I was a U.S. Air Force Security Policeman (Law Enforcement) from 1975 to 1979.
The standard issue sidearm for Security Police was the S&W Model 15 Combat Masterpiece in .38 Special, with a 4-inch barrel.
This was a magnificent sidearm: Accurate, light on the belt, well-balanced, simple, low-recoil, utterly dependable and rugged.
Alas, it was hampered by rather weak military loads: a 130 gr. full metal jacket bullet at about 700 fps.
But the revolver itself was wonderful and introduced many non-shooters to the fun of pistol shooting.
I'd like to see Smith & Wesson introduce a 4-inch Model 15 with a little simple engraving but not so dominant that it drives the price up.
Perhaps the Air Force logo etched on the frame and, "In Honor Of Those In Blue Who Defended America" or something simiilar.
Many pilots and Office of Special Investigations (OSI) carried Model 15s with 2-inch barrels, so this special revolver would honor them too.
But keep the 4-inch barrel! It's more accurate.
I was issued an M-15 at Howard Air Force Base, Panama in 1977 that someone before me had slicked up. Wow, it had a wonderful action.
I nearly cried when I had to turn it in before discharge; how I wish I could have purchased it!
Bring back a simple, affordable Model 15 commemorative for those of us who served in the Air Force.
Please, Smith & Wesson?

Would love to see one like this! I did more than a 'few' years as a Minuteman and Peacekeeper ICBM maintenance type, security augmentee, meaning we were armed with these beauties while convoying, and had to have them within reach while working on the 'Big Guns'...the 'older' AF emblem would be nice, or even a SAC crest......

I was a Security Specialist in the Air National Guard from Aug 80 to Dec 82. On the flightline, I carried a M-16, but while working as a security controller, I wore a M-15. Coincidentially, my issue weapon at the police department where I worked was also a M-15.
I'd love to have a M-15 with the SAC crest on it.

I'd buy one, I was a security specialist in the early 80's and carried a Model 15 on the occasions I worked the gate and everyday while working as an armorer. I'd like to see it with the old security police badge or maybe our old function badge engraved on it.

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

I have not posted here in a long time. The last time I visited the forum it was undergoing a bunch of changes.

Anyway, I would love to see a USAF Model 15 issued. I too was an "Air Police" officer way back when, but my time was from 1965-1969. I carried a Model 15 every day that I was on duty. I carried a Model 19 for many years in my civilian LE days, then later switched to a 6906 and a 2 1/2" Model 66. I still have all of those along with quite a few others.

I'm glad I staggered back into this forum.

The M15 was one of the premier S&W guns of the day. I have a 4 inch model that I would never part with. One as a tribute to the Air Force would be much sought after I believe.

Mike

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CRPA Member

I was a Security Police officer from 83 - 91, getting out as a Captain. I carried a Model 15 until nearly the end of my stint when the M9 started coming out.

One afternoon at Bergstrom AFB in Austin, TX, an RF-4C (aka "Texas Lawn Dart") crashed on the highway short of the base. The pilot parachuted safely into a nearby residential area, somehow losing his Model 15 in the ejection. I was working the scene when a civilian walked up to me, carrying the pilot's gun by two fingers like a dead rat. I stuck it in my belt and later turned it in to the armory. I doubt anyone would have missed it, with a couple million bucks of classified plane scattered all over the place, but I turned it in anyway.

I'd like to see a commemorative Model 15, too.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Excellent idea.

I'll vote for this! When I was on Minuteman crew at Malmstrom ('76-'81) I carried both the 2" and 4" M15. I'd love to see a commerative with the SAC crest. After a couple years of searching I did find a very good condition M15-3 4" at a gun show in Houston in Dec '07. Great shooter, with that sweet S&W trigger.

I'd also like to see a good, six-shot J-Frame for concealed carry. If Taurus can make one, S&W can make it better.

Another SP: count me in. In '65 I carried an old Victory Model and M1 carbine. In SEA the Model 15 and M16. Prior to going over I brewed up some improved loads for the .38: 12.5 grains 2400 and a 158 gr. LHP. Once on post I would dump out the issue 130 grain military loads and put mine in. Never needed them, never got caught. Left them behind--always wondered if anyone ever tried them on for size.

