What did I get myself into this time?

[feets]

A friend and competitive shooter was harassing my lately about not branching out. Apparently, having 5 handguns with 45 caliber holes and one 30 carbine wasn't a broad enough collection. He feels I need to branch out.

With that in mind, I went poking around and found a lonely little nickel plated 15-2. It looks to be in good shape and didn't cost much. It's on it's way in and I should have it by the weekend.

My intentions with this thing are purely recreational. I have noticed my unintentional jerking of the gun is coming back. Think of it as a flinch that starts at the wrist. It's not from recoil anticipation but from wanting to throw the bullet I suppose. I figure it would be cheaper to run eleventy billion rounds through this than one of the big bores.

I know how to examine a revolver for proper fit and function but I don't know much about S&W guns. My experience is limited to my sweet 25-2 and a 642 with one of the worst triggers known to man. I've tuned both actions (extensively on the 25) but that's about the extent of my S&W knowledge.
What do I need to know about the care and feeding of this little guy?
Was this gun electroless plated or done with electrolysis? In other words, how fragile is the finish?

I couldn't care less about authenticity, original box, tools, or any of that stuff. I bought this as an inexpensive yet solid gun to put some miles on.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Lobster Picnic]

Not much to know, except that you shouldn't use any cleaners that contain ammonia on the nickel finish. The Combat Masterpiece is a well-balanced and accurate revolver perfectly mated to the .38 Special round. I usually shoot 148-gr wadcutters or 130-gr American Eagle FMJ. I expect the trigger will be just as nice as the one on your 25-2.

[H Richard]

The 642, if shot with +P rounds enough could give you a flinch, as it is an alloy frame and very light. They are intended to be carried a lot and shot very little. The 15-2 can be shot with any 38 Special round you desire, but as previously mentioned, the 148 gr. HBWC is a mild target round and very accurate and usually economical to shoot, (especially if you load your own).

[justintyme]

That will be a great gun, if you really want to eliminate a flinch, work a .22lr Revolver into your shooting rotation. Pulling the trigger on that .22 after shooting a big bore can definitely show you what your muscle memory is doing.

[justintyme]

Or, try loading 5 instead of six, turn the cylinder and close without looking so you don't know when the empty will be under the hammer. When you drop the hammer on that empty you can easily see your flinch.

[tekarra]

Well everyone needs to explore different hole sizes once in awhile so the 15 was a good choice. Enjoy it and when the lustre fades, move on to something else.

[o' danny boy]

the model 15 nickle was the perfect choice!! the best .38 special revolver ever produced!! As for the finish, use a micro-fiber cloth to clean the finish. and shoot the snot outa that thing. i carry a 2" nickle 15, and shoot 130 gr fmj in it and its very accurate!!

[feets]

Thanks for the input guys.
As for the flinch, it's not a recoil anticipation thing. I've owned (and still own some) big boomers. 38+P in the 642 is no big deal. Frisky but not bad.
My problem is that when I'm ready to send the shot there might be a little flinch but it's more of a jerk of the hand. It happens more on slow aimed shots than on quicker ones. Think of it as a drag racer twitching his foot whenever he sees a traffic light change from red to green.
As far as a 22 goes, I put a ton of miles on my Ruger MK III. The 22 kinda bores me. I like hearing a bang when shooting. The 30 carbine Blackhawk gives that rewarding concussion with the recoil of a 38. I like plinking with that.
I have no interest in running the 15 hard but if it lives up to it's reputation I'll certainly give it a workout.

I was really leaning towards a 357 but I couldn't find an adjustable sight version that would come in as cheap as the 15. The gun was either going to be a Smith or a Ruger. I kept reading that the 10 and 15 were among the greatest guns in the world on earth. I don't like fixed sight rear guns so I skipped the 10 and made the deal on the 15. At just over $300 it'll be hard to go wrong.

[Green Frog]

Originally Posted by feets

Thanks for the input guys.
As for the flinch, it's not a recoil anticipation thing. I've owned (and still own some) big boomers. 38+P in the 642 is no big deal. Frisky but not bad.
My problem is that when I'm ready to send the shot there might be a little flinch but it's more of a jerk of the hand. It happens more on slow aimed shots than on quicker ones. Think of it as a drag racer twitching his foot whenever he sees a traffic light change from red to green.
As far as a 22 goes, I put a ton of miles on my Ruger MK III. The 22 kinda bores me. I like hearing a bang when shooting. The 30 carbine Blackhawk gives that rewarding concussion with the recoil of a 38. I like plinking with that.
I have no interest in running the 15 hard but if it lives up to it's reputation I'll certainly give it a workout.

I was really leaning towards a 357 but I couldn't find an adjustable sight version that would come in as cheap as the 15. The gun was either going to be a Smith or a Ruger. I kept reading that the 10 and 15 were among the greatest guns in the world on earth. I don't like fixed sight rear guns so I skipped the 10 and made the deal on the 15. At just over $300 it'll be hard to go wrong.

Not going wrong for a nice nickel Model 15 @ $300? That's an understatement these days. You did quite well.

As for the "jerk" you mention, is it a sort of forward roll into the motion of the gun, or a pull back that mimics hard recoil? You may be putting your trigger finger too far into the trigger if the former or not enough if the latter. I'm going to guess that a slight adjustment of hand position on the grip may help, or you may actually need a more user friendly (to your hand) pair of grips. Conventional wisdom is that the grip should allow you to center the web between your thumb and the rest of you hand evenly on the back of the grip frame and up high on that natural hump location most Smiths provide... think of the position on the grip safety of your 45 auto.

