Hi. I'm looking for any information on a S&W 38 caliber Combat Masterpiece Pistol with a 4" barrel, Serial Number K34818. My grandfather just passed away and I stumbled across this information on the back of a card from 1953 that appointed him Montgomery County, Kansas Special Deputy Sheriff. Is there any way to track where this pistol might be or what might have happened to it? Thank you for all your help!

First welcome to the forum,
But are you certain about the serial ?
Sounds like you are missing a digit on the serial as the one you posted is a bit low to be a Combat Masterpiece unless it was some sort of very early 1948 example,

A 1953 gun should be somewhere in the K-175000 to K-211,000 range.

Welcome to the Forum. Something seems not right about the serial number and model?? The Combat Masterpiece was introduced in 1949 and your serial number would have been made in 1948. Lastly, a 1953 K38 Combat Masterpiece would have been in the K175XXX to K210XXX serial number range.

As to your question, there is almost no possibility that your grandfather's gun can be found. If it is in a state that required registation, there would be a paper trail on the revolver, but you would have to know that the gun passed through a specific FFL in order to find it in their log book. That is very unlikely. Also, with the serial number problem, I would not start looking.

Too bad it left the family in the first place, but I bet there are many decendents of gun owners who wish they had their ancesters guns back in the family.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

We tried to help on another forum. This SN is all the OP has, as it was recorded on paper by his grandfather. I was hoping someone here is tracking the old K38's and may have better information. I suppose the ship date could be '49 since never say never with S&W...

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

No. It would be sheer luck to happen onto a gun with only the known (complete and accurate) serial number.

As mentioned, the K 34000 serial range is way too low for a 1953 vintage Combat Masterpiece, and is actually even too low for a '49 production gun. ('49 was the year the Combat Masterpiece was introduced) For example, my K-38 (6") was shipped in 1948 and is in the K 43000 serial range. All post WWII target sighted K frames were in the same serial sequence regardless of caliber or barrel length.

Mark

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S&W Forum Member #721

K104,048 – K136,690...1951 (manufacture)
I think it's very likely the correct SN would have been K134818

WELCOME TO THE FORUM, sprout61. I DOUBT THAT YOU WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL IN YOUR SEARCH, EVEN WITH A GOOD NUMBER. THAT WEAPON COULD BE ANYWHERE, IF IT IS STILL INTACT. I PRESUME THAT YOU CAME TO THE FORUM SOLELY FOR THIS PURPOSE. I'M SORRY THAT WE COULD NOT HELP YOU. I WISH YOU GOOD LUCK…..

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

I called Smith & Wesson and was told it was made in 1948. My grandfather was a police officer in 1953, so maybe he had a Combat Masterpiece made earlier than 1949? I'm not certain. He was the Chief of Police in Coffeyville, KS for a time, spending 22 years on the force. As wiregrass said, the serial number was recorded on the back of a card, so that is all I have to go by.


I know it's a long shot to track the pistol down, but you won't know unless you try, right? I've ordered an LOA from S&W to see what comes up, so hopefully I'll at least know the history of the pistol. I appreciate all your help!

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It very likely cannot be a Combat Masterpiece with a K34818 SN as that SN would have been produced in mid-1948, prior to the beginning of CM manufacture in 1949. If that is the SN you gave S&W, they gave you a correct dating for that number, and that's where they stopped. They did not verify that it was a CM, or did they? To resolve the issue, you may need to obtain a factory letter ($50). As I earlier said, I'd more easily believe there is a leading 1 missing from the SN on the card. As far as finding the gun, it would be nothing short of miraculous to do so.
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I did a little searching here about the earliest CM SN. It seems the opinion is that it cannot be lower than about K76000, and some believe it's in the low K80000 area. So it would be a real stretch to believe K34818 is a CM.

[QUOTE=glowe;138340541]... a 1953 K38 Combat Masterpiece would have been in the K175XXX to K210XXX serial number range.
QUOTE]

What is the basis for assuming that he didn't acquire the weapon until he was appointed a deputy in 1953? Admittedly this is a moot point, because I agree with those who say its unlikely to ever locate this particular piece.

[quote=El Biblioitecario;138352756]True enough, but another important question is whether K34818 (which was written on the card) can even be a Combat Masterpiece. That does not seem possible.

Interesting. Do we know the ship date of the "first" CM? What is the earliest known serial number and when did it ship? I realize that this could indeed be two different guns.

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Dave

Have you consulted the Coffeyville PD regarding the serial number?

Good question Dave - a little late, but still a good question.

I did a little research and found conflicting results. A document authored by Roy Jinks called Model Designation and Descriptions, stated the Combat Masterpiece started in 1946. The SCSW3 says the Combat Masterpiece manufactured from 1949 to 1999. Neither source lists any relevant serial numbers.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

S&W M&P Target Model ??