15-3 comes home - thanks to you enablers!

Old Corp

Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
2,954
Reaction score
4,761
Location
Coastal NC
Well, today fella comes into the LGS where I 'work' p/t. He's gotta a bunch of just standard 'stuff' to sell, like a Ruger MKII .22, and old obscure .25, a plane-jane Ranger Win. M94.....and a S&W M15-3 with an old police holster.
Plenty of holster wear, some light rust on backstrap, some freckling on the starboard side that should clean up OK. Innards are perfect, unusually tight lockup. No RR or WORS, just plain black adjustables. The targets seem to have a slight reddish tint to them, unlike GC or Walnut - could they be Rosewood? Strangely, the right hand grip panel shows no more use/abuse than the left - both pretty good.

I had to give the boss, well, 1 (one) Benjamin, but not another whole one, just part of another one.
And before I get flamed, it's the ONLY benefit beside salary of working there.
And it's been awhile since I've been fortunate enough to be there when other good Smiths have come in. (this week on my days off, a perfect 4" M19 and a M41 came in. And out in 13 minutes)

S/N is K9785xx. Anybody help me out with a year guesstimate?

It came in with a drop-style police holster that had obviously worked for many long years. I was unfamiliar with the name : "Service Mfg. Co., Yonkers, NY". Were they the makers of the terminally ugly NYPD leather?

I plied the owner for any background on the M15, anxiously awaiting a good story of how it may have been owned by someone nearby once employed in our LE community, of which I feel a kinship.
No such luck. His reply - "I don't know. It was my brother's. I think he bought it at a yard sale".
I was crushed.
But it helped taking it home.

Would enjoy ya'll weighin' in and telling me whatcha think....
 

Attachments

  • M15168.jpg
    M15168.jpg
    68.5 KB · Views: 204
  • M15andholster169.jpg
    M15andholster169.jpg
    68.7 KB · Views: 168
  • holsterlabel170.jpg
    holsterlabel170.jpg
    48.3 KB · Views: 142
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
Congratulations, I think you got a great gun. Maybe the only gun more fun to shoot would be a K-38. I believe the year should be 1970.
 
Thanks GyMac. Strange you should mention it - part of the reason I was sorta looking for a shooter M15 is 'cause back in the Fall, I was able to grab an absolutely PERFECT M14 (K38) that came in. It's so nice, I feel a little self-conscious putting wear on it. (besides, I had to say goodbye to about 3 Benjamins for that one).
 
Last edited:
Ugly holster & Model 15

That's not an ugly holster, it is just unloved! That is a Bill Jordan style "Border Patrol" holster. Clean it up and that is a great rig to carry your Model 15. I don't know the manufacturer.

You had a very good day today.

Frank
 
That 15 and holster are works of art friend.

They don't make them like that anymore. Find yourself a plain black leather Sam Browne duty belt, a belt slide in 38/357 for your ammo and have fun.
 
Great looking Model 15-3 and they are great revolvers.
 
Excellent find. I love my 15s. I have a 15-1 with character, a 15-2 about like yours, a 15-3 and nickel 15-4 in excellent shape. I also have a 14-3 and K38 6". I shoot them all. I'm not the least bit self conscious shooting a like new in box Smith. Who knows what the market will be like in 20 years, and I know the guns are a hoot to shoot today. My 15-3 is laser accurate.
 
I admire your excellent taste. But for me working in a fun store would be like the road to ruin. I have always liked smiths and probably would not at payday get anything in the envelope. In fact with my serious case of the "Gimmies" I''d probably end up owing more than I made. Frank
 
Working in a gunshop..............like a crack baby in a drug store. As a kid l always went with Dad to the gunshop. l spent my play time with Dad. Loading, looking, or shooting. Whatever Dad did l wanted to do too.
Not so with my older brother. He liked/likes Dungeons & Dragons along with crack. He has the rotten teeth to prove it too
 
I grabbed a 4", 15-3 with a little holster love (and nothing else!) about a decade ago...and I paid 2 Benjamines (to use your phrase) back then. I'm away from home on an overnight. Though there's a whole safe full of very fine carry guns-bottom feeders as well as wheel guns-it's the butter smooth, sweet shooting 15-3 that got carried. I'm kinda on a K frame/.38 kick of late. They just behave so well.

PC
 
Probably my favorite revolver of all time. I learned how to shoot with one back in the early 80's while serving in the air force. Out of all the revolvers I have it gets shot the most. Congrats and enjoy!
 
Nice snag, I have one just like that, mine shoots like a dream, I'm sure yours will too.
 
"Strangely, the right hand grip panel shows no more use/abuse than the left - both pretty good."
Corp, if you think about it, that's the side that's exposed while holstered. I know I used to bang into all sorts of stuff with the outside panel of my grips when I used to use one of those lower-riding holsters...switching to a high-ride eliminated that.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Back
Top