A well-worn K-38 and the siren song of Cabelas and Adam-12.

[PR24]

Very nice grab. Just don't make it DAO like LAPD did with their wheelies. She is purdy tho.

 

[EarlB]

Nice gun OP! I have a love/hate relationship with our Cabelas but mostly love. My life was upset by the exact same corporate raider that forced their merger - he caused my company to lay me off at almost the same time. How a person can sleep at night after destroying so many lives - I have no idea but God will have his just deserts for him one day, that I DO know. So I know it's not their fault. I keep going back every week even though they have the locks, won't give the discounts they used to do, and no longer have the coupons they used to have. Occasionally they do still have a really good buy and that keeps me going back. That and I refuse to let that corporate butthole ruin my life anymore than he already has.

 

[Stephanie B]

Nice. Now you need a Model 15, for that's what Reed and Malloy carried in the later seasons.

 

[JP@AK]

The Model 14 is a wonderful revolver. It stands as my all-time favorite for punching holes in paper.

Here are a few examples from my safe:

An ANIB 14-2

A 14-3 SAO with its letter

An ANIB 14-4

 

[Texas Star]

When did LAPD and Adam 12 go to the shorter M-15 Combat Masterpiece?

I think I recall Hurst or Hogue grips on the TV guns. They tried for authenticity. The shotguns were Ithaca M-37, like the real cops there had.

I think the holsters may also have changed. I'll try to find some episodes. I used to watch that show faithfully when it was new.

I'll look up when it ran but think it was ca. 1968-1975. ??

 

[spad124]

I really like the 14s and pre-14s I have they are shooting machines.
I think you did fine on the price of yours and even better that you talked Cabela's down on the price which is a difficult task by itself.
Yours is a little to old for Adam-12 there's would have been 14-2s.

Given all the semi-custom features you get with a M14, like three Ts, overtravel adjustment, and a revolver that I swear S&W took more time fitting and finishing than it's "regular" models I'm still surprised that 14s are as affordable and often less expensive these days than other K frames and most L frames. Even though I inherited my 14-4 it is one of my favorites- for personal as well as practical reasons.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Nice snag! My only birth year S&W is a 1954 K-38 in overall nice condition. It had a set of Franzite target stocks on but in it's box was its matching number like new magnas, whoo and hoo both! Enjoy yours!

 

[Homie]

I thought they were Fuzzy's.

 

[S&W Fan]

Wow, that's great, congrats! I've stopped going to that store because I never had a decent experience in their library.

 

[jimmyj]

The color combo (red on the front sight and blue on the rear sight) was popular in my area in the late 1960s/early 1970s in PPC course.

 

[BigBill]

When did LAPD and Adam 12 go to the shorter M-15 Combat Masterpiece?

I think I recall Hurst or Hogue grips on the TV guns. They tried for authenticity. The shotguns were Ithaca M-37, like the real cops there had.

I think the holsters may also have changed. I'll try to find some episodes. I used to watch that show faithfully when it was new.

I'll look up when it ran but think it was ca. 1968-1975. ??

One Adam 12 carried a 4" and the other carried the 6" on the show. Isn't the 6" a k38 target masterpiece?

 

[JP@AK]

Isn't the 6" a k38 target masterpiece?

No. "Target" was never part of the name. Unfortunately, earlier editions of the SCSW were printed with that moniker in it. The mistake has been mostly corrected in the 4th Edition.

If you look at earlier boxes (gold boxes particularly) "A Target Revolver" will be embossed on them. This is true, but the model name was K-38 Masterpiece.

 

[lrmnut]

Most defiantly I've just fallen into several deals in the last few years and most have been totally unexpected. I always keep some cash in my pocket just for those times.
Just last week I had the chance at this one, it's a model 14 but newer that the OPs. You don't see many of these and at 500 it was something that I jumped on.

What dash model is that I've never seen a full lug 14 it looks just like my 16-4 even same grips

 

[Doug M.]

I think the full lug M14s came around about the 14-6, but that's just a recollection from reading here. I am not generally a fan of the full lug barrels, so I don't pay much attention to models with that "feature".

 

[sigp220.45]

It shoots!

I took it to the range today, and was delighted.

I like to record the first rounds fired from a new to me gun. There are five rounds here at 20 yards, single action, six o'clock hold.

At first I thought I somehow pulled one all the way off the paper, but every shot felt good. On close examination, the second hole down is two shots.

Fifty rounds of old Hornady 148 grain wadcutters all flew straight and true.

I like it.

 

[shawn mccarver]

I carry around a Cabelas credit card with a zero balance for gun purchases because I never have cash on me. When I buy something I get money from the bank and go pay the card off at my local Cabelas (Lone Tree, CO).

I was there yesterday, did my transaction and of course wandered over to see what poor guns they had trigger-locked against their will in the cases.

Amidst the laughably over priced guns were a trio of Model 14s - two 14-3s at $779, and this old warrior at $449. I looked, asked if they'd take 4 bills, was rebuffed, and handed it back.

I wandered around some more, told myself $449 wasn't too bad, and asked to see it again. Different guy this time. I don't know if they work on commission but the first guy came over, took the gun in the office, came out, and said "We'll do $399". Close enough to $400 for me, so a deal was struck.

Of course I couldn't check the action, which is a deal-breaker for some. I originally felt the same way, but its three guns later so I guess I'm over it.

Enough talk:

No dash model-marked Model 14, four screws, serial number lands it in 1958. I'm a 1959 model, so instead of a birth-year gun its a Dad-Got-Lucky year gun.

Wrong grips, but I can live with these.

Lots of holster wear, but not refinished.

The ever-popular red nail polish up front, but blue in the back. Haven't seen that color combo before.

The action is fine, gummy at first but cleaned up nicely. I had a bronze Tyler-T waiting for a home.

I've only had one K-38 Masterpiece before - I bought one at the Scheel's in Minot, ND, that only functioned in single action. I took it to a gun show and traded it off to someone much smarter than me who recognized it was supposed to be that way.

I've been watching Adam-12 reruns and it sparked the desire for one of these. Must have been fate. Now I just need a clamshell holster and a Plymouth Belvedere.

sigp220.45:

That picture. . . is that from the scene where Malloy uses the 6 inch barrel of his K38 to knock a gun or a weapon of some kind from the suspect's hand?

Shawn

PS - It seems your collection is growing since retirement from the Bureau. Enjoying retirement it seems!