S&W Model 15, 4" barrel, blued

[bedbugbilly]

Great revolver and a great price - congrats.

I had a CombatMasterpiece and it was a great shooter. I recently gave it to a younger fellow that is like a sone to me so he could have a good revolver to shoot - he shoots semi autos. He had seen my revolvers and showed an interest in them and i figured it was better to give it to him now so he could enjoy it rather than when i take the big dirt nap. I still have my oder M & P 5" barrel which I always grab first as well as server J frames. I even gave him some recording stuff and some boxes of cartridges to get him started.

You'll love that wheelman and it will serve you well!

[jetinteriorguy]

Whenever I look at my model 15 I think of it as a smaller lighter model 27, which is the most aesthetically beautiful gun ever made. But since I can't afford a model 27, I'll have to be satisfied with my model 15 and my model 57. Just plain beautiful guns.

[CajunBass]

Just because I want to show it off. I just picked up my 1954 K-22 (22 LR) "Combat Masterpiece." The perfect companion to my Model 15 I pictured earlier.

[mk70ss]

My Model 18 .22 is probably my favorite rim fire gun I own.

[jglsprings]

zoo
Member

Join Date: October 2, 2019
Posts: 65
I feel like it is one of those types of guns that everyone should own, at least one!

Nope, nope, nope... you buy one of these then it's a Model 67, then it's a snubby, then a nickel one... no such thing as one...

[onlinebiker]

I have the same gun.

I bought it from my godfather - my uncle.

At my mother's funeral.

.....

I guess it's genetic.



Great gun btw - very accurate. Shoots 158 RN cast bullets all day (I cast) without leading.

One of my favorites.

[rodfac]

I carried one, issued by the USAF during the first part of my first tour in Vietnam...wasn't fond of the gun due to its capacity and small "Magna" grips so it got stored with the squadron armory for the duration. I there after toted a Browning Hi Power or a 1911A1 for the remainder of my time.

Sounds like you got one hellofa deal, however. And a K frame Smith is one of the world's finest handgun designs. With the good stocks now available, it fits the average to large hand supremely well and too, the .38 Spl with good loads now available, is no slouch no matter what the 9mm crowd may say. 158 grains of LSWC @ 950 fps, HP'd if you can find the old FBI load, is still considered a very wise street load.

Congrats on your find...and treat yourself to a good OWB holster for it.

YMMv, Rod That's the gun on my hip, preflighting my bird 49 years ago.

[onlinebiker]

I built an L19 R/C airplane a few years back.


One of the most fun planes ever for practicing STOL....

[rodfac]

Yep it was fun to fly too, but it lacked armor plating and self sealing fuel tanks...(I sat on two flak vests and draped another over the back of the seat), but it got me back in one piece. It was ok in-country against .30 cal. fire, but agains't ZPU's up on the trail, .51 cal., its altitude capability was lacking...hence the OV-10 in use there.

I liked the M15 issued, but the grips made it not quite unusable for accuracy...but close to it. Didn't know about 'grip-adapters' back then or I'd have ordered one. The 1911 and especially the BHP that I acquired were first rate combat side arms. And neither was out of arms reach for that first year in-country.

YMMv, and welcome home, fellow vets. Rod

[EthanEdwards]

S&W model 15's are great revolvers.
Living on the coast I went with SS.

[zoo]

Rodfac, here on December 24, 2019 my response to you as it relates to how much respect I have for what you did to be inadequate. You guys haulin covey in those environments back in the bush make you all friggen heroes in my book.

And yes I think I can safely assume you fought in the so called "secret war" and assisted at great risk to yourself in the recovery of our grunts and SF in the bush.

In retrospect though, wouldn't the masterpiece have been the most reliable?!!! Ha ha, really!

Yeah, I know. Only six bullets! That is why you learn to reload the mf mighty fast!

[rodfac]

Thanks for your very kind words, Zoo. It sounds to me, like you'd have fit in well with us, sir.

In all probability, the M15 Smith might well have been as reliable,(as I kept my personal weapons in pristine condition)...but the M15 also used and was limited by issue USAF 130 gr FMJ ammunition at a leisurely 800 fps or so...not much punch there. The .45 and 9mm stuff was well proven and readily available too. And there's always the capacity argument. The M15 did have one advantage, however, and that was as a signaling device with those .38 flare rounds. For search and rescue, they could be fired up through the canopy of trees, pinpointing your location for the helicopter pick up! Far better than tracer which could draw friendly fire.

