S&W K38 Masterpiece rescued

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bikemutt

bikemutt

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I found this revolver at a very eclectic pawnshop a week ago. It locks up like a vault, everything about the guns oozes quality build. The obvious defects are the carry wear and the grip. But there is zero pitting, zero freckling, and just a couple of very minor scratches. Even though it's not the unfired beauty I normally gravitate towards, I actually lost sleep thinking about this gun, something about it just looked and felt right.

So today I headed over on my lunch hour fully expecting it to be gone, replaced by a flip card that said "you should have bought me". It was not so, there it was, so I bought it :)

Anyway, it's got a serial number of K8440x which I think makes it post-war, it has no model number stamped so I think that makes it pre-1957 or so. It's a 4-screw. Maybe one of the Smith historians can chime in with a date.

I'll know tomorrow if it shoots as good as I think it will. If it does I know my next temptation will be to restore it to a higher level of visual perfection. I negotiated what I felt was a very good deal on the gun; I can afford to send it into S&W for refinishing and still not have overpaid. Obviously I could send it to many non-S&W refinishers as well as they charge less than Smith.

So what do you all think? It's going to get shot no matter what, and I like shooting purdy guns, just shoot it, or pimp it and shoot it?
 

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If it shoots good, I would send it to Smith for refinishing. A good Smith always deserves to look its best.
 
That gun is barely broke in. You can send it into S&W, spend $250 for a re-blue and change a $500 gun into a $400 one, or you can shoot it, clean it, and take care of it and your grand kids will be able to do the same thing and it will become priceless.
 
Is there consensus that any refinish, even by the manufacturer, results in a loss of resale value? If this is the case, I wonder why it's so?
 
Beautiful looking K-38. Looks like a 5-screw to my non-expert eyes. Nice find.

Why would you want it refinished? Looks pretty good to me, a little honest wear but not abused. I'd say keep it, shoot it as is and pass it along. To me the finish wear solves the dilemma if you ever want to holster it. Not going to hurt a thing.

Lastly, those may be original stocks, but you'll probably be more comfortable with something that fills out the grip a little more fully. I have no idea what would be "period correct"; I do think a pair of Ahrend's Retro Targets would look nice. Obviously, keep the originals if you ever resell it.
 
CajunBass said:
It's simple. It's no longer original.
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But it's not "original" now, it's worn. I don't understand why guns uniquely seem to eschew the concept of "restored".

Let's face it, this one's no collector gun. If we say there are two kinds of gun people in this world, collectors and shooters, why wouldn't a shooter (person) prefer a restored shooter (gun) over a worn shooter?
 
I think you know your answer, and as far as I'm concerned, the difference is only in the eyes of the actual buyer, as yours decided. all else is posturing. :D

You can repaint a GTO, but not a gun??? ...ok
 
bikemutt

I think the gun looks fine just the way it is. The gun's a shooter with evidence of some wear but certainly not of any abuse or neglect. I would keep it that way. If you want to "pretty her up" with a refinishing job, that's entirely your decision, but she'll still shoot the same no matter what she looks like.
 
1950 for that beauty. Serial range for that year started at K84150, so vey much a January gun. It's a five screw, the upperside plate screw wasn't deleted until 1955.

Collectors prefer all original guns and frown on re-finishing. I think partially its because poor quality refinishing detracts from a guns looks. Probably unstated is the idea that the few original condition guns are the collecting holy grail, having lots of refinished guns will detract from their value.
A crass comparison is as follows:
Beautiful woman in the bloom of her youth = Unfired.
Lady in her 30s, good health, looks after herself and has pride in her appearance = fine condition.
Mother of three, a bit harried but still enjoying life = very good condition.
Someone elses former trophy wife, still capable but looks worn down by life and especially the appearance of newer models = good condition.
Drunk and screaming outside a night club of any age = poor condition.
False eye lashes, face lift, boob job, make up, basically genetic false advertising = Refinished.

It's true that some ladies in their 30s worry about being the former trophy wife and get refinished and sometimes you can't tell unless you knew them before, but the stigma remains.

Bikemutt: I'm a nice lonely gentleman, instead of telling that fine lady to get a boob job, why don't you send her my way? :)

For a refinish either Smith & Wesson or Fordes. http://www.fordsguns.com/ Fordes are not taking new work at the moment.
 