My son latched onto the only Model 15 I ever had and won't let go of it. A USAF commemorative would help fix that. It would be even nicer if my kids would get it for me. Lord knows they've hit Dad up for "a few good pieces" over the years...

I can't find a Model 15 anywhere around Salt Lake City. May have to resort to gunbroker.com to find one.
Yeah, loved the Model 15 I carried in the Air Force. Hampered only by its abysmally weak load (130 gr. full metal jacket at 750 fps from a 4" barrel).
I've spit watermelon seeds with more downrange energy!

Another SP here 1985-90, Whiteman and Wueschheim AS. I qualified with the model 15 but never carried it. Saw three of them today at fun show for 319- in good shape but I had recently bought a model 19 and I had no funds left.

That's a great idea!! I'd be in line for one, I was an 81150A for 4 years, and as a dog handler working off the flight line, we always carried a 15. I think I've still got an issue holster floating around here somewhere.

Take care...

I carried a Combat Masterpiece at Ellsworth AFB, SD and at Phu Cat AB, RVN. When I went on the PD when I got out, we had Trooper MarkIII's. they just never felt right. I'd love to have a Model 15.

You heard that from the "Grapevine"

Count me in on a group buy if S&W will go for it.

I was in from 63 to 67 and would also go for one, but only if S&W made it without the lock.

Law Enforcement Specialist 1972-Apr 1993...I'd buy one! RAF Lakenheath, England; Loring AFB, Maine; Sembach AB, Germany; and Griffiss AFB, NY were my assignments. I did solicit S&W for a Security Police Commerative in the 1980's (Have letter somewhere) which they replied to saying the Request had to come from the agency, i.e., the USAF before they would take into consideration...MT

I'm in! Wow am I impressed with the number of USAF folks on this forum. I was a Security Policeman from 69-73 and then OSI. I carried the M15 in SEA and later OSI issued us a M36, 3" because it was easier to hide than the 4" M15. The service loads were puny and I recall hardball bouncing back toward the firing line after hitting a knot on the support uprights! Later we carried a chopped .45, then the M9, and finally the Sig 228. I don't recall the price on the M15 but when I signed the hand receipt for my M36 in 1973 the value was $60. I have been trying to collect all the service guns I carried in my career and think I paid around $400 for date correct M15 and M36. That M15 is one of the sweetest shooting guns I have ever fired. (General LeMay was a shooter and he wanted a gun that his cops could hit with plus was easier to teach all the non-combat support and technical folks to defend themselves with. Interestingly LeMay favored a special model 45 for his aircrews but the USAF never bought that gun.) Later in civilian LE the M19 seemed a natural to me. If the factory wouldn't do a series I am sure somebody like Nutmeg Sports or Flannery engraving would engrave a series if there was enough interest. They would probably take orders and cash in advance. Another option might be to have some special grips made and put them on stock guns? Nutmeg Sports specializes in custom ivory grips, might be a place to look?

I started this thread, thinking it would quickly die a natural death.
I'm surprised at how often it's been resurrected.
Hmmmmm ... think I'll copy and paste the responses (minus the contributor's name) and send a letter to Smith & Wesson.
The fact is, the .38 Special has been carried by every branch, and many of those .38s were Smith & Wessons.
So why not five different models, honoring Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard?
Each service's logo could be on the frame.
Good idea on special grips, HayesGreener. Perhaps dark blue rubber for Air Force and Navy; dark green for Army, black for Coast Guard and camo for Marines.
And moulded into each grip would be each service's logo, to match the gun's frame.
My mind is whirring ... my pocket's burning ... lol

Count me in! SP from 1970-1975. Just Loved the Model 15. Own one now. Would love a commerative with the SAC logo, or PACAF...

Here's a variation of the theme, but an M&P revolver: SAC Elite Guard

I believe the SAC Elite Guard were the first to be issued the M15 in the early 60's but that was before my time.

I carried the 2" M15 in a shoulder holster (concealed) or survival vest as a C-130 pilot from '83-'90. It carried much better than the M9 we got prior to my separation. We always qualified with the 4" version, though. I still have a soft spot for M15s, and have a 4" nickel and 4" M67. Still searching for the right 2" (mostly the rightly priced 2"!!!).