While I can't speak for the O-2 guys or the OV-10 drivers, those of us in the Birddogs flew with the carbine (CAR15), slung through the door release handle along with two bandoleers of M16 magazines...this was our primary, weapon, in camp and if shot down. FAC's generally did not survive capture, especially down in he lower parts of Vietnam...they were shot out of hand because of the mission and our participation in airstrikes, gunship operations, and artillery fire...they really didn't like us all that much! For the most part we lived in forward operating positions, a Lt. grade pilot or two, an MX sergent and a radio operator, in Special Forces Camps especially, where going armed 24/7 was a matter of course.

In reality, the pistol was only for last ditch use if you had no other recourse if caught w/o rifle and out of position...slit trenches, shower points, 4-holer latrines etc...but as a matter of fact, those are the only places I wasn't carrying a CAR15 or an AK. FAC units did not disarm pilots when we flew into major bases for maintenance on our birds. We shacked up for the days required at friendly fighter squadron barracks or with a desk bound buddy and kept our weapons with us.

Nowadays, as an old man and in a civilian farm town environment where laying down a base of fire and participating in flanking maneuvers are less likely, a good revolver is plenty reliable. I'm not retired LE nor ever have been, so my reaction to attack or potential attack is to retreat where possible, and my duty is only to my immediate family...those that depend on my continued support are all that count in my world. Given that, I find a revolver often is more than enough...I find my wife's 637 Smith or my own M60 ample for our daily lives.

I've wandered from your thread, and do apologize; the M15 is a truly a fine piece, well made, and only over shadowed by the greater capabilities of the Magnum 66 and 19. Best Regards, Rod

[zoo]

Thanks for your very kind words, Zoo. It sounds to me, like you'd have fit in well with us, sir.

In some ways I did my brother. In other ways, maybe not so much.

I've wandered from your thread, and do apologize; the M15 is a truly a fine piece, well made, and only over shadowed by the greater capabilities of the Magnum 66 and 19. Best Regards, Rod

Not a problem, Rod. You sir can deviate from any of my threads as you see appropriate.

[zoo]

So, now that I have been cranking off rounds galore with this revolver...

Yes, I love it as I already knew I would.

But!

I've found that the ejector rod tends to walk out. I've never had that problem with a revolver. Isn't that like a major issue and one of which as described in the classic Armorer's Guidebooks as among the "51 Problems with Revolvers"?

[arquebus357]

Damn...this M15-2, with the lovely patina, cost me $350 about two years ago. You done good sir. (BTW, it looks much better now)

[AK103K]

Originally Posted by zoo

I've found that the ejector rod tends to walk out. I've never had that problem with a revolver. Isn't that like a major issue and one of which as described in the classic Armorer's Guidebooks as among the "51 Problems with Revolvers"?

It fairly common with the older S&W's and not a big deal, unless you dont address it and it backs out enough that it wont allow the gun to unlock.

Back it out, degrease the threads well and put a "tiny" drop of blue LocTite on the threads and snug it up, and you should be fine.

Dont get carried away with the LocTite, or youll create a whole other issue.

[Ed4032]

delete

[joed]

The model 15 is a nice gun. I used to have one and in addition a model 18 and 5 screw pre 18. I sold the pre 18 and kept the newer one. It used to cause me trouble when I would go to the range. Seems I would pick up the model 18 and a box of .38 Spl and head to the range, major disappointment. Side by side I don't think I could tell the difference without looking at the gun from the front.

At $300 it was a bargain, you'll enjoy it.

[rodfac]

Plus one on AK's Loctite solution. Rod

[zoo]

arquebus357

Thank you, Arquebus. You really know how to make a guy feel lucky, lol. I hope you have been enjoying your new acquisition as well as I have been enjoying mine!

I sometimes wonder if the pleasure we get out of shooting revolvers is more related to the day and age we first entered the world of gun use and the experience and training we received with such weapons back in the day or if something more inherent in the revolver shooting experience has more to do with it.

