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Model 14 Single Action Only

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walkcubs

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Just found this Model 14-3 Target Masterpiece Single Action Only. Manufactured in 1974. I just requested a factory letter to verify that it left the factory this way. It is in remarkable condition. I bought it from the last owner who kept it in a safe.

I know these are very hard to find. In fact when I first looked at it I thought it was broken. Pull the trigger and the cylinder rotates. Hammer does not move. Came with target grips, hammer and trigger. I read that some model 14s could be modified for single action. So I'm hoping this came from the factory this way. More valuable according to the Blue Book. SAOs were made between 1961 - 1982. To bad it came with no box.
 

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S&W Letter

I got the S&W letter but it did not state that my revolver was modified at the factory. I know there was a kit you could buy to modify a model 14 making it SAO. Shouldn't the letter make this statement?
 
Quite a number of 14-3's were original factory Single Action Only. If you remove the side plate you will be able to recognize the Single Action Only hammer, it is different than a normal hammer and can not be turned into a double action. Done out side the factory, most gunsmiths will just remove the double action sear from the hammer, and that could be returned to double action.
 
walkcubs said:
I got the S&W letter but it did not state that my revolver was modified at the factory. I know there was a kit you could buy to modify a model 14 making it SAO. Shouldn't the letter make this statement?
Click to expand...
When I lettered my first Model 14 SAO some 10 years ago, the letter said nothing about it being SAO. I contacted Roy and he said he missed the SAO part of my request. Subsequently, he issued a new letter stating that my revolver had originally shipped as an SAO unit. It arrived with a handwritten note from him apologizing for the oversight.

I suggest checking with him. A similar thing may have happened to you. He issues a large volume of letters and mistakes do happen. Roy is a Champion!
 
Here's what my letter says------AND what your letter should say-----AND I dare say IF your letter doesn't say it, then you have a homemade single action only K-38: "The handgun was shipped with a 6 inch barrel, target hammer, target trigger, single action only, magna stocks and blue finish."

There are two ways to make a SAO K-38 from a double action K-38: One is to remove the double action sear. The other is to install the conversion kit.

So----how do I tell if its a factory SAO gun? That's done with a letter that says what my letter says.

How about if it's been altered with the conversion kit------but doesn't letter"? That's done by cocking the hammer and looking down at the front of the hammer. If it looks pretty much like a standard hammer without the D.A. sear, then that's what it is. If it doesn't look anything like a standard hammer, and there's no place to attach a D.A. sear, then it's a SAO hammer from a conversion kit (or it was born that way).

If you wouldn't know a D.A. hammer or a S.A.O. hammer from a bale of hay, then get a ruler of some sort. A machinist rule is best (easiest to use), but a yard stick will work. In the beginning, SINGLE ACTION ONLY K-38's were more properly known as SHORT ACTION SINGLE ACTION K-38's. So, get a regular, everyday K-38, cock the hammer, and measure from the tip of the firing pin to the rear of the rear sight housing-----1/2" right? Get your S.A. K-38 and measure the same thing. If it's less (I've forgotten how much less, and my SAO K-38 is long gone.), then you have a SHORT ACTION SINGLE ACTION K-38 made that way by the factory, or pretty much anybody else that knows which end of a screwdriver to hold onto.

In your case, my first move would be to contact Don Mundell (Club Gun Fan), explain your dilemma, and ask him to (pretty please) confirm the configuration of your gun is as made in Springfield by S&W or by Bubba someplace else.

If all else fails, be happy in the knowledge your revolver will shoot better than you can shoot it----never mind regular or extra crispy!!

Ralph Tremaine
 
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I bought a near mint with box 17-3. TH/TT and Target grips that I gave to my son for his 15th birthday. It was not advertised as an SAO and I, too, thought it was broken at first. But the box is clearly marked SA. It’s a fabulous shooter and I was pleased to have an SAO version to gift.
 
Good for you I can't imagine how great it is to have and shoot it.My 14-3 is a double action gun and the favorite of mine of the 11 revolvers I have.This gun does not even allow me to make a bad shot its that good.
 
And for the curious, this is what the conversion kit looks like...

q7qocsJl.jpg
 
Gunhacker said:
And for the curious, this is what the conversion kit looks like...

q7qocsJl.jpg
Click to expand...

Yes! I used to see these, and other S&W accessories, at Shuriken Police Supply in Ontario, Canada.
Installing this kit is not a "Bubba job"! (But if you have one and just can't stand it, I'll be happy to take it off your hands!) The result is exactly the same as what the factory shipped as a "Single Action Only" model.
The geometry of the hammer and trigger notches is such that the hammer is not as far back when cocked. For Bullseye shooting this translates into less movement to cock the hammer in Timed and Rapid fire stages of the Centerfire match.
The trigger return spring in the kit ensures proper function in tandem with the mainspring.
Now, a "Bubba job" would be to remove the double action sear from a standard hammer and put the gun back together. This accomplishes nothing. It is also plainly visible by cocking the hammer and looking below the firing pin. The empty slot in the hammer where the sear would have been will be plainly evident.

I'd love to have a single action K-38, regardless of whether it shipped that way, had the parts kit added later, or whether it was built by King Gun Works back in the day before S&W got wise to the idea!
I hope you get a chance to take it out to a Bullseye match.
You will really appreciate that single action when you load that first 5 shot string at the beginning of the Timed fire match, take your grip, and hear the Range Officer bark "Ready on the right, ready on the left, ready on the firing line".....
 
This is my SAO model 14-2. When I bought it used, through internet, the seller did not mention that it was a SAO gun and, at first, I was disappointed, but as I wanted it for ISSF centerfire matches, I decided to keep it, and now I am glad to own it. A friend owns a similar but DA/SA 14-3 and the trigger of mine is lighter and "softer", much better for competition.
 

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I would ask again about the letter. In its apparently un-fired condition, it would seem strange to install a kit and not shoot it, let alone shoot it a lot.
 
walkcubs said:
I got the S&W letter but it did not state that my revolver was modified at the factory. I know there was a kit you could buy to modify a model 14 making it SAO. Shouldn't the letter make this statement?
Click to expand...

If you notice the picture of the kit, it reflects the single action kit is for all K frames other then a .22. No reason for your letter to make reference to something not exclusive to a model 14.
 
ken158 said:
If you notice the picture of the kit, it reflects the single action kit is for all K frames other then a .22. No reason for your letter to make reference to something not exclusive to a model 14.
Click to expand...

He may very well be making a good point. So which other centerfire K frame models enjoy an enhanced value if they left the factory as single action only----and letter as such (Please cite your source.)?

Ralph Tremaine
 
Thats a beauty, The K-38 is the finest Target revolver ever built ! Have not been without a couple of them since 1977, its my favorite S&W to shoot. Planning on a marathon casting session this weekend to help keep mine fed.
The SA version was the first Smith I ever shot back around 74, finally acquired one of my own a short time ago.

Thanks for the pic !
 
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