K38 Masterpiece info

[Engine49guy]

If the stocks on your gun are pristine (they look great to me but cant tell if checkering is sharp from pics) alone they are worth $150-200 .
A shooter grade K38 6" depending on mechanical condition and cosmetics maybe $500-600 for gun alone.

Many would buy it just for the stocks.

 

[Engine49guy]

I should have said they moved from satin to bright blue sometime around 1954/1955 not "by 1954".

 

[AC4142]

Very nice revolver
Only thing I'd add is that there were two 6" versions available in 1952 the earlier narrow rib version aka the 6" K38 Masterpiece and the weight matched wide rib version (like yours) aka the 6" K38 "Heavy" Masterpiece.

Any idea what year the narrow rib K38 started losing popularity? I ask because I assume there were a lot more 5 screw heavy K38s made than the 5 screw narrow rib k38s. I haven't seen that many 5 screw narrow ribs around. Thanks.

 

[USSR]

The post-war K38 Masterpiece was introduced in 1947, and the narrow rib was phased out when the heavy barrel was introduced in 1949.

 

[AC4142]

The post-war K38 Masterpiece was introduced in 1947, and the narrow rib was phased out when the heavy barrel was introduced in 1949.

Thanks USSR!

 

[bedwards]

I would leave it if your going to shoot it. It looks fine in the picss

 

[weatherby]

Any idea what year the narrow rib K38 started losing popularity? I ask because I assume there were a lot more 5 screw heavy K38s made than the 5 screw narrow rib k38s. I haven't seen that many 5 screw narrow ribs around. Thanks.

I don't believe it was due to loosing popularity.
IIRC it was to keep the weight the same for bullseye shooters.
Where a k22 and k38 would weigh the same.

 

[AC4142]

I don't believe it was due to loosing popularity.
IIRC it was to keep the weight the same for bullseye shooters.
Where a k22 and k38 would weigh the same.

Thanks Weatherby, do you agree it was phasing out in 1949?

 

[JP@AK]

It was not "phased out" in 1949. It is possible that demand was waning a bit by 1950, but S&W produced both models until at least late 1952 or 1953. A bunch of the 6" tapered barrels were used up, cut to 5", for the special order from the Missouri State Highway Patrol for 5" Combat Masterpiece revolvers. Approximately 367 of those were built in 1952 and 1953, with 365 of them shipped to the MSHP in four shipments ending on October 13, 1953. The 6" tapered barrel model disappeared from the scene in about 1953.

 

[USSR]

Manufacturing was stopped in 1949 with the introduction of the heavy barrel. The problem with a S&W letter is, they tell you when a particular gun was shipped, not manufactured. In the case of the narrow rib Masterpiece, I have no doubt they were still shipping them well into the 50's.

 

[Engine49guy]

The post-war K38 Masterpiece was introduced in 1947, and the narrow rib was phased out when the heavy barrel was introduced in 1949.

You have to remember that although the 6" wide rib K38 did supplement at first and then supplant the 6" narrow rib K38 the narrow rib continued in production in the 4" Combat Masterpiece with 2" less barrel (except the snub 15's which had the wide rib barrel) and a Baughman fs blade on long ramp up until the dash 5 revision when the narrow rib went away replaced by two different wide rib versions.

Where it gets weird is the 14-5 got a full underlug barrel in 4", 6" and 8 3/8" and the 15-5 got the old Heavy Masterpiece wide rib barrel with no ejector rod shroud in 4", 6" and 8 3/8" lengths.

Below examples 4" Model 15-5 (L) and 6" Model 14-6 (R)

 

[USSR]

That's fine for the 4" Combat Masterpiece, but the 6" barrel as used on the K38 Masterpiece switched over to the wide rib in 1949 as stated in the Smith & Wesson 5th Edition Catalog.

 

[JP@AK]

the 6" barrel as used on the K38 Masterpiece switched over to the wide rib in 1949 as stated in the Smith & Wesson 5th Edition Catalog.

It simply does not say that. It says, "1949: Manufactured a heavy barrel to match the K17 and K32 in weight." That simply means the heavy version was introduced that year. It does not mean the narrow rib, tapered barrel version was replaced by the Heavy Masterpiece in 1949. It wasn't.

 

[Engine49guy]

Looked in my notes but unfortunately I never tracked the 6" K38 benchmarks.
I do have a note that the very first wide rib K38 reached the shipping room in Feb of 1949 but that might have been a special order item, IIRC the wide rib weight matched K38 first appeared as a standard item in the 1950 AMC but the narrow rib version also was advertised in the same AMC.
To distiguish the two variations apart the wide rib had the added "Heavy" moniker applied, this was dropped sometime after the narrow rib version was no longer available.
For some reason in my brain those narrow rib versions went away around the same time the polished finish becomes standard so still thinking like 54/55.
Bright blue polished narrow rib 6" K38's occasionally pop up but Im thinking they were special order or made at the very very end .
By the time the 4 screw frame 6" K38 is introduced the " Heavy" moniker has disappeared along with the old high speed hammer (although occasionally a very early 4 screw pops up with the older HS hammer).
There are members that collect and track the 6" K38 so perhaps they will enlighten us with their notes.

 

[JP@AK]

There are members that collect and track the 6" K38 so perhaps they will enlighten us with their notes.

The first K-38 Heavy Masterpiece bore serial number K66222, reflecting a change order issued on August 19, 1948. It shipped on February 4, 1949 (not a special order). The first K-38 Heavy Masterpiece with a target hammer was being prepared for shipment in February 1949, and it bore serial number K66198.

The earliest K-38 now in my collection (I've sold some off) is K75711. It has the narrow rib, and it shipped in April 1949. K104706 is the lowest numbered Heavy Masterpiece in my collection. It shipped on February 26, 1951, and is still in its original gold box.

The narrow rib K-38 was still cataloged in 1951. I don't have an AMC from 1952. Maybe someone who does could tell us if both versions were still listed that year.

See my post #29 above for some additional details about the narrow rib 6" barrels.

On box labels citing the "K-38 Heavy Masterpiece," here is an interesting sidenote: I own a Model 14 (no dash number) that shipped in July 1959. It is in its original numbered box, and the label is for a K-38 Heavy Masterpiece. They must have had a supply of those boxes still around at the end of the decade.