I'm in, carried one from 82 until the M-9 became standard issue. Glad to see there are so many former SP's here. I retired in 03 from Bolling in DC, what are some of your duty stations?

Fresno,CA; Udorn,Thailand; Mather,CA;Phan Rang RVN; Korat, Thailand; Andrews, MD; Wright-Patt,OH; MacDill,FL; Hurlburt Field, FL; Homestead, FL; Moody, GA; Carswell, TX; March, CA; Robins, GA; Travis, CA; Scott, IL; Randolph, TX; Wright Patt, OH; Eglin, FL; Ramstein, GE; Mildenhall, UK; Goodfellow, TX.

I'd be interested in having one now, because I never got one while in. (1957-61).

In those days, only aircrew got revolvers; AP issue was 1911A1, even on gate-duty, but front-gate guys had to use white holsters (at least at Nellis)

I wound up doing bomb-dump duty frequentlly, and was always issued a mix'n-match 45 with either an M2 Carbine or a shotgun that looked like it was exhumed from a WWI trench, somewhere.

Flash

Law Enforcement Specialist, here.
I was at Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, Colorado from 1975 to late 1976 and Howard Air Force Base, Panama from early 1977 to early 1979.
I extended two months to go to Panama.
A buddy in the admin building told me that if I refused to extend two months to go to Panama, that they had plans to send me to Guam.
I never heard a good thing about Guam, and figured that staying in an extra two months, to get Panama, would be worth it. It was. Nice beaches and a lot of history.
Wish I had the Model 15 issued me in Panama. Someone before me had got hold of it, cracked open the side plate, and polished all the inner surfaces. But they left alone the engaging surfaces where the hammer meets trigger, and the bolt, so they knew what they were doing.
That revolver had the smoothest action! Trigger broke at a crisp 4 pounds, perhaps a little less.
Double-action was effortless and hardly stacked.
Got my expert ribbon with that beauty.
I nearly cried to turn it back in. I still want to cry, because I figure it was cut up and sold for scrap. Damn shame.
It would have been nice for Uncle Sam to offer all its .38 revolvers to veterans, through the Civilian Marksmanship Program.
Loved the Model 15, with 4-inch barrel. Wish I had one for dinking around here in the remote Utah desert.
But I bought a nice Model 10, nickel plated, a couple of years ago and it's a good shooter too. Nice gun for plinking and self-defense.
It's not fancy or sexy, and many youngsters today would snicker at it, but only hits count and I can hit better with it than I can any 9mm or .45 ACP.

Well, I started this post and was amazed at the response.
So, last week I sent a letter to Smith & Wesson requesting them to consider an M-15 commemorative for Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard.
No answer yet, of course.
I mentioned that I went by the nom de net Gatofeo, so if you'd like to send Smith & Wesson a postcard or letter to affirm interest, you can refer to me as well. It might jog S&W's memory.
I'm unsure what department ponders such things, so I simply addressed it to the Research & Development Department. I'm sure it will land in the proper hands.
Send a postcard or letter affirming interest in an M15 to honor our branches to:

Smith & Wesson
Research & Development Dept.
2100 Roosevelt Avenue
Springfield, MA 01104

If I get a reply, and a more precise address, I'll post it here again.
Many thanks to all of you!

SP/LE troop from 1979-83; then an additional one year in Mass Air National Guard (Otis ANGB, MA) doing the same job, but only one weekend per month.
Lackland for basic, Lackland for Tech school, and yes, Lackland again for permanent party duty assignment. Hey, join the Air Force and see Lackland !! On another note, I remember seeing some literature that our 130 grain FMJ/PGU rounds were rated for 950 fps out of the 4 inch model 15's; not 750 fps as was quoted above. I seem to remember the brown ammo box saying that is was "high velocity" for that stubby little round. What gives ??

I'd love to have one as well!

