I picked up an S&W 14-3 today. The guy I traded with told me it is a K38 "Target Masterpiece". I have no clue if that is accurate or not, so I'll share all of the info I have on it and maybe you guys could share any info you may have on it.

Here are the specs:
Model: 14-3
Finish: Blued, Case Colored Hammer, Jeweled Trigger
Bluing: 100% The pictures make the finish look grainy, but that is just due to the low quality cell phone pics
Barrel: 6" Pinned
Sights: Black-Out Target adjustable rear, blade front
Grips: Mustang Target, but I have the original grips
Serial Number: 8K77XXX
Overall condition: 95%+

If I could get a brief history, rough estimate of the value and date of manufacture that would be awesome!
Thanks!

Sorry about the low quality cell phone pictures

Think of it as a 6" model 15...

Back in the day, the model 14 was the 6" "target" 38 spl available in 6" and I think 8" barrel and came with target grips, and the model 15 was the "combat" 38 spl available in 4" and 2" barrel and came with magna grips, otherwise, virtually identical.

This particular one looks like it has had the trigger replaced or at least ground and polished. And has some gaudy grips, but looks nice otherwise.

The Model 14 is officially the K-38 Masterpiece and was S&W's premier .38 Special target revolver along with the K-32 Masterpiece in 32 S&W long and the K-22 in .22 LR. All were set-up the same so the shooter could practice with the K-22 then switch to the centerfire gun in competition. Barrel lengths were 6 inches and 8 3/8ths. The Patridge front sight and fully adjustable rear sight were standard. These guns had Combat Masterpiece companions with 2 inch and 4 inch barrels, ramp style quick draw front sights and fully adjustable rears.

Your 14-3 K-38 Masterpiece looks to be in very good condition. The previous poster is correct about the trigger. The original trigger would be case-colored and have fine grooves on its face. Yours is engine turned on the flats with a smooth polished face. A reasonable common modification done by shooters who fire mainly double action where a smooth faced trigger is easier on the finger. Any K or L frame square butt grips will fit.

My guess is the accuracy will astound you. If it doesn't, give the inside of the barrel a good going over. I don't like the looks of the grips, but would at least give them a try after someone modified the trigger. The trigger looks to have been jeweled.
Great guns.

+1 one on the jeweled trigger meaning it was worked on by someone. The Model 14 was a competition pistol used in the 50's and 60's for competition and most of them are very accurate. As a side note the Model 14 weighs exactly the same as the Model 17 which the competition shooters used for practice with the cheaper ammo.

There's a fair chance that the entire internals of your gun may have been jeweled. As fyimo said, these were popular comp guns back in the day.
But those sticks! The original owner must have had gorilla mitts!

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder

In this case it was a keg

Great gun you have....The stocks do make me cringe but easily fixed

You also might want to check if there are any markings under the stocks that point to a rebluing. A lot of the Comp guns were really shot a lot and it was pretty common for the owner to have it cleaned up at the factory.

Nice gun. I have a 14-3 myself.

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Ash

So I took the stocks off and these are the markings that I found:

Left side-
"5" "A15" "59814" "D7" "D1" And maybe one other marking that I can't quite make out.

Right Side-
"N" inside of a triangle and a "C" inside of a circle.

While i had the grips off I removed the 3 screws on the side plate, but the side plate would not come off and I didn't want to force it. Am I missing something?

Do these mean anything to anyone? Also, does anyone have an idea of an approximate year of manufacture?
Thanks guys!

No obvious repair or refinish marks. Don't know why anyone would expect to find any.

Oh, the word "target" apparently is not used in the name. It's simply "K38 Masterpiece" as it was most vigorously pointed out to me one time.

Why ask what it's worth right after buying it? Why would you buy a gun (or anything) if you had no clue as to what it was worth? I'd say it's worth what you paid for it... to you. And that's all that matters.

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I took a chance and I traded a 629-5 for both the 14-3 and a like new 36-1. I was just wondering if I screwed the pooch or not. I'm reletively new to S&W collecting and have turned to this site to help me grow my knowledge and experience a bit. If it was a colt or a Winchester I woudn't have had to write a post like this as I am well versed in both brands, but as it is my knowledge of S&W revolvers is sub par. I know I could just look it up in a book, but book value and market value are often very different.

Last year I traded into an early S&W Model 3 American. I traded a little pump .22 I had paid $75 for and the only reason I traded was because I liked the look of the pistol. If it weren't for sites like this I may have taken it to the next gunshow and sold it for $150 and been none the wiser, but because of sites like this, I found out that it's worth in excess of $2,000. So I'd rather err on the side of caution, admit that I don't know everything, and seek advice and help from people who are much more knowledgable than I in this certain area.

!! You are of course kidding!

Sorry I didn't mean to sound derogatory. I'll take a try at answering your questions. According to SCSW it looks like the manufacturer date is 1975. I think it would be worth $400-500. It should be a fine shooting gun, the 14-3, 17-3, 19-3 revolvers I have are all great guns!
Ed

I misread the original thread and thought you had traded a 629-5 and the 36 for it.
Ed

I don't know if the inner-workings of the pistol have been worked on due to the fact that I couldn't get the side plate off even after removing the 3 screws on the side, but the trigger pull in DA is a smooth 2-2.5lbs. Does that sound normal for a K38 or is that too light? If this is the factory trigger and pull, it is better than any other factory trigger I've ever felt!