Regardless, the "jerk on the grip" is the largest problem faced by a lot of our guns, especially mine it would appear. Regardless, enjoy your newly acquired Model 15.

Froggie

[Cpo1944]

I think you might put that hand motion to advantage , if you can figure out how to make it a "follow thru" type motion. It`s very hard to explain, but on those special -and extremely rare-days when I can`t miss, I find myself doing something like you describe, but its kinda like pushing the bullet into the target. I hope this reply isn`t too goofy just a thought.

[feets]

Yeah, pushing the bullet. Instead of pulling the trigger I end up pushing the gun forward.

[H Richard]

One method I try to teach, when shooting two handed, is the "push pull" method. With the left hand around the fingers of the right hand on the grip, push forward with the right hand while pulling backward with the left hand. It takes a little practice, but it does make a pretty solid platform for the gun.

[o' danny boy]

what i learned from the ole man is finding a good solid prop like shoot sitting down on a table or, off a chest high fence post good solid rest is key. once your ready draw a fine bead and SLOWLY squeeze the trigger, don't jerk. easier to do single action. but with keen practice you can do just the same on the double, holding the gun out in front of you. a slow steady squeeze.

[feets]

I'm quite familiar with shooting properly. That's what makes this so aggravating. For some reason I start slipping back into old habits. I don't know what it's coming back but it's only on the long slow aimed shots. I guess I've spent too much time with quicker shots or resting a silhouette gun and this jerk is starting to creep back in.

I did pick up the gun today. It's a cutesy little thing. The bore needed a good scrubbing about a decade ago and the action is full of sludged up ickies.
It's blown apart as I type. Only the barrel and rear sight are still attached. The gun looks solid and has a good finish. However, it's in serious need of attention.
It looks like the side plate screws are wrong. Everything else looks good. The ejector rod was crunchy and full of nasty bits but seems to be cleaning up nicely. It's got some miles on it but the parts are all in good shape.
It won't be an award winner but I'm sure it'll run just fine. The action shouldn't feel nearly as gummy when I put it back together.

I'll test drive it in the morning.

[chud333]

If i worried about what everybody else thought, i would
be shooting ugly black plastic guns. Buy and shoot what
"YOU" like and tell others to pound sand. Why go buy the
15-2 in the first place if thats not really your cup of tea?
You like .45's just as i like S&W .357's so i buy almost
exclusively S&W .357's. Just saying this cause i doubt you
will be happy with a .38 after shooting .45acp a bunch.

Chuck

[BCDWYO]

Originally Posted by justintyme

Or, try loading 5 instead of six, turn the cylinder and close without looking so you don't know when the empty will be under the hammer. When you drop the hammer on that empty you can easily see your flinch.

Best drill I ever found for training myself not to flinch. If you've never tried it you will be amazed at how much you flinch without knowing it...at least I was!

[feets]

Originally Posted by chud333

If i worried about what everybody else thought, i would
be shooting ugly black plastic guns.

He was just ribbing me so I didn't take it seriously.
It will be cheaper for me to go banging away with this than the ACP, 45 Colt and 454. It'll also be a better beginner gun that won't be as intimidating to new shooters.

I just put this thing back together. It's much better but I do need to work the action. The DA pull is not as smooth as I want it.

Drive it first. Tune it later.

[Gunsnwater]

I used to scream POW when I hit a golf ball. They would land behind me. I didn't relies it until it was pointed out. Much better now. By the way it was video golf.

[murphydog]

Originally Posted by feets

It looks like the side plate screws are wrong. Everything else looks good.

I'll test drive it in the morning.

The side plate screws are similar, except...the yoke retention screw (farthest forward) is fitted and the threaded portion will look different than the other two. The topmost screw near the upper grip frame has a flat head so the stock panel won't stick out. It's easy to mix up this one and the lower one near the trigger.

Let us know how it shoots!

[feets]

I'm familiar with the screws due to playing with my 25-2. This gun came with two identical screws for the cylinder and what looks to be a "custom" ground head on the screw to fit under the grips. Sadly, all have been damaged by screwdriver, even the grip screw and main spring screw.

Off to the range!

[feets]

It runs fairly well. No real complaints other than it hitting about an inch or so to left. That's easily fixed with a twiddle of the sight screw and one more reason I bought a 15 instead of a 10. I can bump the sights to point where I hit.
I'm a bit surprised. This is the first time I've fired a K frame. The feel of running standard 38s is similar to my normal 45 ACP load in the 25-2. When shooting a gun for sport I like to have a bit of movement in the gun and enough concussion to let you know you're running something with a little oomph behind it. The 15 gives me the "more than a 22" feel without being excessive. I can see why this was such a commonly carried platform.

Now it's time to attack the action. You'd think this was a current production gun with the lawyer-heavy DA trigger pull. I'll probably need to drop in a heavier trigger rebound spring. This thing is going to be way too light in SA after I attack it with the stones.

[feets]

I just finished working the action on this thing. The machining inside the frame ranks as one of the roughest milling jobs I've seen in a gun. Ever. I was afraid I was going to have to put away the stones and attack it with my grinder.
After more than 3 hours of work it's tolerable inside. The strain spring is still quite heavy. and the beefy trigger spring isn't helping. The tight curl on the serrated trigger is starting to wear a blister on the edge of my trigger finger. I need 1-1/2 turns out on the trigger screw to make it usable.
I guess I'll look at trigger return springs and maybe one of the recurved hammer springs. I'll check on smooth triggers too. I really like the target trigger in the 25 but this one is eating my finger.