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Old December 8, 2006, 11:18 PM   #1
gvf
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S&w 15?

Came across certainly the shiniest old revolver you'd ever want to see:
Smith & Wesson model 15 1. (The "1" was mentioned by the store clerk).
Unfortunately missing is the little notch-plate, I guess it would be, on the front sight-edge. Anyway, I was intrigued to learn more and the guy didn't know much. Certainly appeared to keep its polish pristine. Anyone know of these, think it was 4"? Very classy little revolver....
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Old December 9, 2006, 12:05 AM   #2
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A perfect combat revolver

Smith used to call it the Combat Masterpiece before they went to numbering their product line. My buddy was given one by his father in law and that old time S&W blue is one of the prettiest things going. Nothing made today will match what you have there. Take a a chance and see if you can get replacement parts for it. Send it to Smith and they might be able to repair it for you.
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Old December 9, 2006, 02:36 AM   #3
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Blue?

Thanks but this was a highly polished, silver mirror, the whole revolver, like that .38 Super Colt has, and a few other manufacturer's models;

(By the way, it wasn't missing the little notch plate, I should have said it was missing the little sighting plate along the rise of the front sight)

WOOPS: I think this is it, looks like it:
Attached Images
File Type: jpg sw-m15.jpg (36.3 KB, 181 views)

Last edited by gvf; December 9, 2006 at 02:47 AM. Reason: photo problems
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Old December 9, 2006, 03:45 AM   #4
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It has a nickel finish and it sounds like you are talking about a front sight insert that is missing.
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Old December 9, 2006, 06:04 AM   #5
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Quote:
I should have said it was missing the little sighting plate along the rise of the front sight)


Hello
That is a Baughman quick draw front sight, and they did not have a red insert or any insert's in a model 15 revolver, if it is original from the Factory.. Hammer It.
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Old December 9, 2006, 09:33 AM   #6
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Hammer It is correct.
It's near impossible to decypher exactly what it is he's describing. Maybe he means that other "notched sighting plate thingie" on the rear sight and doesn't know "front" from "rear".
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Old December 9, 2006, 10:14 AM   #7
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Ah, the Combat Masterpiece

A blue Model 15 was my first issue piece. That was long enough ago that we had 2 channel radios and solid round nose ammo in the gun.

That particular example has some serious nickel wear which I would avoid unless the price was VERY good. Functionally it could be just fine.

The Model 15 is a great platform for the .38 Special cartridge and a fine revolver. Very accurate usually and capable of being as smooth as any other revolver you could mention.
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Old December 9, 2006, 10:21 AM   #8
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The early Combat Masterpieces didn't have a plastic insert in the front sight. Leave it original.
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Old December 9, 2006, 02:05 PM   #9
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Thanks

Thanks for the info - a couple of hundred bucks is the asking, so I'll think about it, though it would sit until in the store until my permit finished materializing. Neat looking gun - low tech and proud! If I buy it I'll post a shot of it. The photo that's here is from an internet site. The Smith in the store looks better.

Don't suppose +p ammo would be a great idea-
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Old December 9, 2006, 02:21 PM   #10
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Au Contraire, Pierre.

It would be great for +P ammo.
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Old December 9, 2006, 06:16 PM   #11
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That would be a great gun for +P ammo.

Is the piece that's missing dovetail shaped?

