Am I OCD or what?.....

[Old Corp]

OK - last week I posted about finding and getting a Model 14 at the LGS where I work p/t (http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1961-1980/212891-there-m14.html).

I took it home today and let the wife know it was my birthday present. It's almost a perfect Mod.14, BUT.....it has 'standard' hammer and trigger.

I don't know - I just figured when I finally found the Mod.14 I had been seeking, it would have a TT and TH. I mean, how can it be a 'Target Masterpiece' without TT and TH?
Yes, I know I can obtain and install such and may consider it.
What do you think? - Should I obsess over that or maybe spend the funds on proper medication? And no, I'm not a bullseye shooter.

 

[usm1rifle]

I would leave it alone, there are very few M14's in private hands. Full auto 308s are a hoot to shoot...

 

[Old Corp]

Thanks for your pun involving my post. I've been involved with guns for a long time. The 'M' is ordinarily accepted as an abbreviation for 'model'. You may not know this.
Do you also pose as grammar police also?

 

[TDC]

Well, Old Corp,

Many people much prefer the narrower triggers for target and combat use. I would go so far as to say of those people the majority prefer that narrower trigger also be smoothed and polished.

I vary my opinion based of the size and over-all feel of the gun. I like a narrow and polished trigger on most K and L frames and a wider, non serrated and polished trigger on an N and X frame.

Like grips and frame preference, it is all a matter of user choice. Try another trigger on your 14 and check out the difference in both feel and accuracy..... I think you'll agree.

A hammer of either type has never been a serious consideration of mine.

I wouldn't be concerned unless you have the original box and that indicates it came with a TT and TH.

JMHO

 

[Texas1941]

I would think it would depend on what type of shooting you plan to do. I am a bullseye shooter and I have 2 14-3s right now. Both have the TT and TH. For single action shooting I've never had better revolvers. I can shoot them well double action, but the wide, grooved trigger always seems a little strange.

It's not a totally either/or situation, but I think most people will find they do better shooting single action with the TT.

Actually, I like the TH on any K or N frame, no matter what its purpose.

 

[Nightowl]

If I remember correctly, the standard hammer and trigger were "standard" on the Model 14 as they were for the Model 27 (until 1975)

 

[Allen-frame]

Old corp, the K-38 Masterpiece was never called the 'target' masterpiece.

So now you've heard from the 'model police' .

Allen

 

[Old Corp]

Allen, thanks, you're right.

Right after making the above post, I found that the often heard moniker of 'Target Masterpiece' is incorrect. IIRC, it's 'K38 Masterpiece'.

Thanks all for the advice.
It's off to the GS for me today. More than likely I'll have customers wanting to look at 'Smith & Westerns', 'mangums', and '38 stubnose's'.

 

[redbos]

I dont know, for me, condition is almost everything. If you like it, you like it. It would not bother me as I am not a competitive shooter( we shoot for bragging rights and maybe a beer or two afterwards) Ok, yeah I would like to have almost everything with TT, TH and "Footballs" I am sure your Model 14 in your capable hands will serve you just fine, it is an awesome gun and I hope you enjoy it in good health.

 

[Sealevel]

K38 Masterpiece

Old Corp, you asked a question I, too, was wondering about. Several weeks ago I purchased a K38 masterpiece (DOB 1957) and it came without the TT and TH. It struck me as odd that it came that way. Mine also came with an 8 & 3/8 in. barrel, which I now believe is not the original barrel. It appears from some barely visible marks on the frame that it may have been in a vise. Also I found while cleaning it that I could rotate the barrel 1/16 clockwise and counterclockwise. I sent it to the S&W smith shop to get that corrected. I had given some thought to having them install a TT & TH while there. I have the target triggers and hammers on a Model 15 and Model 17 and like their looks, but I'm still new to target shooting and have yet to get a feel for the difference.

 

[stantheman86]

I have an 8 3/8" Model 14, and I thought it was senseless for a pure target revolver to have a .265 trigger and the .350 hammer.........so I tracked down a NOS matched set of the Single Action Only Target Hammer and Target Trigger and the gun is perfect now, as I feel it should be. I can envision no circumstance in which I would need to fire an 8 3/8" target revolver in DA.

 

[kas9412]

Old Corp,

Back in July I purchased a 4-screw M17, and like you, I immediately thought it needed a target hammer and trigger. Since then however, I've come to my senses. The gun shoots fine the way it is - the action is butter-smooth and light, so there is no real need for a target trigger. I would prefer a target hammer, but its standard hammer works very well. After owning it for a few months, it now seems just fine the way it is. (This gun is definately of "shooter" grade, not collector grade.) So my advice is to just enjoy it for awhile the way it is. The need to "upgrade" it may just go away.

kas

 

[M29since14]

I agree with TDC for the most part. I really do not care for the full-blown target trigger (.500 width) on any S&Ws I can think of, but a lot of my guns have them.

The best trigger compromise for me has always been the so-called Border Patrol design, which I like a lot for most of my single-action shooting - particularly with the K-frame magnums.

If I would be using that M(odel)14 mainly for single-action shooting, my preference would be for a target hammer, but I could get by with the standard trigger, no problem, either as-is or with a smooth face. I find the sooth face mostly good for double-action shooting.

Overall, unless you planned to use the gun a lot, and the lack of either TH or TT actually bothered you in the use of the gun (as opposed to looking at it ), I would leave it as-is. JMHO, and not worth much in the big picture.

 

[jglsprings]

Old Corp,

Remember, it is two of the green pills and one of the red ones. ;->

Anyhoo... if you hadn't of mentioned it I guess I wouldn't even of thought about it. Get the gun you want. If you are hot on the target trigger and target hammer that is the gun you should hunt for. The "non" target model will just nag at you every time you look at it.

I know, the voices in my head keep me pretty busy! LOL!

p.s.

I'm also an enabler.

 

[BE Mike]

Seems like you got a good deal on the gun. If it is a shooter and you want a TT and TH then have them installed because that is what you really seem to want.