Beautiful guns, but does the 15 have the same heavy barrel that the 10 has? Looks kind of like a 19 barrel. For some reason, adjustale sigts just don't look "right' to me in a duty gun.

Nice 15s everyone! I learned to shoot revolvers with the M15 in the USAF. Here's my 15-4 with my old SP beret. The ones we carried in the AF were a lot more "used" than this civilian model, I picked up several years ago. I'd love to come across an original USAF marked one now....

Kbm6893: They have tapered barrels unlike the 19's heavy barrel.

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Tom
"Panem et Circenses"

They don't seem to be tapered. The 19 and 66 barrels don't have the bull barrels like the fixed sighted K frames. I've owned a few 66's and a 19, and the bull barrel on my 65, 10, and 64 were much thicker.

kbm6893; Look at the barrel, in the pics on this thread, just ahead of the frame. It's thicker at the frame and tapers down to a smaller diameter about an inch or so ahead of the frame. The 19s, etc have a straight barrel which has a similar diameter from the frame to the tip. The beautiful pic of the business end of that nickel M15 in post #50 shows this pretty well.

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Tom
"Panem et Circenses"

I guess, but it's nowhere near as tapered as the pencil barrel model 10's. The model 10 bull barrel is much beefier than a standard 19 barrel.

Barrel comparison (L to R) Models 15-1, 14-2 (4" HB) and 19-3.

Here's my Combat Masterpiece from 1951. Very accurate and well balanced.

Here is my 15-2 USAF gun that shipped to Robins Air Base, GA on February 26, 1965. A bit off topic but another AF gun photo, an Aircrewman that also shipped to Robins on July 25, 1957.

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John. SWCA #1586

my nice and shiny factory fired only 15-3

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ASA/NSA 67-71
NRA Benefactor

Here is one more, kinda sad. It is a 15-2 that was brought back from Vietnam. It had been in the hands of an NVA soldier until he no longer had any use for it.
right side

left side

scrubed markings?

Ralph

This photo makes you wonder where all these 15's ended up...

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Take your time..quickly.

I'm looking at a nice 15-3 with target grips(Coke) for $595 with original box and papers. Is that too high?

That entirely depends on how much you like that particular Model 15. If it is unfired and as new in the box, then the asking price is not entirely out of line.

There are many nice 15's available out there in the $350-$500 range. You can always make an offer and see where it goes from there. The prices of Smiths here in TN are usually above the average, or what they can be purchased for in other states. Much of that is due to our depressed economy here.

Personally, I would not walk away from a very nice Smith that I wanted over a $50 difference in price. But that is just me.

Best of luck in your search.

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Take your time..quickly.

I haven't seen many good Smith revolvers around here(TN also) and the one I'm looking at is on the Internet. No idea where it's at for sure just one of the auction sites. It's not considered LNIB, however but still looks good. They call in "Mint" but it's hard to tell from the photos.

Knowing the government and the USAF, I bet they were unfortunately crunched up.

I also carried several model 15s as a pilot in the USAF and have been looking for one to add to the pile of guns.

We called them "Barney Fife Guns" when I carried them. I always thought that if I ever needed to pull out a 38 caliber revolver as a pilot, things had gone really, really bad. We thought it was a huge upgrade to get the M9s when they replaced our 38s.

Edmo

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TRUTH: Don't delete my posts!

Very nice indeed!

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Life is good!

My 15-2. This is a great little gun , and as accurate as a 6" gun.

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all you americans are fortunate in this, nearly all m15s are 4" barreled which makes them prohibited in canada i saw one for sale, which had been professionally changed to 4.2", it had been for sale less than one hour and it was sold by the time i messaged the seller $600-650
i would like a 15 as i have a 14 and a 17 they just sort of go together.

My oldest daughter engages the first "bad guy" target on my backyard range with a Model 15-3.

The first target was at 7 yds, 3 shots two torso, one head. Advance to the tree and engage the second bad guy at 15 yds, same drill.

Good shoot and move drill that she nailed everytime using 158 gr +P's.

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Take your time..quickly.

Here are mine.Here are mine, I'll start with my Pre 15.


This is my most often shot revolver 15-3


Snub 15-3


And two 15-5s. I tend to think of these as a wannabe Dayton gun.

I picked this one up a couple weeks ago.

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I ran across a NIB 15-4 for $800. I like the Model 15 but, I don't know that I'd pay that for one...although tempting with box, papers tools, etc. There won't be many like that.

Got me another one for this Thread! (15-4)

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RIP Shipmate

Does anyone have pictures of Ahrends grips on a S&W 15?
Bill

I posted some with Ahrends earlier. Retro Combat

Man, there are some fine wheel guns in this thread.

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Life is good!

