Please help ID this S&W

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Voland

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I know very little about this pistol. I know its a S&W and that its a .38 special. Model number and approximate $$$ value would be really appreciated.

This pistol belonged to my friends dad who was a security guard for many years in the 80's and 90's. It actually comes with a full police belt and holster, asp, handcuffs and all the other neat things... They are asking about $300 for everything... It looks like it would be a nice kit/car pistol...

Thanks!
V.

sw38.jpg
 
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Nice S&W.

Check under the grip for rust and give that same area a light coat of oil or CLP.
 
Yup. Assuming it's a 38 caliber revolver it appears to be a Model 15 "Combat Masterpiece." Essentially a K38 target grade revolver made with a 4" barrel for police and defense use. $300 is about right. One of the greatest revolvers ever made.

The exact model number will be stamped on the frame under the crane visible when the cylinder is open and the serial is on the butt under the rubber grips (which have to go, BTW). The serial will have a letter K prefix.

Here's a Model 15-3 in nickel fitted with polished stag grips.

standard.jpg


A pair of early Combat Masterpieces in 22 and 38 calibers wearing period correct Target stocks.

standard.jpg
 
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Something about the bolt cuts and the cyldinder make me think of the S&W M36.

Is this a 5 or six shot revolver?
 
The 15 is a K frame revolver with a 6 shot cylinder. The 36 is a 5 shot J frame.
 
Unless it was made before 1957 (the gun came out in 1949), swinging out the cylinder will let you see the model number in the frame. It may be 15-something. Suffix numbers indicate small enginerring changes.

Do take off the Pachmayr Presentation grips and check for rust under them on the frame. Many people never clean with the grips off, and rust is common.

The grips do NOT "have to go" as one poster said. They are among the most practical revolver grips ever made. I have them on my M66-3, and it is my work gun. The grips are very comfortable and handle recoil better than wood grips.

The M-15 Combat Masterpiece is perhaps the best service type .38 Special ever made.

If this one is in nice condition, especally with the other stuff they're offering, $300 is a very good price!

The gun was standard issue in the USAF from the early 1960's until the Beretta 9mm was adopted in 1985. It was also one of the most popular cop guns.

Check it out carefully, and if it's not too worn and there is no rust under the grips, buy it. You'll like it. It makes a good small game gun as well as a defensive piece.

Oh: check the screw heads. If they're messed up, you may want to replace them. Using the right size screwdriver will avoid burring screw heads.

Lone Star
P.S. That holster alone is worth at least $30, but polish it. Needs it.
 
No, no... they DO have to go. Rubber grips are an abomination on a classic S&W revolver.

If you want to be a S&W owner you MUST start thinking in terms of increased panache and style.

That's just the way it is... sorry.
 
It is a pinned barrel Model 15, thus pre-82 or '83.

It was almost surely made in the 1970s, or possibly the very early eighties.

Fine weapon indeed!

T.
 
Yes, I totally agree, rubbers keep your feet dry in the winter. I hear they are used for other purposes also. Rubbers are not for a gun. Why anyone puts a rubber grip on a .38 special is beyond me. Blasphemy I say.
 
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Well, they do have their place.

Especially if you loan your cherry Model 66 to your son to carry on a 7-day horse packing trip in the wilderness!

I'd a hated to see the factory wood grips come home after that deal!

rc
 
. . .the serial is on the butt under the rubber grips (which have to go, BTW). . .
Click to expand...

. . . The grips do NOT "have to go" as one poster said. They are among the most practical revolver grips ever made. . .
Click to expand...

. . . No, no... they DO have to go. Rubber grips are an abomination on a classic S&W revolver. . .
Click to expand...

. . . Well, they do have their place. . .
Click to expand...

I love this place _
 
Well, I was lucky enough to pick up two boxes of .38 this afternoon. I will probably pick up the pistol at some point this week so I will let you all know how it goes and get better pics.

I will probably try to get an original set of grips. For a .38 I probably dont need them since I can handle shooting 100 rounds of 357 in a sitting with my ruger service six...

Thanks again!!!

V.
 
One more question... What does everyone think of keeping this as a backpack gun? I go car camping quite a bit and usually take my Kahr PM9 9mm with me. I was looking for something with a little more power and reliability. I am in Texas so no problems from the legal perspective as long as its concealed... I am really mostly worried about drunk people vs any sort of wildlife.


Opinions?

Thanks!
V.
 
I don't think a 9mm or a .38 special has a huge edge over each other in "power." I don't know the reliability issues with a Kahr, but you should have none at all with the 15. +P is fine in it if you feel the need (modern +p .38 special is loaded lower than standard .38 special from a few decades ago).

Original grips for it would be a set of S&W medallioned and checkered "Magna" grips - probably the "PC" type with the slightly rounded bottoms vs. the square edge of the normal type.
 
Thanks Oro,

My PM9 is as reliable as they get. 2k rounds since I got it second hand and not a single hiccup. Its my daily carry in the city. I dont know how well it would preform if I was rolling around the west Texas dirt+sweat. I have no doubts about the security six that I have and I would expect nothing less form this revolver. I still have not seen it so its hard to say on the condition other then what the owner told me. It sounds like a solid shooter but I am not so sure about the finish. It was a carry piece for a little over a decade so I am sure it has standard holster wear and is not "pretty". This way I will have no reservations about letting it bang around my pack and I trust the caliber so no issues there... Yeah, I know... Its a tool and I should not worry about how they look... Its just a crazy OCD thing that I have... :neener:

V.
 
rcmodel
And the J-frame Model 36 is not commonly found with adjustable target sights.
Click to expand...

I've got to remember to use my eyeglasses. Completely missed the rear sight!

Mea culpa.
 
Polish the holster and sell it. Maybe you can find some sucker to pay $20 for it.

The Model 15 is a jewel of a gun.

Hope you buy it.
 
Its a tool and I should not worry about how they look... Its just a crazy OCD thing that I have..
Click to expand...

No, it's not "crazy," lots of us do it. I have almost two of every gun I own - a mint blue 19 snub nosed I hardly ever touch, a ss 66 snub nose I carry. A 1974 Colt Gov't ANIB, a 1980 that is an ex-cop gun worn well that I carry. Etc., Etc., Etc. There are lots of people on this forum who have guns they polish, and guns they carry, but nothing in between (well, I have some "in between!).

Never even bother to make an excuse for how you treat a gun - either babying it or abusing it. Everyone does the same. Frankly, I agree with you, sometimes I actually feel relieved in getting a "worn" gun - then I just go play with it and never worry about it.

About 15 years ago I bought a 15 just like that, actually MUCH uglier. I shot it until I realized I liked it, then paid a modest amount to have Cogan/APW tune it and hard chrome it. What a great gun it was for me.
 
M-15 Combat Masterpiece.

Carried one when I was assigned to LE (I was a 81150A) at W.A.F.B. MI and at Bitburg. The military M-15s had TT & TH.

Every time I'd shoot for qualification, I'd get into the high 80s but never a 90 (prefect score). :banghead:

Yes, its a sweet shooting piece!

Wish I had another.
 
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