If so, It's a simple fix.
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Old December 9, 2006, 07:28 PM   #12
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Quote:
Don't suppose +p ammo would be a great idea-
Hello GVF
There would not be any Point in Plus-P ammo. This revolver was made to fire at Targets and be very accurate. Some Plus-P ammo out there is high enough velocity, that tight groups may suffer from extreme spread. Plus-P is mostly used in Snubby pocket sized revolver's for self defense situations where velocity is Key and penetration is deep. The Plus-P ammo will only increase the velocity a couple of hundred of feet Per second, and as I said, it may make accuracy suffer, with the increased velocity. Shoot standard .38 special loads and if you do not hand load find a factory load that groups well on Target. If you are looking for a .357 Buy one, as a .38 special will never meet the velocity of a .357 no matter what brand of Plus-P you buy. It is a waste of money if target shooting. Here is a odd ball. It is a model 14-2. They made these revolver's for Dayton Outdoor Sport's in Dayton, Ohio. All other model 14's have a 6" barrel, but this one has the shorter 4" barrel and Baughman front sight you speak of. A heavy Barrel was used on this one, and only 2038 of them were made between 1965-1968. A Quick glace makes one think it is a model 15 due to the shorter barrel and Baughman front sight, but they did not use a heavy barrel on a model 15. I shoot medium loaded .38 Special ammo in it, and it is deadly accurate. Hammer It

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Old December 9, 2006, 07:32 PM   #13
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I have a matching set of blue model 15-3's. Great pistols.
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Old December 9, 2006, 09:21 PM   #14
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SWMBO has a nice condition 4" model 15-2, and it is one sweet shooter. The bluing is nice and deep but has some honest holster wear, which to my eye doesn't detract from it at all.

FWIW, the front sight on it does not have any sort of insert, unlike the similar style sight on my 686 (no dash). I ended up painting on the equivalent on hers with fluorescent orange acrylic paint, just a little dab, nothing permanent. Also, I have been assured that the model 15s, at least that -2 is anyway, are rated for +P ammo, no problem, so that is what it is loaded up with at her bedside. But, we usually shoot only standard pressure stuff at the range with the exception of a few rounds of +P for familiarization -- no point beating up a classic like that.
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Old December 10, 2006, 01:29 AM   #15
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I have a hold on the 15

Thanks again for all this info, and it's such a fetching gun it's even better news it's a good shooter. So, not able to purchase in NY of course until the permit is here, the clerk just offered to put a hold on it, gratis. When I mentioned I might not get the permit for 2 or more months he said no problem, up to a year was fine, they had so many used guns back there it made little difference. Sounds like a place to revisit in the future.

So, anyway could this S&W be used as CCW. Looks managable size-wise, nice and lean, great look. Yes, it is solid and not a featherweight, but I will be carrying only some of the time, mostly after dark (IF they give me a CCW, otherwise it'll be a target permit).

I have a serial # K457300. I don't have an S&W serial number reference. If anyone has one handy or you know of an online source, and can pass it along, I'd be grateful. Be fun to know when it was made. Looks exactly like the one above - at least from my recollection of a few hours ago.

So, again thanks; for about $200 I'll have a nice -( and by today's standards) - unusual revolver, with some old-style class. I'll take a photo and post it next time I go to "visit" the gun.

Best

Last edited by gvf; December 10, 2006 at 01:36 AM. Reason: spelling
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Old December 10, 2006, 01:42 AM   #16
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"This revolver was made to fire at Targets and be very accurate."

"Smith used to call it the Combat Masterpiece before they went to numbering their product line."

They were the 4" version of the model 14 which was a target gun. They are very accurate but were not made to shoot targets, they were made for "combat". Many police and security officers carried them either as department issue or individual purchase sidearms. This was before magnum mania took over and the .38 was no longer considered powerful enough for a duty weapon, although many officers still carried .38+P in their magnums. I carried one myself before I fell for the mania and bought a model 19.

If you want to shoot targets use 148gr hollow base wadcutters. If you want it for CCW or home defense use +Ps. It will serve either purpose equally well.

Hammer It, there were model 15s with a heavy barrel.
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Old December 10, 2006, 02:17 AM   #17
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Much Thanks!

