There have been several good posts about Model 14’s so I wanted to show off a nice example I recently found at a gun show in Indiana. This is a special order Model 14 that, according to Roy, shipped in July of 1958. It’s in basically new condition but without the box. I’ve seen a couple of later variations sell lately but this is the earliest 4 inch I’ve seen. I’m sure the experts on this model have seen earlier, I’m certainly not well versed on them. Roy’s comment on the reply to my request was “neat gun” and as we all know, he seems to reserve comments like that only for special pieces. I’ve requested a letter but it will still be a while before I receive it.

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SWHF #691

It is, sure enough, a "neat gun"!!

Ralph Tremaine

Very cool, Flygas. Thanks for posting!

That is now the lowest numbered K prefix revolver with a model number that I have found. I've identified a K-22 Model 17 that shipped the previous month, but it has a higher serial number (K327346).

There is also a Model 19 serialized at K316819. I don't have a ship date for it.

Please let us know what you learn from the letter.

ALSO - are the last three digits 496 or 498? Even blowing it up, I'm not sure. Thanks.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

ALSO - are the last three digits 496 or 498? Even blowing it up, I'm not sure. Thanks.[/QUOTE]

Jack, serial number is K314496.

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SWHF #691

The funny thing about this is, when I first spotted the gun on the guy’s table, I asked “Can I look at that Model 15”? As he was reaching for it, I realized the barrel wasn’t tapered. Then he said “Actually, it’s a Model 14.” I perked up at that, knowing a 4 inch barrel was a special order. I’m always drawn to unique, special order guns made in small numbers. He did his best sales job trying to convince me to buy it but from the second I had it in my hands, I knew it was going home with me.

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SWHF #691

Very nice...Can I have it?...Ask Santa, I've been good all year......Ben

Congratulations on your acquisition! I received a Model 14-2 as my retirement gift from my wife about four years ago. It is similar to yours. The barrel, similar to that of the Model 10 heavy barrel, seems to soak up the recoil and permit the revolver to settle back onto the target. It is superbly accurate.

Good luck!

JPJ

Neat gun indeed!! Congratulation.
It will be interesting to see if any others shipped with it.
I have a model 14, 5” 3T gun that shipped in April of 59 along with two others identically configured.

I finally got my letter back from Roy on this special order 4 inch Model 14. Letters are now at a bit over 3 months. According to Roy—

We have researched your Smith and Wesson K-38 Masterpiece Model 14, special barrel length variation, caliber .38 S&W Special. Company records indicate that this handgun, with serial number K314496 was shipped from the factory on July 28, 1959 and delivered to Charles Greenblatt and Co., New York, NY. The records indicate that this revolver was shipped with a 4 inch barrel, blue finish, and checkered walnut grips. This shipment contained a single unit of this model and it was billed at the wholesale price of $46.72.

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SWHF #691

Beautiful revolver!

is there any difference anywhere to a model 15? I am missing how that is not a model 15 mis-marked as 14.

It's really an exhilarating feeling when you find a gun at the show thats a real find AND is priced favorably.
You are handed the gun,which gets your heart pounding a little because if righteous you have first crack at it.

I have had two of those moments and hope to have another

The model 14 will have a heavy/untapered barrel with a wide top rib, and the model 15 thinner versions of both. Until the model 14 was discontinued in the late 20th century, then the model 15 effectively became the model 14. Clear as mud.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Yes. Look at the OP's third picture in his first post. The top of the frame, just aft of the point at which the barrel enters the frame is flat on top. That is characteristic of the K-38 Masterpiece Model 14. The .38 Combat Masterpiece Model 15 was still shipping with a tapered barrel in 1959, and therefore had the corresponding different shape of the top strap at the point mentioned above.

Here's an illustrating photo of a Model 15-2:

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Its like the time I picked up the Model 14 at a local gun shop. Hmmmm. It's a Model 15 with a 6" barrel. As some of you know, special order, shipped to TN Bureau Of Investigation. It is in MINT condition.

Heres a link to a thread that follows the evolution of the 4" Combat Masterpiece.

Some Combat Masterpiece eye candy

A word of caution regarding 4" M-14's. About 1969 LAPD in its infinite wisdom ordered several thousand of its issued M-14's returned to the armory for conversion (barrel cut) to 4" length. I think (not 100% certain) the work was done by Cheshire & Perez in Glendale CA. A few of the M-14's avoided the recall. Later the M-14's remaining in inventory were sold as M-15's were acquired. The point being not all 4"s are factory special orders, one needs to examine them carefully.

