There was a discussion a few months ago about model 14s and I wanted to post my story, but didn't have time back then to gather the photos and write the story. I say this is an unremarkable revolver as there isn't anything "special" about it, except how the whole thing came together for me.
Several years ago during the covid lockdown time I purchased a set of grips off Ebay as I was looking for a project. At this point I didn't even have a revolver that I wanted to put them on!
I am not even sure exactly what they are, hopefully one of the knowledgeable people here will post details. Please post what type of grips these are if you know, thank you!
The grip photos with all the damage were as they were posted in the auction. I guess someone used them as a hammer at some point.
Using a belt sanding machine I removed material until the chips were gone and I had a flat surface to glue on new wood pieces. You can see in the 3rd photo I had my K frame model 15 and L frame model 686 on the bench to use for test fitting.
I sanded the patches to the proper contour, stained the grips and sprayed multiple coats of Tru-Oil. I finished with some stock sheen conditioner to knock down the high gloss finish on the grips to more of a semi-gloss look.
Sometime in the summer of 2022 I received a phone call from my LGS while I was at work. The manager told me they took a 6" model 14 in on trade and offered it to me for price I couldn't refuse ($300). He said it was in decent shape but the action was "slow" and needed a good cleaning. I agreed to purchase it sight unseen! If nothing else I figured it would be another project, so I picked it up that evening. The "slow" action was quickly diagnosed, I am not sure how someone managed to fill the action with so much grease! Maybe it was oil at some point, but it now had the consistency of molasses. A complete disassembly, thorough soaking, scrubbing and cleaning ensued. Here are some photos of how I received it.
Here are the final results of this fun project. It has the best factory action of any S&W revolver that I own. It is simply amazing. And it shoots as good as it feels. I have only shot 158 grain SWC cast reloads and it groups consistently around 1" at 7 yards. I really enjoy this one!
Here are some close-up photos of the grip repair/refinishing. One side of the repair came out lighter than the other and I originally thought about redoing it but ultimately decided against it. I was not trying to make a museum piece and the "character" of it is just enough to remind me of the work involved and the memories made.
