K-38 Masterpiece from 1950
This one showed up at my door a couple days ago. Have been wanting a nice 5-screw K-38 for quite a while, and finally bit the bullet on this one. Serial # K801xx. I was hoping I would get lucky and find that it shipped in 1949, which would make it a birth year gun for me. No such luck, shipped in March, 1950. Still don't have a '49 gun.
I really do not think this gun has seen more than a box or two of ammo through it. Very light drag line, no marks on the recoil shield, very clean top strap and forcing cone. Perfect and pristine bore. It has a few very minor dings on the metal. The color case hardening on the hammer is stunning. All numbers match, including the right stock panel. The worst flaw on the gun is that the right stock panel is missing a sliver of wood off the top horn. Other than that, the stocks are very nice, with very crisp and sharp checkering.
Nothing here to make one ooh and aah. Just a very nice older S&W hand ejector.
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SWCA 3297 SWHF 583
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