Holy grail pre model 14 ???

Engine49guy said:
As far as post war 6" K38s

IMO the one liner LERK would be the "Grail Gun".

The wide rib appears late 48/early 49 and is listed in the 1950 AMC.

Bright blue finish standard around 1954-55ish, four screw non Model marked around 1957 then model marking around 1957-58 so while the 5 screw bright blue had a relatively short run the 4 screw non model marked was probably shorter.



If it letters as shipped with the wide TT/TH well ok it lowers the number quite a bit for the guy that collects boxed variants of the K38 but the price is clearly more than 2x what you'd expect.



On a side note when you compare the wider rib K22 it doesn't actually appear to begin shipping until very late 54 to early 55 and so had a much shorter run , I've also never seen one confirmed that was shipoed in factory satin blue.
Click to expand...
Does a LERK k-38 masterpiece exist?

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Can't recall if a k38 "LERK" actually exists but one liners do as pictured above in post #14.
Had a one liner K38 in my hot little hands back in 2011 but only had enough for 1 gun and the seller also had the K22 LERK I had been hunting for.
 
Engine49guy said:
Can't recall if a k38 "LERK" actually exists but one liners do as pictured above in post #14.
Had a one liner K38 in my hot little hands back in 2011 but only had enough for 1 gun and the seller also had the K22 LERK I had been hunting for.
Click to expand...

I recall Lee Jarret talking about having one years ago. Maybe the big Gorilla will chime in.
 
"I recall Lee Jarret talking about having one years ago. Maybe the big Gorilla will chime in."

The one I had in my hands was actually one Lee was selling at the SWCA symposium in Orlando 2011.
I didn't fancy 6" K38 Masterpieces yet,
Was more focused on the K22 and KT357 .
It might have been a LERK can't recall but definitely was a one liner.
 
fungunnin said:
Does a LERK k-38 masterpiece exist?
Click to expand...

Engine49guy said:
Can't recall if a k38 "LERK" actually exists but one liners do as pictured above in post #14.
Had a one liner K38 in my hot little hands back in 2011 but only had enough for 1 gun and the seller also had the K22 LERK I had been hunting for.
Click to expand...

There are several LERK K-38 Masterpieces out there. This is mine (K4564 shipped in Feb 1948):





One of these days, I need to take some better photos of this gun. On a side note, a few years back, David Carroll had another LERK K-38 Masterpiece that was one serial number higher or lower than mine.
 
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That is very nice, Richard. I guess I'm not surprised that if anyone has one, you would. :D

It is actually interesting that any of the K-38s had the barrel shaped extractor rod end. The first K-38 wasn't assembled until June 6, 1947. That's rather late in the game. We know they exist (obviously) but there cannot be many of them.
 
I hate to take over a thread and I may post a new thread, but does anyone have an idea on how many tapered barreled K38 was built from 46 to 47 or 48? I am thinking this may be a very rare variant that nobody even knows about.
 
First of all, there were no K-38s built in 1946. The first was assembled in June 1947, and none of them shipped until February 1948. Full production started in May 1948.

On the other hand, the tapered barrel lasted until 1952, made concurrently with the K-38 "Heavy Masterpiece" from 1949 until at least late 1951. The first K-38 Heavy Masterpiece bore serial number K66222. It shipped on February 4, 1949.

As near as we can tell, the last of the 6" tapered barrels were cut to 5" for a special order in 1952. After that, only the Heavy Masterpiece was available.

So, the basic response to your question is no, they are not "a very rare variant."
 
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I would bet money on this "Atlas Collectible Firearms" having some kind of connection to the notorious "Keystone Arms". Their Gunbroker ads are nearly identical, they're located only 37mi from each other, & they both get, or got, ridiculous prices for their wares.

Keystone Arms has been called out numerous times for his fraudulent behavior & nefarious dealings. Seems like they're not the major player they used to be anymore. Likely passed the torch to this Atlas outfit because the name got tainted up too much.

If this is true, I would never do business with them. More money than brains usually wins out though.
 
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iPac said:
I would bet money on this "Atlas Collectible Firearms" having some kind of connection to the notorious "Keystone Arms". Their Gunbroker ads are nearly identical, they're located only 37mi from each other, & they both get, or got, ridiculous prices for their wares.

Keystone Arms has been called out numerous times for his fraudulent behavior & nefarious dealings. Seems like they're not the major player they used to be anymore. Likely passed the torch to this Atlas outfit because the name got tainted up too much.

If this is true, I would never do business with them. More money than brains usually wins out though.
Click to expand...

This is my main beef with GB for collectible guns...too many selling the sizzle vs. the steak. And it's why I love smaller estate auctions where they just mark everything "S&W Revolver" and let the buyers/bidders figure things out. Unless it was owned by someone famous, good pictures are 99% of the time enough to make an informed bid.
 
I don’t know about any shady business, but to me, the thing that Atlas, AK Arms, and even Keystone do is take FANTASTIC pictures! Since they do a great job of this, and sell their items at the top of the market, they manage to get the “cream of the crop”. If I am buying something that will cost me the price of a nice gun, the first thing I want is great detailed pictures, and all these folks do that to the Nth degree. The gift is flowery descriptions is something that can sway some folks, but that’s not illegal. All this talk about this specific sale is speculation. For all we know this gun was the absolute favorite firearm of a family member that passed away years ago, and it got away from the family. It was recognized and the family was willing to spend whatever it took to get it back. WHO KNOWS?! It could very simply be a case of deep pockets. It seems we all see this often these days! If the buyer is happy, and we know the seller is happy, that’s all that matters. I don’t believe that this transaction is setting a new standard for that model. JMHO.
Larry
 
hkcavalier said:
This is my main beef with GB for collectible guns...too many selling the sizzle vs. the steak. And it's why I love smaller estate auctions where they just mark everything "S&W Revolver" and let the buyers/bidders figure things out. Unless it was owned by someone famous, good pictures are 99% of the time enough to make an informed bid.
Click to expand...

Which way would you go if you are the seller/owner of the guns? If buying, I personally would prefer the smaller estate auctions, but if it’s me making the money, give me the type of sellers this thread is talking about any day. I see a bunch of posts on the forum talking about what they hope will happen to their collections when they pass. Most, if not all, specify that they hope their stuff goes to certain sellers. In fact, many have made a list of those sellers so their heirs know who to use to maximize their profits. These sellers are knowledgeable about how to sell things at maximum value, and many times over the perceived market value.
Larry
 
Without a letter, the package is still as beautiful as it gets for a K-38 Masterpiece:
at least to me.
 
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