Minor correction: Cheshire & Perez was in Monrovia, not Glendale. My department, a smaller agency in LA County also shortened the 6” Model 14’s they had. Work was done by a local gunsmith that remounted the Patridge sights. The one I was issued had a great action and shot extremely well. I was heartbroken when I was forced to turn it in for a Model 15.

That reminds me of when I found my Model 14-2 with the 5" barrel. I was walking the aisles of a gun show and spotted it lying inside it's box and under the glass of a display case. I thought to myself "nice looking K-38". As I looked at it something didn't look quite right. It had a Baughman ramp front sight instead of a Patridge. Then I noticed on the box label a 5 in the section for barrel. I asked to see it. The gun was priced like any other used Model 14. I knew better than to hand it back and walk around thinking about it.

It lettered as one of 24 identical guns with the special 5 inch barrel length shipped to a hardware distributor in early 1964.

Very nice!
4" Model 14s are scarce, but they do happen. I have a 4" Model 14-3 that lettered to have a 4" barrel and was shipped to Dave's House of Guns, Dallas, TX on July 15, 1971.
Indications are that this was part of approximately 100 guns shipped to three big wholesale distributors in July, 1971. Olympic Wholesale, Los Angeles, Daves House of Guns, Dallas and Gil Hebbard, IL. Its thought the they were a market test for this configuration.

Anybody care to guess what this gun might be worth now? Its in about 95% condition. Not planning to sell it, just curious.

Picked up my second Model 14 4”. First was a lettered Dayton Gun 14-2. Second one is awaiting a letter. The second one is definitely not a Dayton gun, it’s a 14 no dash. I don’t believe it is a cut down barrel as the lettering is centered on the barrel. Roy will let me know soon enough!

I should have added that this revolver came with a police duty belt and a wood baton. Indications are that the entire package was part of an issued gun belt from the Denver, Colorado Police Department.

***Update***. Turns out my second Model 14, 4 inch was a Special Order by the Kansas City, Missouri Police Commissioners. The revolver was one of twenty five shipped February 29, 1960 to Townley Hardware, Kansas City Missouri. Not sure if these were the only special order made by the Police Commissioners.

Nice find too bad you can’t find any ammo for it!

Ouch, you should have seen that coming. Buy ammo prior to any national election.

Gray fox I have your guns twin and it also shipped in July 71 to Tx IIRC.

Four inch 14's are great collectors guns but kind of a conundrum, when the Combat Masterpiece first appears around 1948-49 the 6" masterpiece was mainly available with a narrow rib barrel (the earliest wide rib pre 14 also appears around the same time btw).

When the CM first appears as a regular item in the 1950 AMC the new wide rib barrel "Heavy Masterpiece" is also introduced alongside of the narrow rib versions as a weight matched option to the K-22 and K-32.
The K-38 "Heavy" had a new wide rib barrel, this was to add weight to make up for it being lighter than its smaller caliber siblings (bigger bore holes less metal). Btw that same wide rib was used on the Model 19 (with the addition of an ejector rod shroud) no doubt to help tame recoil.
While the narrow rib Masterpiece was eventually supplanted by the wider rib versions the Model 15 and Model 18 continued with the older style narrow rib barrel.
My guess is that even though the 14 and 15 would now use different barrel and frame profiles ...using the same wide rib barrel would have added weight to the Combat version so probably made no sense at SW and so continued with the older style lighter narrow rib barrel until the end of the dash 4 revision, On a side note when the Model 67 is introduced around 1972 it also had the same narrow rib profile until around the 67-3 revision when it gets the wide rib barrel as well.
The Model 14-2 "Hanen Special" aka Dayton gun is a very different animal,, while it does use the Model 14- frame it was mated to the heavier barrel used on the Model 10 and 13 line that was quite a bit heavier with no barrel rib grooves, Since a model revision designated a new different part not used in the previous model perhaps these should have been given their own revision or even their own model number, then again they were really a special order so who knows.
4" Combat SW revolvers are my favorites, while 4" Combat Masterpiece and Combat Magnums are common the 4" Model 14 is rarely encountered.
On a side note it is also interesting to note that the wide rib Model 14 line eventually got a new full underlug barrel and the previous style wide rib version became the model 15 line both available in 4" and 6" lengths and the narrow rib barrel was dropped.

Oh, how I regret selling my 14-2 Dayton gun from 1965. Bad decision. For some reason I still have the letter.