JWM:
I've chronographed Remington and Winchester M41 from 1961 and Winchester M41 cartridges from 1974. Both did about 750 fps from my 4" Smith & Wesson Model 10.
But I don't dispute your memory.
The Air Force played around with higher velocity loads, after they recognized the weakness of a 130 gr. full metal jacket bullet at 750 fps.
The March 1982 American Rifleman (p. 68) has some good info on these efforts.
All of the following use the same 130 gr. FMJ bullet, but the depth of the seated bullet differed, as well as the amount of powder used:

PGU-12/B has a deep-seated bullet and heavy crimp. The headstamp includes the telltale +P marking. This cartridge gets 1,125 fps (plus or minus 25 fps) from a 6" solid test barrel. Maximum allowable pressure is 20,000 psi, which certainly qualifies it as +P.
The American Rifleman staff chronographed these same rounds from a 4" barrel at 950 to 980 fps.

The standard M41 ball is loaded to standard .38 Special pressures of 16,000 psi maximum and develops 950 fps (plus or minus 25 fps) from a 6" solid test barrel.
The American Rifleman chronographed the M41 cartridge at 720 to 770 fps. This velocity is about the minimum at which a jacketed bullet can be expelled from a revolver.
Because there were instances of jacketed bullets getting stuck in the 4" barrel of service revolvers, a shorter-cased cartridge was introduced.

Introduced by the Army, the experimental M41E2 had a shorter case than the standard .38 Special (1.056 inch compared to 1.150 inch).
The bullet was deeply seated with the case meeting the bullet's ogive. This deep seating was done to reduce airspace in the case, and improve ignition.
The American Rifleman notes that this cartridge is not commonly encountered. Velocity was the same as the M41: 720 to 770 fps.

The Army did not adopt a high velocity .38 Special cartridge because it shortened the service life of revolvers. Niceeeeeeee ... guess an $80 revolver (what one cost new in 1978) was worth more than a soldier.

Most of the bullet-stuck-in-bore incidents with M41 ammo were reported to have occurred with older revolvers that were well worn. Few such incidents were noted in revolvers in good condition.

On a personal note, when elk and deer hunting in Idaho I carried a 6" Ruger .357 Magnum in a shoulder holster. The first three rounds were M41 FMJ .38 Special cartridges. I managed to knock off a few grouse with these bullets, with very minimal meat damage. They just zipped right through the bird, like a sharpened pencil through wet cardboard.
Killed the birds readily, though.

These same M41 rounds are sold everywhere today, as the 130 gr. FMJ .38 Special cartridge that so many shooters use for plinking. It's a good round for small game at close range, but I certainly wouldn't trust my life with it.

Back in the mid 70s, Speer catalogued a 150 gr. FMJ +P, in nickel cases. When I was in Panama, after guardmount I'd empty my S&W revolver and replace it with these. I was young, foolish and figured the Air Force wouldn't raise a fuss since it was still an FMJ bullet.
I know now that I would have been in Deep Merde if I'd ever shot someone with those non-official rounds.
No one knew for many months, but I finally went back to the issue rounds because I was short, getting out in a few months, and didn't want any proceedings to delay or affect my discharge.

Speer now makes a .38 Special +P 158 gr. Total Metal Jacket cartridge. I don't know what the velocity is.
I've tried the Fiocchi 158 gr. FMJ and that stuff is probably near +P. It's obviously hotter than standard American ammo but I haven't chronographed it. The Europeans tend to load their ammo a little more powerful than American stuff (though, if I recall correctly, American-sold Fiocchi ammo is now made in Missouri).

Anyway, much more than you likely wanted to know. But now you know!
Forgive my verbosity.

Gateofeo:
Thinks for the feedback on the PGU round. I was a NRA member back then in 1982, so I do remember the American Rifleman magazine article. Maybe somebody can scan and post a link to the article as it was pretty in-depth on the military .38 round at that time. Additional, after leaving active duty Air Force, I was picked up as a GS-4 DOD Police Officer at Otis ANGB, MA. Again, I was issued an Air Force Model 15 for a duty weapon with the PGU rounds for ammo. I had some time to kill one afternoon on routine patrol, so being a "gun person" I headed to the north end of the installation for some plinking at abandon automobiles that the Army National Guard had towed in for artillery practice. I got to them first with my .38 revolver and some extra PGU rounds. In my informal testing, all the rounds easily punched through the front windshield from about 20 feet. I put some rounds through the side doors, but I don't think they penetrated into the interior of the cars. Made for a fun afternoon though.

So, the Winchester white box 130gn FMJ only runs 750fps? Anybody chronograph it? I found it to be very accurate in my Model 15 recently at 25yds.

