Hammer) and TT (Target Trigger) as well as white-outlined rear sight and red insert front sight; as original equipment. Of course any of these items could be special ordered too.

Carefully remove the stocks and see if a maker's name isn't somewhere on the inside. They are without question a top-quality product.
 
The only way to know for sure, is to get it lettered by S&W. Cost is about $50.

PS - I have a 2" Model 15 that has a TT combo on it. Don't know if it came that way but it's a real pleasure to shoot.
 
You called it SaxonPig, yes it is a 15-3.

The grips are are new to me...no S&W medallions or markings on them. Did S&W ever ship 15s with custom grips?
No. Smith & Wesson was incapable of producing quality grips to equal ones on your gun.
 
Glad you are the kind to give one in need a "ride home". I brought a needy one home about a month ago, a 15-4 4", 95%, it doesn't have the fancy grips yours has on it, but it'll grow on me I know. Congrats on a nice find!
 
Send an email to Herrett's, and enclose a photo of the grips. They look like a combination finger-grooved Troopers, with a thumb rest. They can probably tell you if they made them.
 
Sweet hitchhiker.
The father of a friend of mine (in high school in the 1980s) had a 6" (?) K frame .357 with grips like those. They were nice. Too bad I'm not right handed. :(
 
Range Report

I went for a quick trip to the range today and the combat masterpiece lived up to its name. 36 rounds of Federal 158g LRN later here's what this hitch hiker did:

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6 shots per target @ 8 yards

I started at the (upper right-hand position) and went clockwise. As you can see from the first six shots, it was shooting a bit high, so I dropped the sight 6 clicks.

I'm guessing sights were zeroed for a farther distance such as 20-25 yards.

Anyways, after next six rounds (middle right) it looks like we were getting close, I then dropped it one more click (lower right) and it looked like it shot a bit low so I moved it back up a click (lower left) and left the elevation there for the remaining 3 targets. The best group was the 5th target (middle left), which those lead 38s managed to tear into a single, meandering hole.

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No complaints here. :)

Out of curiosity, does anyone know how many MOA 1 click of elevation is? By my estimation 6 clicks moved the POI 1" at 8 yards.
 
Gordon Nailed It

I'm always amazed by the body of knowledge on this board. So I took OldFluff's advice and popped the grips off. Sure enough, they are Herret grips as Gordon suggested.

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Very nice.
Had a 15 once, great gun.

Those grips make a southpaw quiver.

Enjoy your weapon. By the looks of those groups you guys have already bonded.
 
By my sleepy rough calculations I guesstimate 1 click to equal about 2 MOA based on your info. Disclaimer: I know nothing about these revolvers my numbers are simply calculated from your provided information. Best of luck.

100 / 8 = 12.5 (or 8yrds x 12.5 = 100yrds)
6 clicks = 1" at 8yards
1" / 6clicks = 0.166666667" per click at 8yrds
0.166666667"/click x 12.5 = 2.083333inch per click at 100yrds
1" at 100yrds = 1MOA
2.08333" at 100yrds roughly = 2MOA

Anyone concur or disagree?
 
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