Evidently I'm on a K38 Masterpiece Model 14 ND roll -- more questions

[cmansguns]

Couple weeks ago (July 12) I was out of town and stumbled onto a K38 Heavy Masterpiece confirmed shipping in September 1950. You experts were really helpful at helping me identify and correctly describe that gun.....which is a super sweet shooter.

Now yesterday I am out and about checking my obscure "honey-pots" of small, unknown to most pawn shops and lo and behold... again, there sits a Model 14 No dash, in 99% condition. This gun is simply gorgeous! Deep factory blue 99%, very faint turn line, no other wear, action very smooth SA and DA. Serial number looks like 1959 (s/n K 351555) as per SCSW 5th, which I had with me in the car. Anyway, pull out my 03 C&R, make a deal for $500 OTD (no tax, no form 4473). I'm happy, get home, jump on the other Forum and Mike Helms comes right back and confirms April 1959 shipment.

Now some questions for the experts: The grips....I did notice the non-diamond in the store, obviously not original grips for 1959 which is THE reason I offered $250 less than asking. This particular shop is really knowledgeable and great on jewelry, and AR long guns and any fantastic plastic stuff...not so much on wheel guns, especially vintage S & W.

Anyway we know from many experts posts over the years that the factory order to eliminate the diamond was on January 11, 1966 (thanks JP@AK) and by 1967/1968 guns shipping had mostly non diamond Magna's.

But.....check the photo of my right grip panel backside and see the factory serial number 596931 with a large K stamped further down. That serial number is a 1964 serial number assignment per SCSW 5th, page 584.

How does a 1964 serial number jive with a non diamond Magna?

A couple other points I noticed is that there is no serial number on the barrel flat, and no sign of having been ground and refinished. Same with cylinder, no serial number on the cylinder periphery. Were both of these serial number stamping places done away with by 1959?

The serial number on butt and in yoke does match and again............no signs of refinish anywhere and no factory service marks anywhere on the frame either. The bore is so crisp and bright that I'm leaning towards a buyer who just stuck it in a drawer and forgot all about it.

Comments and answers to the questions are always appreciated.

Thanks for looking

 

[glowe]

Those are interesting stocks. I have several notes that indicate around 1967 - 1969 was the end of diamond stocks?? Your revolver is far earlier than those dates and has a "K" stamp with, what I believe is Hardware store items. Factory runs would not have required the "K" since the serial number is all that I have ever seen on original diamond Magnas. By the early 1960s, the factory sold blister packed stocks for S&Ws in hardware stores and gun shops, so a ton were purchased by gun owners post factory. The serial number placement on 1950s stocks were stamped vertical at the top of the right stock, so your stocks are not what I would consider original to the shipment??

 

[mojave30cal]

If you can find a set of period correct target grips you are good to go. Shoot and enjoy it.

 

[kscharlie]

The stocks appear to me to be PC magnas. If that is the case, they came off a D prefix fixed sight K frame. That serial number with a D prefix would have been from around 1973. Are the bottom of the stocks rounded off?

BTW, that is a very nice looking Masterpiece.

 

[Spurdann]

Does the serial number stamp look like it was done at the factory? Something about the font looks peculiar.

 

[JP@AK]

The stocks appear to me to be PC magnas. If that is the case, they came off a D prefix fixed sight K frame. That serial number with a D prefix would have been from around 1973. Are the bottom of the stocks rounded off?

This is precisely the answer. And yes, the pictures confirm that these are PC Magna stocks and originally shipped (probably) on a Model 10-5 or 10-6.

 

[JP@AK]

A couple other points I noticed is that there is no serial number on the barrel flat, and no sign of having been ground and refinished. Same with cylinder, no serial number on the cylinder periphery. Were both of these serial number stamping places done away with by 1959?

Serial numbers in those two locations were officially eliminated in 1957, with the end of the soft-fitting process. In some cases, they were not applied as early as 1956. I've had two K-38s from 1956 with no serial number on the barrel flat or the cylinder. I still own one of them. It shipped in November 1956.