Capt., Are you sure it was a 2" Model 15, and not the 2" Model 56? I carried the Model 56 in Titan II ICBM silos in the early 1980's (before they were deactivated). We also qualified with the 4" 15's, but carried the 2" M-56's. I Am not aware of the USAF issuing a 2" M-15. I resigned the fact of getting a M-56 anytime soon, as the cheapest I've seen them is in the $2500-$3000 range with $4500-$5000 being the more common range.

I worked in the armory for about 3 months at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver. In the armory we had about 20 M-15s with 2" barrels, for issue to OSI agents. Heck, we only had about six OSI agents on the whole post!
The OSI agents carried Remington 158 gr. roundnosed lead ammo, in the blue and white boxes. There were about four CASES of this ammo in a locker. I think there were 1,000 rounds per case.
Yet, OSO agents qualified with the same 148 gr. Winchester wadcutters we Security Police qualified with.
I know those 2"-barreled .38s were Model 15s because they were listed as such on our inventory, we had to do monthly. In those days, I wasn't up on Smith & Wessons and didn't know to check the model number stamped in the frame under the crane.
They looked identical to our M15s, except for the shorter barrel. They were squarebutt with walnut grips.
About the only time an OSI agent checked one out was for qualification. Perhaps twice a year, at most, they checked one out for real carry. One time, an OSI agent checked one out while he accompanied Denver PD to arrest an airman in downtown Denver, who was suspected of armed robbery.
The airman was arrested without incident. The 2" M15 was checked back into the armory, unfired. I know, because I looked down the chambers and bore to see if it needed cleaning.

I hope my letter to Smith & Wesson is convincing. I'd surely love to relive the days of my youth with a blued, Model 15!

Gatofeo:
Did USAF OSI agents have a "standard" issue weapon back then ? I seem to remember accounts of special chopped down .45 1911's specially made for them by the gunsmiths at Lackland. On another occassion, I recall reviewing the course of fire for an OSI group about to qualify and it mentioned using their S&W model 36's five shooters. Not doubting your experience with the 2" bbl model 15's, but I'm wondering if OSI had a bunch of handguns to choose from.

Okay, I guess I should have done a google search on this topic before posting. Anyway, here is a cut & paste from the sight1911.com web page on USAF OSI:

The last military modification of the M1911A1 came in the early 1980s. The United States Air Force wanted to issue its Office of Special Investigations (OSI) personnel something a little potent, but nearly as compact as a .38-caliber snub-nosed revolver. Starting with the basic M1911A1 acquired from the U.S. Navy as surplus, unserviceable weapons, the slide and barrel were shortened by .75"(1.905 cm). The frame was also shortened nearly .5"(1.27 cm), requiring a special six round magazine to be created, with a finger rest to create a better gripping surface for personnel with large hands. The front edge of the triggerguard was squared and the frontstrap stippled for better gripping. A ramp-type front sight was installed on the shortened slide and an ambidextrous safety was built and added to the pistols. Costing U.S. taxpayers less than $100 to rebuild, only a small number of these OSI pistols were built.