My K-38 shows a similar amount of wear but, like yours, is mechanically perfect. I got it as a shooter and didn't care about refinishing it. It already came with slightly fancy Pachmyer grips. I never worried about collector or resale value because I am NEVER selling it. That K-38 is already in my will.

BTW, original condition applied to classic or vintage items usually means no alterations. A certain degree of wear from use is still 'original'. It doesn't necessarily mean pristine, although that would increase its rarity and value.

Refinished it or not as you wish, you've still got one of the finest revolvers S&W ever made. Hope you get a lot of pleasure from it.

Jeff
 
Like it or not collectors prefer original finish over a refinish. There are some rare exceptions with things like a Doug Tumbell job, but overall collectors want the original finish.

Personally, I say keep it as it is for awhile. The finish may grow on you. If nothing else, wait to make sure you won't ever plan to sell it before you refinish it.
 
Radagast: thank's for dating the gun, sounds like you may also want to "date" her? :D

OK, I get it now. I was thinking a collector would never want this gun owing to it's condition. In reality this gun still has intrinsic value to a collector because of it's pedigree, more so if it's left in an unmolested condition, less so if it get's a boob job.

I'm going to leave it as is. The more I think about it, it's the first time I've seen a gun in person with this much wear and looked right past all that. In fact I now recall saying to myself "this gun is beautiful" while trying desperately not to reveal my excitement in front of the seller. It may well turn out to be the best $310 gun money I ever dropped.

Thanks to all for setting me straight :)
 
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Once you change the gun from the original condition you destroy the value. You will spend $250 to make a $500 gun worth $350. Having it refinished at the factory may not hurt the value as much, but it certainly won't make it worth any more.

It may not seem right, but that's the way it is. I really don't know why you would even want to have that fine K38 refinished, it looks great the way it is. Before you go and do anything to it, take it out and shoot it. They are absolutely wonderful guns with one of the best triggers anywhere.

I have it's brother, K92658, also made in 1950 and it is THE most accurate handgun I own. It too, has some character, but I look at that as just some of it's history showing through.

IMG0766-XL.jpg

IMG0456-XL.jpg
 
bikemutt

THREE BILLS?!?!?! sweet. :)

Hope I look that good when I'm 62 years old, let alone performing like that Masterpiece (aptly named) can.

If you do refinish, sending it back to the factory from whence it came... wise.

Range report? Por favor. It'll probably be a boring shoot the middle out of the target time and again kind of report, depending on the ammo used. Tis amazing how well they shoot.

Might want or need different grips to squeeze the most out of it or add a Tyler or old Pach grip insert should the magnas not "feel" perfect in your hand whilst ashootin'.

Designed for the old one hand bullseye shooting. Quaint to see someone shoot thus nowadays when two handed or gangsta is the order of the day. Better yet to see holes placed exactly where you want them.

Enjoy it. As is, or refurb'd.
 
THREE BILLS?!?!?! sweet.
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Yes sir, $318.18 to be precise. plus WA sales tax at 9.5% = $350 OTD.

I totally agree with opinions I've read here; crisp $100 on the glass counter says a lot :)
 
You could be locked up for theft in 47 states, for getting a K38 Masterpiece for that price!

You have only "honest" wear on your revolver. It's a fair sixty-two years old, and it's in great physical condition. It has the look of the classic S&W K frame. More like Clark Gable, and not Joan Rivers.

The gun is original, even with its wear. Over on the S&W Forum, you could be burned for heresy, for even thinking about having that revolver refinished.

Refinishing is not a harmless process. It requires taking the entire revolver down to bare metal; then polishing. The polishing removes the edges of the stamping and roll marks. The blueing today, is not the same as the blueing from 1950. Frankly, it would look like gangster wheels on a 1950 Ford. If the revolver had some serious finish issues, then yes. But, in the condition this one is in, never.
 
You could be locked up for theft in 47 states, for getting a K38 Masterpiece for that price!
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I know, it was crazy. They had it tagged at $450 which is $492.75 OTD. I took the chance and laid $350 on the counter in crisp bills and said "$350 OTD, that's my offer". They said OK. I fully expected a back and forth being as how I asked for a 29% discount. It even crossed my mind I could be escorted out, persona non grata.

I'm thrilled to own this fine gun, the good price is just icing on the cake.

And, I'm not going to refinish it! :)
 
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