I'm in my sixties, would it be out of line for me to ask you your age and when you first started shooting revolvers?

Ak103K

It fairly common with the older S&W's and not a big deal, unless you dont address it and it backs out enough that it wont allow the gun to unlock.

Yeah, I have to admit to a degree of bewilderment when the weapon first locked up on me. It actually took me a couple of minutes until I realized what had happened... which in a life or death situation would have in all probability meant my death.

Back it out, degrease the threads well and put a "tiny" drop of blue LocTite on the threads and snug it up, and you should be fine.

Dont get carried away with the LocTite, or youll create a whole other issue.

Thanks, ak103k. Your advice along with Rod's endorsement make a lot of sense to me and are in fact how I had planned moving forward. Reading various forums though, I'm left wondering if there isn't more to it. I see sometimes various armorers/gunsmiths add a bushing or some such. Doing so appears easy enough to do but I don't see how a bushing will help the situation.

[AK103K]

Originally Posted by zoo

Reading various forums though, I'm left wondering if there isn't more to it. I see sometimes various armorers/gunsmiths add a bushing or some such. Doing so appears easy enough to do but I don't see how a bushing will help the situation.

I havent heard of a bushing being added, at least not with the S&W's.

I have S&W's that were tight when I got them and have never loosened up, and I have others that were loose enough to unscrew them by hand when I first got them, and those got the LocTite.

If I cant get the rod to loosen by hand, and it hasnt loosened from shooting it (its something thats get checked at every cleaning, LocTite or not), I usually dont go looking for trouble either.

The one other thing that often needs a little LocTite, is the forward sideplate screw, which also retains the cylinder/yoke. Early on, I had the cylinder on my first Model 29 fall off doing a reload, and that was eye-opening. What was even more surprising was, I actually found that silly little screw on the ground.

[zoo]

So I was looking at the dull walnut stock grips on this revolver and came to the opinion they just don't represent this revolver adequately. (They didn't appeal to me from a shooter's perspective either).

I decided to get some grips that were more in keeping with the shooting aesthetics I like and were still somewhat period appropriate. I decided upon coke bottle style grips consistent with mid-fifties to mid-sixties Smith & Wesson revolvers including even the Smith and Wesson logo! Plus I really like the way the bottle grips feel in my hand.

I located what seem to be appropriate grips made by Altamont. They aren't cheap but they seem to be as close to the originals I remember from that era of Smith revolvers. So, click, click... Ordered.

Then it occurred to me that back in the mid-fifties and the first half of the sixties folks weren't as adamant about speedloaders. Frankly, I won't tolerate a revolver that can't handle speedloaders. I expect all of my firearms to work in a pinch. I googled around and found comments from a poster or two at one site claiming coke bottles weren't comparable with speedloaders even with what they claimed to be the "thumb cut" on the left side which these particular grips from Altamont have. Hmm.

Emailed Altamont and very promptly received a reply stating "All of our S&W grips should accommodate the appropriate HKS speedloaders."

Guess I'll see. I know Altamont makes great grips! They sure as heck look good!

Anyone have experience with Altamont bottle grips and speedloaders?

I guess if they don't work, they'll go back and I'll get something that does work with speedloaders.

[zoo]

I got the new grips last Saturday if I recall correctly. Quick service from Altamont. Great looks, feel, fit and finish. Not glossy but frankly that is ok by me on this handgun now that I'm looking at them attached to the model 15. The palm swells are perfect for me (coke bottle; not over-done, not under-done).

And I assure you, having tested them myself HKS speedloaders for the S&W models 10-15 work just fine with these grips! If they didn't, they (the grips) would be going right back.

I'll have to learn how to post pictures for this site!

[arquebus357]

Mr. Zoo

Sorry it took so long to reply to your post. To answer your question...I'm 83. I started shooting revolvers when I was 14. I'm really not a "shooter" though. I might hit the range a few times a year and mostly for testing. BTW here is a pic of that rusty model 15 today. (couldn't get rid of ALL pitting)

(I'm glad you found a pair of Altimonts to your liking. They annoy me because the vast majority of their K frame offerings are unavailable.)

[SIGSHR]

I developed a hankering for an M-15/Combat Masterpiece from reading my 1966 edition of Small Arms of the World. I have one, a 5 screw made in 1953.