I was honorably discharged in January, 1979 so the chopped-down .45 was after my time.
But I will note this: The big, noticed air bases -- especially along the eastern seaboard and a few, select SAC bases -- got new, novel stuff we only read about in Air Force Times.
Lowry Air Force Base in Denver was an Air Training Command base -- a backwater for SPs. Howard Air Force Base in Panama was a Military Airlift Command base -- another SP backwater.
In Panama, we were told that all the SPs would soon be issued dark blue flight suits, with built in keepers around the waist for our leather gunbelt. We were looking forward to it, because the flight suits didn't need to be starched -- just toss them in the washer and dryer and then hang up.
Well, months and months went by and no word. Finally, one of our sergeants disgustedly plopped an Air Force Times down in front of us with an article about the nifty new dark blue flight suits that all general officers would be issued.
And there was some general with a gun belt, and a chopped-down .45 on his hip, looking jaunty.
About that time, general officers began to be issued custom-made, chopped-down .45s which they were allowed to keep when they left the Air Force. Or, at least they could buy them. Can't recall which.
Taxpayer paid a lot for those guns that had almost no chance of ever being fired in anger. They were strictly for show.
And there we were, some of us with older, worn .38s that spit slivers of lead when we qualified with wadcutters.
I was an SP from 1975 to January 1979, just afer the Vietnam pullout. After that period, funding was cut and the military was hated. We ate C rations that were made in the early 1960s. I recall carrying 7.62 ammo for my M60 that was made in 1965.
Our patrol cars were 1969 American Motors Ambassadors with nearly 300,000 miles on them, 6 cylinder and 3-speed on the column. One of our guys got outrun by a Volkswagen. Our belt radios were huge Motorolas that weighed probably close to 3 pounds.
Much of our equipment was old, worn and obsolete -- and yet, it was still being issued.
The point being, even though the officially stance was that "standard issue" meant issue to everyone, not everyone received the same items. Many of us had to make-do with what we had.
Even today, the military wastes tremendous piles of money.
The Beretta M9 9mm pistol was pushed through 25 years ago. At the time, it was claimed that standardization of a sidearm would cure many logistic problems: every branch would carry the M9, so supply and repair would be greatly simplifed.
Sounded good.
Then out of the blue, a few years after the M9 adoption, the Navy purchased tens of thousands of Sigs, I think it was. The Marines adopted a .45 for special troops a few years ago. The Air Force is pondering the .45 once again. Will the .38 Special be next? Or the .40 S&W?
I'm sure quartermasters are driven half-mad trying to supply parts, magazines, cleaning kits, ammo and whatnot.

What a great thread hearing about the Air Force S&W 15! The first S&W I purchased was a mint model 15 with target trigger and hammer. It was hidden behind several assorted 9mm's with a price of $300 and hardly a turn line on the cylinder. I asked if they could do better and I bought it that day for $275!

It is ironic that an Army grunt would wind up with a similar sidearm of the AP's. My 15 was made in 1966 and after reading the stories of all who carried one, I am proud to own mine.

Bimmer

When I was an SP, all dog handlers regardless of branch carried double-action .38 revolvers.
The reason was simple.
The military demanded that the 1911 .45 be carried with an empty chamber and loaded magazine. To activate it, before returning fire, you had to pull the slide back and let it go.
Easily done with two hands; impossible with one hand.
Dog handlers had only one shooting hand, because their other hand was occupied by the dog's leash.
They couldn't drop the dog's leash to cycle the .45s slide because a dropped leash told the dog, "Go get him!"
The handler required control of his patrol or drug dog at all times.
But the .38 revolver was easy to use with one hand: pull it out of the holster and pull the double-action trigger, which cammed back the hammer until the revolver fired.
Yes, the .38 with its 6 individual cartridges was slower to reload than the .45 and its magazine, but statistically nearly all pistol fights end within 3 or 4 shots expended by both sides. Within two shots by either side, someone's going down.
Long, drawn-out pistol fights are the stuff of movies and detective novels.
Anyway, I saw Army dog handlers at Fort Kobbe, Panama with .38s on their hips. I also saw Marine dog handlers in Panama with .38s. At this time, about 1978, the Navy Security Police also carried the .38 revolver. I knew a few Navy cops, who stopped by the main gate at Howard Air Force Base, Panama, and they all carried .38 revolvers.
They much preferred the .38 as it was utterly reliable and accurate. The .45s that Army MPs carried, who stopped by the main gate to chat, were in horrible shape. Their .45s were made in World War II and worn out; one MP told me he had to remove the rear sight on his 1911 before qualifying each time, because with the first shot the rear sight would fly off the slide.
They uniformly complained about the inaccuracy and unreliability of the old, worn-out .45s. Our Smith & Wesson Combat Masterpiece was viewed with envy by them.
Truth be told, a 1911 in good condition with good ammo is a fine combat arm. But old and worn it becomes a plague.
I never saw a dog handler with a .45, they all were issued .38 revolvers for the cited reason. And those I spoke with loved their .38 revolver because it was accurate, had little recoil and went bang every time you pulled the trigger, without fail.

i did some LE augmentee duty once in cali and then a couple of times in oklahoma...

i carried the M15 in cali and the M9 in okla...

i served in the base honor guard in california and we used to occasionally carry and M15 with us in a white holster since we were taking anywhere from 7 to 21 M1 Garand rifles with us off base...