Much thanks - sounds really interesting!
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Old December 10, 2006, 06:31 AM   #18
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Quote:
I have a serial # K457300. I don't have an S&W serial number reference.
GVF
It would be somewhere around 1961


Quote:
Hammer It, there were model 15s with a heavy barrel
Hello Rimrod
There were a limited number of them, made with Heavy barrels in 1989 but they had a red ramp Baughman front sight insert, and were not offered with the standard Baughman like shown above. They also have a full shrouded extractor making them different than the "Dayton Revolver" shown. Hammer It.
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Old December 10, 2006, 08:20 AM   #19
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Quote:
Many police and security officers carried them either as department issue or individual purchase sidearms.
The Mod 15 was also the standard issue in the USAF for many years until going to the M-9.
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Old December 10, 2006, 10:42 AM   #20
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The little notch?

So on "my 15", the little notch along the front sight, does that indicate it has a "heavy barrel"? (I should get a photo of it and post it, hard for you to know what I'm talking about.)
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Old December 10, 2006, 10:57 AM   #21
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Quote:
GVF
It would be somewhere around 1961
Which, IIRC, would mean that it is Ok to use for +P. I understand that anything from the late '50s on is. I'm not sure exactly when that cut-off date was, but I do know that '61 is on the +P side of it. Also, it so happens that SWMBO's 15-2 isn't all that much newer than the one you are looking at, it was manufactured in '62.
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Old December 10, 2006, 02:15 PM   #22
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gvf, HammerIts model 14 has a heavy barrel meaning it is the same diameter the full length. The model 15 you pictured above is the standard taper barrel that was common for the model 15. You may have to look close at the two photos to really tell the difference. As for the notch on the sight, a colored insert could have been installed after the firearm left the factory so it is not a good reference for identification. Likewise if it is the colored insert you are talking about that is missing it can be replaced too.

HammerIt, I might have lost track of what you were saying, I thought you meant there were NO model 15s with a heavy barrel. There was a local dealer here that had taken in dozens of model 15s several years ago and he had several with the heavy barrel, which he had priced way too high for the beat up condition they were in. I didn't look too close at them, but they were marked as model 15s.
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Old December 10, 2006, 06:01 PM   #23
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Quote:
HammerIt, I might have lost track of what you were saying, I thought you meant there were NO model 15s with a heavy barrel. There was a local dealer here that had taken in dozens of model 15s several years ago and he had several with the heavy barrel, which he had priced way too high for the beat up condition they were in. I didn't look too close at them, but they were marked as model 15s.
Rimrod
It is Easy to get confused on this thread. The Original Poster sounds like he is speaking of a Model 15 with a Baughman front sight that is missing it's Insert. They Offered a red or Yellow insert in some of the Model 15's but they were not common. This Plus-P question needs to be put to Bed. Any K-frame is heavy enough in construction to Handle the Plus-P ammo, but I see no use in spending the extra money for a measly 100-200 F.P.S. Difference. Too Bad you passed up taking a closer look at those model 15's with a 4" heavy barrel as they may have been the Rare Air Force issued model 14's that were sent back to the factory and then had 4" barrels installed. They are very collectible, and high dollar when found.
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Old December 10, 2006, 07:20 PM   #24
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HammerIt. I think they were stamped from Washinton D.C. or someplace like that. The dealer said they came from a private security company that traded them in. I found out later the dealer was deep in debt and was trying to rip people off. In fact these revolvers didn't even belong to him, but to a local pawn shop. The dealer had made a deal to sell them through his store and then tried to claim they "gave" them to him because nothing was in writing.

I haven't been back since he tried to sell one of my class III weapons on the internet, I wasn't aware I even wanted to sell it.
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Old December 10, 2006, 08:01 PM   #25
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Hello Rimrod
The ones I was speaking of were marked A.F.P.G . These were special United States Air Force revolver's that S&W designed for the Air Force Shooting Teams. They hade the Initials A.F.P.G. Under the trigger guards, and that makes them, a dead give away. They were sent back to S&W and most were fitted with 4" Heavy barrels when they shipped them back out. I have seen Two in my hunting of Collectible S&W revolver's. Keep an eye out for these special revolver's as they do Pop up once in awhile. They were tuned at the factory Long before they had a custom shop, and are deadly accurate. Hammer It.
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