I have always thought that the model 15 was the best combat revolver S&W ever made. It has a size and power level than can be handled by the widest variety of shooters. I've accumulated a few over the years:

First up is a 4-screw pre-15 from 1956, it came with it's original magnas numbered to the gun & a S&W grip adaptor. I added the target stocks as they fit my hand better:


Next up is my shooter grade 15-3. It came with the target stocks shown. I thought it was a great deal at $199:


Next is my as new 15-4. Was unturned and unfired when I got it, with numbered magnas. I added the target stocks:


Last is my NIB 2" 15-4:



However, once you start with the 15s, you have to add the other variations of the venerable Combat Masterpiece:
67-1 w/box (came w/ the targets):


model 18-3 in .22 LR:


And lastly, the seldom seen .22 Magnum Combat Masterpiece, the 4" model 48. This one is a model 48-2. It came with the smooth targets:

Envy. Kinda wish I had a 15 to match up to my 18.

Nice looking guns fellas.

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Jon

Ya see, it's threads and stuff like this on the SWF that have contributed to my financial downfall.
I already had several good S&W wheelguns, but I figured, 'Why do I need a K frame .38, when I have my old service M66? Same size, generally, and shoots .38's fine'.

Then, got a deal on a M18 .22. A lot of fun.
Enjoyed the M18, but wondered what something with a 6" barrel would feel like, and spent too much time reading about classic old K22's (here). Found one (a 1952 K22) and paired it with a custom Threeperson's style basketweave holster.

Then, started reading all kinds of good stuff on here about K38's/M14's, and how unique, accurate and comfortable they were to shoot.
Encountered a M14-3 that was near perfect, grabbed it up.

M14 was nice, but pretty much a pristine target gun. Needed a holster version. Solution? Encountered a well-used, mechanically perfect M15-3 that was most likely a prior L.E. gun.

Sometimes I wish my hobbies were more like that of a few friends I have, just watching NFL or NASCAR on tv and being satisfied wth that.
Sure would be cheaper.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

Yeah it would. But what hobby can you have where you take them out,make them go BANG and then spend time with them afterwards??

Oh yeah...women that's right. Them too.

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Take your time..quickly.

It's hard to beat a good Model 15 for a .38 special revolver. Here's mine, an M15-3, shipped in May, 1971.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

My pair of Combat Masterpieces. The K38 dates to 1952 and the K22 is from 1953.

I got lucky on the .38. The pawn shop had it marked as a model 10 and it was 200$ cheaper than the model 15 on the same shelf. So I whipped out the credit card and she came home with me.

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What would Josey Wales do?

Is $300 a good price on a M15-3 shooter?
PM me as I just won one.
Thanks

Even the bumbling Roscoe P. Coltrane and Enos carried Model 15's during their tenure on the The Dukes of Hazzard.

Roscoe carried a Model 10 in the pilot episode and then switched to the Model 15 with Ajax pearlite grips after that.

Roscoe, (James Best) was believe it or not, an accomplished pistol marksman in real life. Most of his best work was in westerns in the 1950's and learned to handle a SSA Colt under Arvo Ojala.

He even competed in Fast Draw competion with other actors during the late 1950's.

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Take your time..quickly.

Dang,....I ain't seen Enos in a while.

Oh man, does that photo take me back! The little plastic caps on the M16 muzzles too...we used the black ones most of the time and when the cops came to the range to qualify we always found a few blown apart muzzle caps downrange.

Mine does in post 43

OK, I'll dip my oar in the water; here is what's left of my M15-3:

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I've got two. One was owned by my late wife that I gave her for Christmas in 1973. The other was purchased by my mother in 1964. Still have the silver box and the reciept and papers on that one. Both are nickel plated. Neither are for sale.

Lucked out and was able to trade a ruger mk I and an iver Johnson trailmaster for model 15 4". Bore is great and bluing is very good. Not a safe queen but an excellent shooter


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Wheel guns are real guns too.

I picked up my nickel 2" from the FFL last night. Is this what's referred to as a "transitional model"? It's marked as a 15-4, but the barrel isn't pinned (which started with the 15-5's.) It also has the .312" trigger. A few surface scratches, but seems to be in good shape. Not bad for $330, IMHO!

I found this 15-3 about two years ago at the Medina, Ohio gun show. At the time, I was looking for a Model 10. Seems to have been refinished, since the S&W shield is a bit blurry. I paid $175 in a no paperwork, no tax private sale.
This revolver is the one I measure all others against.

My baby 15-4, 1977

Penmon

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Just started the ten-day quarantine, but this one is mine now: a Model 15-3 upon which one of the previous owners (not the guy I bought it from) attached a Model 14 six-inch barrel to:

Too funny!

I love the smooth targets and have a set on my blued 15-3.

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Take your time..quickly.

Now have two M15 snubs.
Got my second from a member here just last week.
It turned out to hit center with the same reloads that work well in my
first one. That simplifies things a bit.

Shot some plates with it on Saturday afternoon. No problem hitting them, or knocking them down. It still has the wooden factory grips on it so far, but I have a set of Uncle Mike's rubber grips somewhere that
will make it match my first one. They'll probably go on in a couple of
weeks.

Ok after taking my time and drooling over some of the pictures I'm getting off the computer and taking my 15 out of the safe for some cuddling. Night night boys.

My $260 15-4:

My three SW
15-4
10-5
36 no dash


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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Wheel guns are real guns too.

Awesome revolvers -- one of these days I hope to have one!