Very nice gun. Getting the side plate off is easy, getting it all back together is a bit trickier. This is a good read:

S&W model 10 disassembly,inspection,select repairs and reassembly - discussion - THR

I have the 14-3 with a single action only trigger. Some came from the factory that way, and some were modified. It shoots like a laser.

I like the Ahrends retro combat grips

Remove the screws, then take a screwdriver with a rubber handle and "tap" the screwdrive handle against the butt of the gun, the sideplate will come off.

Like others said, its a K-38 Target Masterpiece with really awful grips/stocks. I too have a 14-3 with the target hammer and trigger which are wider than the stock parts. These revolvers are still very popular with those of us who shoot in NRA Distinguished Revolver matches. The rules don't allow any external modifications, so stock grips are a must. Very accurate with full wadcutter or semi-wadcutter bullets.

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You did very well. I have that same gun and it's one of my favorites. I believe it will become one of yours as well. And FWIW, my favorite load is a Hornady 148 gr HBWC with 3.0 gr of W231. Accurate, mild load that's easy on the gun. Enjoy.

Were the factory triggers on k38s extremely smooth and the pull in double action super light?

Also, does anyone know where I can find original target or magna grips?

Nice thing about 14's, they are almost never beat up. All bought used: 14-3 SA # 12Kxxxx, 14-3 SA/DA smooth targets #1Kxxxx, 14-5 from about 25 years later. Joe

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Here are my K-38 mod 14 and K-22 mod 17. Great shooters and show and tell. Enjoy them.

Another pose.
http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/a...PICT0086-1.jpg

The sights on my 14-3 are all black. No orange on the front and no white outline on the rear. Is that normal/correct?

The red on the previous poster's guns was added - either paint, stick on dots or drill and glue inserts. The white outline sight blade is a factory option that can be easily added later by changing just the sight blade. I often put a dab of bright orange/red paint on my Patridge type front sights to make them stand out on a black target center.

I think you will grow to really love your model 14 as it is one of the best .38 Special revolvers ever manufactured. I have a 14 no dash from 1959 and it just plain shoots! Great guns.

I have a K38, Model 14-3 with 6 inch barrel and a Model 14-4 with 8 3/8 and they are all awesome shooters.

I have a pre-model 14 5-screw from 1954 which is very accurate!! As mentioned, they are usually in very good shape. With the proper loads they can very accurate. Yours will probibly need some proper lubing once you get the side plate off which will slick it up even more. You have a fine gun, enjoy it!

2-2.5 DA sounds really light to me. I doubt that it came from S&W like that. My stock 14-3 measures 7.5 DA. Do you get 100% ignition?

Yes. 100% ignition all day long. I just used my buddies digital scale for checking trigger pull and in DA it spiked at 3lbs. In SA it was a very consistent 18-19oz. How difficult is it to adjust the trigger pull? Is it just the screw on the bottom of the grip that puts tension on the main spring?
Sorry for my novice questions.
Also, a very big "Thank You!" to everyone who has shared info on this thread! I am a much more well equipped S&W collector now because of it!!

These 6" guns are fun shooters. My Model 14-4 & a want-to-be model 16 S&W which is a Taurus model 76 chambered in the .32 S&W Long cartridge.


The K-38 is indeed a classic....

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A true american

I don't think S&W intended the strain screw, as they call it to adjust trigger pull, although many do. Jerry Miculek advises with his spring kit to grind the screw down to achieve 7 lbs DA (or is it 7.5, I can't remember) after installation. That provides optimum trigger in balance with his return spring (part of the kit). 3 lbs/18 oz put it in the target/range catagory only, which is what the gun was designed for in the first place. JM also advises that the gun should be used only on the range after installation, and not a carry piece. I have used his kit on a few of my Smiths and have a 7.5/2.5 trigger. Plenty light for me. Enjoy that .38. I know I enjoy shooting mine.

Greatn revolvers and I love mine
14-4 8 3/8 barrel

14-3 6 inch barrel

K38 pre 14 with 6 inch barrel

can anyone tell me the year my 14-3 was made searil number 3k61***

1972 is the year your gun was born

I love model 14s in any form.
Shooter grade 14-2

Model 14-3

Someone mentioned that the 38 and 22 weigh the same. My understanding is that some (normal) 38 had the same width barrel rib as the 22 which would make it lighter (bigger holes, less weight). Mine (1949) has a little wider rib to compensate so they were actually same weight. Seems to me there is a name given for this but do not remember what it is. Let me know if I'm wrong about this. Unfortunately I got rid of both my K22's long ago, too soon old, too late smart.

That gun could have shipped with magna or target grips. It doesn't matter which you use. You DO need to figure which style feels good in your hand. Once you do, go for it! Grips, obviously easy to change. I have found nice used sets on ebay. (prices have been going up) You will need K/L square butt grips.
Look carefully, read descriptions, & ask questions if need be.
I got my 14-3 early August. It came with target grips. A tiny bit beat up.(grips only) I put smooth targets on it for a few weeks while I did a refinish job. Originals are on now looking pretty darn sharp.
So anyway, make sure that you tell us about the 36-1. Bob

Last Friday I made our 14-3 family larger. I found out one Target materpiece in my town and now is in my small hands. Excellent condition, almost not used, just few shots, blue surface 99% and great SA/DA trigger.
IMG_7437.JPG IMG_7442.JPGIMG_7447.JPG

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S&W 622