i was a 'cargo courier' so i had an additional reason for qualifying with the pistol, although i never couriered any cargo that i can recall...

the first time i had to qualify was in the middle of the "global shield" (1988). i was in an ad-hoc OPFOR team and we were doing a 16-18 hour Night-Op. about 0630 i told my fire team (i was driving a 'pig) that i had to go and they thought i had to take a leak. i got up in the middle of this firefight/assault on the ABGD cops and double timed it about 900yds back to the OPFOR camp. i cleared the M60, checked it in and went home to shower. 28 minutes later i showed up at the small arms range and fired a perfect 40 for 40...

my base was ideal for ABGD training and CivEng and Hosp training in that it was 86,000 acres (down from WWII size of 128,000 acres) of mostly scrub brush, and grassy knolls. there was a nice wooded area with a river that ran through it that we used during Hospital field training week twice a year...

anywho, ive got an M15 i got some time ago. it needs cosmetic work done and im torn between a reblue or a parkerized 'air force' rebuild. im certain we had (in the unit or in the sps) both blued and parked versions...

United States Air Force
23151/23132
(graphic artist and still photographer)
1985-1993
Beale AFB, California
Altus AFB, Oklahoma

Never saw a parkerized M-15 myself. All those I saw were blued.
We got a shipment of new ones while I was at Panama. They had the least polish of any blued gun I've ever seen. Not parkerized, but obviously not much polishing of the metal before bluing. Certainly not like the ones we had been using.
And those new ones had rough actions. We were surprised at their lack of fit and finish, because the S&W had been so well made, even for military models.
They were probably made in 1976 or 1977, because I recall our 24th Security Police Squadron getting them in 1978.
I was offered a new one, being an E-4, but hung onto my old one. It had the finest action I'd ever seen. Popping the sideplate off one night revealed that someone prior to me had gone in it and polished all surfaces. They knew what they were doing, to be sure.
Its finish was thin, from holster wear, but the bore and chambers were mirror-like.
Even now, more than 30 years later, I wish I could have purchased it and taken it home with me. I almost weep to think that when the M9s appeared, it likely fell to the cutting torch because it looked worn.
It wasn't worn ... it was just broken-in!

Count me in also for a SAC M-15. Malmstrom Afb 341st Security Police. 1974-1978. I'd buy one.

Count me in too. Security Specialist '75-'89 when I became a 1st Sgt. Though the M-16 was my primary arm the Model 15 served me on occasion and I put lots of rounds down range with it for the years I was on the base rifle/pistol team.

EX-SP here also. I used the Combat Masterpiece while on the AF Security Police Marksmanship team. Awesome pistol and I would Love to have a commemerative.
WW

To all Vets, thank you for your service to our country. My son is an E-4 in the US Navy and my nephew is in the Air Force in Iraq as we speak.

Ex Law Enforcement Security Police, the Model 15 was the best pistol either in 2" or 4" barrel. They were accurate at 25 yards and shot expert many times with both. Would like to find any surplus 2" barrel but doubt it is possible.

Rickenbacker AFB, Clark AB, Camp O'Donnell, Crow Valley Bombing Range, US Forces Police Station (Town Patrol) in Vogelweh Germany, Dover AFB.

I also would go for a M-15 with a SAC stamp although I was in the missile field and carried a M-16 and no side arm.

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91st SMW, Minot AFB
Minot, ND

I carried an M-15 as an officer in PACAF (not an SP). I have been trying to find one and have seen several on the market with -1, -2, -3, and -4. Anyone have any idea which would be closest to the one I carried on active duty. (it was a few decades and many beers ago.) Also, I still have the serial number from my old hand reciept and sent it into S&W to see if they could tell me the model rev but haven't heard back.

What is a good price for one in decent condition? (I'm seeing most in the 350-450 range.)

I was assigned to the OSI in 1972 (special duty AFSC 999X0) from Security Police. Our issued weapon was the S&W Mod 36 OSI, These were special order from S&W. They were 3" square butt Mod 36's with wide target triggers, and stamped "OSI" of the side plate. We carried them in inside the waste band holsters (at least at Edwards). We did qualify with the old wad-cutters but I can't remember if we carried the standard jacketed ball like we did in SP or round nose lead.