I was at a gun show five or six years ago with a buddy. He had been looking for a Combat Masterpiece. A dealer had a Model 15-6 that had a 4" heavy barrel and was in near new condition. It was priced at $450 and when my friend showed interest the dealer said "you can have it for $400". I looked at my friend and said buy it.
It has a very different feel than my 15-3, and is a great shooter. I think S&W should have offered the HB option on the Combat Masterpiece guns around the same time that they were available on the Model 10 and fixed sight K frame Magnum guns,

I have a K38 Model 14-2 with 6inch barrel which was given to me by my Lt. when he found out that I was going on the Teaneck PD NJ pistol team and I had not purchased a pistol as of that time and being a rookie did not have the funds to buy one ( also newly married and just was released from the Marine Corps) The gun had been worked by one Al Hendricks of New Milford NJ an old timer who also worked on all matter of guns for the Teaneck NJ International Pistol Shoots held every year at our range in Teaneck NJ after WW2 ended until the late 40s into the early 60s. I was able to help the pistol team win many shoots all over the East coast from NJ, NY, Mass ,Penn, Del, New Hamp, VT. and down to DC where we tied w/ the FBI ( that was a hoot) but lost to the SS by 8 points. Still a hoot. And over the next 10 years our team was losing members due to retirement etc. but still proud of our team. Al Hendricks had a trick when he worked on S&Ws , he polished the detent before the lockup on the cylinder and also did internal work polishing all parts of the action. It has the smoothest double action of any S&W I have fired and I have a few of my own. The single action is about 2-3 lbs and even now it locks up tighter that a drum. I will never let it go , it will be passed down to my male heirs .

I'd love to see a picture of your competition K38 James.

Thanks for sharing the story.

"Polished the detent before the lockup on the cylinder"
where is this part located ?

Jimmy

OK the detent is on the cylinder in the shape of a "U" just before the cylinder lockup notch, if you look at the photo of the 15-2 you will see it as a shiny point at thetop of the frame the lockup notch just after it, thats the best I can do until I find out how to post photos.

Very nice. I'd love to clean it.

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Kenny
Endeavor to persevere.

I've got a 14-1 4 inch gun I bought years ago that was traded in at one of the local gun stores in my area. It was obviously carried as a duty piece at sometime, because when I bought it, they gave me the Sam Brown belt and the holster it was carried in. I'd rate it at 85-90% condition. She's a tack driver. I don't plan on ever selling it.

When I was the western regional LE manager for S&W, I got a call from the guys at the LAPD armory one day. They needed to clear all of their old revolvers out of their armory. The city was requiring them to send the guns back to the factory under a new policy of trying to keep them off the street---Duh! Not sure what they thought we would do with them, but they had value so we gave them so much per gun towards a lifetime of parts for their existing inventory of S&W auto stuffers. I picked those guns up late one afternoon in the company van. They were all in manila envelopes stacked in plastic bins. If I remember right there was close to 2 thousand revolvers. The van's suspension was bottomed out and I was having bad visions of a roll over accident and "LAPD" stamped revolvers all over the I-5 freeway.
I had to inventory and inspect everyone of those guns and verify serial numbers before they were shipped back to the factory. I did see some of the cut down model 14s but not really that many and all of them were stamped "LAPD". There was a little of everything in that batch of guns including some 6" 14s, but most were 4" model 15s, all neutered for DAO operation only. Many of the guns had been reblued at one time or another and no special care had been taken for that process. Most had been bead blasted and thrown in the bluing tank. Any gun hat might be considered rare or collectible by model, was so beat up, you'd be hard pressed to really want to own it. There was a lot of history there and it's a shame those guns couldn't talk.

You know, that is interesting about the LAPD revolvers. The Secret Service used the Model 19 2.5" as standard. LA office was always way off center in about everything they did. They apparently liked the 4" revolvers and somehow got Model 19's with 4" barrels. I don't know where they got them. I do know that when they were turned in for whatever reason to our armory they were pieces of sxxt. I have never seen guns in that condition which made me wonder where they came from to begin with. Our guys would generally take care of their weapons. We had to shoot once a month in DC, quarterly in the field and your revolver was inspected by the firearms instructor. Apparently our armorers were in sync with LAPD because they too bead-blasted them and put some finish on them that looked like WWII parkerizing. They were so disgusting looking that no one wanted to carry one. I have no idea what happened to them. I do know that typically, the federal government, at least Treasury, were supposed to destroy replaced weapons. Or give them to another agency. I'd love to know where all the 2.5" Model 19s ended up. They were not marked to the Secret Service in any way.