K38 Pawn w/Bubba Grips Has Hidden Issue

[Retired W4]

Years ago, at the old N. Atlanta Trade Center show, I purchased a K38 with regular targets installed. When I removed the stocks I saw the Fuzzy cut. Ended up selling the gun as purchased and later found a set of Fuzzy style grips. Oh well. Later sold the Fuzzy grips here. I wish I could have them all together now.

Don't know who made these, that's why I call them Fuzzy style.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

Years ago, at the old N. Atlanta Trade Center show, I purchased a K38 with regular targets installed. When I removed the stocks I saw the Fuzzy cut. Ended up selling the gun as purchased and later found a set of Fuzzy style grips. Oh well. Later sold the Fuzzy grips here. I wish I could have them all together now.

Don't know who made these, that's why I call them Fuzzy style.

A few years ago I bought about eight pairs of grips from a gun shop “junk” box for $3 each. Included were round butt Farrants and the cut frame Hurst grips mentioned earlier here. I traded the Hursts off but soon after that store had a consignment 2” Model 10 (0r pre 10) with bobbed hammer, reblued, and a cut frame. It had service grips with a wood plug filling up the cut area. I’d have bought that gun if I still had the Hursts. gun was around $500 I think.

 

[Pizza Bob]

Love me some Fuzzy's...

To be honest, some of the above stocks may be John Hurst's - I was told that he was a contemporary of Fuzzy's and mentored him. I believe that paplinker may be able to differentiate, if he wishes to comment.

To the OP: For $400 I would have been on that like white on rice.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

 

[Doug M.]

The mods came from a time when LAPD was allowed to be the police and there were some serious shooters there. I am pretty sure that most knowledgeable folks will not consider them to be "Bubba" mods. Not my cup of tea, but to some folks a very valuable historical piece.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Cool, they do feel nice in the hand, maybe I'll just leave them on. I have a set of old targets that covers the frame cut. Either way, a pretty nice find I think for $400 out the door. I've never had a five screw before. Pretty nice fit and finish.

Nice revolver and grips. A previous owner was a Policeman.

 

[Vtgw938]

I like them enough I cut up two of my own. Surprisingly Hogue Monogrips were even available for cut-frames.

 

[SG-688]

Love me some Fuzzy's...

To be honest, some of the above stocks may be Charles Hurst's - I was told that he was a contemporary of Fuzzy's and mentored him.

Pizza Bob

The pair above the "FUZ" in Fuzzy are third generation JOHN Hurst - or copies of the style. The pair at top left are maybe not Fuzzy. Too dark to tell much, but I see a hint of the only documented Stark.

Although Earl Farrant was older than John Hurst, I've not seen a mentoring claim before. Walter Stark and Joe Blackford were first but not by much. Hurst 1st generation grips are direct copies of Blackford's. Farrant grips are similar to the little we know about Stark.

Vtgw938 neglected to write that the grips on his model 15 are by Blackford. We've previously agreed on that, and I envy him having them.

 

[Vtgw938]

The pair above the "FUZ" in Fuzzy are third generation JOHN Hurst - or copies of the style. The pair at top left are maybe not Fuzzy. Too dark to tell much, but I see a hint of the only documented Stark.

Although Earl Farrant was older than John Hurst, I've not seen a mentoring claim before. Walter Stark and Joe Blackford were first but not by much. Hurst 1st generation grips are direct copies of Blackford's. Farrant grips are similar to the little we know about Stark.

Vtgw938 neglected to write that the grips on his model 15 are by Blackford. We've previously agreed on that, and I envy him having them.

My Blackford's (on my M15-2) are the ones Retired W4 let go and they actually are for an N frame.

 

[stanmerrell]

Nice revolver and grips. A previous owner was a Policeman.

Thanks. That's what they told me at the pawn shop. They said the previous owner was LEO, and that I had purchased his Model 15 the week prior, and now I also have his K38. I grew up in So Cal when it was a decent, conservative, family, place. My folks were divorced and dad lived out of state, so a neighborhood cop befriended me. I already had a model 19, so we had lots to talk about. He was a shooter. Most of my experiences with law enforcement officers have been positive. Someone brought up Kings Gun Works in Burbank or maybe it was Glendale? A real cool store back in the day. My kids were young back then, and I dared not spend much time or money there, but a real cool store.

 

[stanmerrell]

Here's some more photos of the grips and SN. The K preceding the main SN is present on the cylinder and barrel. I'd still like to know the date of Manufacture if anyone can assist with that. Thank you.

Grip-K38-SN hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB
Grips-K38-2 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB
Grips-K38-3 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB
Grips-K38 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB

https://i.ibb.co/Wnk0Mkz/K38-Barrel-number.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/Jz9G9HN/Frame-Numbers-K38.jpg

 

[bamabiker]

Looking at the book I believe it would be 1958.

 

[CALREB]

Some months back a friend of mine, still working in the armory, sent me a couple pictures. One of Guy Hogue's sons was at the LA Academy for an EXPO there with many other vendors. He stopped in his dad's old haunt to say hi and show some things they had recently received from someone who knew their father.

Timebook from Guy Hogue's first month in the firearms unit.

Would have been a good time to want some grips made. Pretty good selection of craftsmen there.

 

[glowe]

Anyone know what year it was made? SN 32732x. Thanks again!

The easy answer is the gun was manufactured in 1958, the first full year that Model numbers were used for the Masterpiece line. Check the yoke and frame when you have the cylinder open and look for a model number stamped in the inside of the frame.

The not so easy answer is valuing a gun that has been butchered if one is looking for a collector gun. Some members put the aesthetics of a nice set of stocks over the actual value of the gun. The gun has no collector value since such a large chunk of it is gone. The stocks have some value, but I would not put Fuzzy Farrants at the top of any list of collector stocks. I would pass on this gun at any price because of the alterations and because I already own a nice example.

As for factory stocks, actually S&W diamond Target stocks would fit just fine on the gun, covering the cut butt-frame and bringing the gun back to what it could have looked like when it left the factory. If I owned the gun, I would find a set to put on the gun, then sell the Farrants to offset the cost. Magna stocks would not work on your gun. One of the nicest looking revolver S&W ever made was the K Masterpiece with target stocks.

 

[DETROIT]

That frame cut is looking kind of rough

 

[stanmerrell]

The easy answer is the gun was manufactured in 1958, the first full year that Model numbers were used for the Masterpiece line. Check the yoke and frame when you have the cylinder open and look for a model number stamped in the inside of the frame.

The not so easy answer is valuing a gun that has been butchered if one is looking for a collector gun. Some members put the aesthetics of a nice set of stocks over the actual value of the gun. The gun has no collector value since such a large chunk of it is gone. The stocks have some value, but I would not put Fuzzy Farrants at the top of any list of collector stocks. I would pass on this gun at any price because of the alterations and because I already own a nice example.

As for factory stocks, actually S&W diamond Target stocks would fit just fine on the gun, covering the cut butt-frame and bringing the gun back to what it could have looked like when it left the factory. If I owned the gun, I would find a set to put on the gun, then sell the Farrants to offset the cost. Magna stocks would not work on your gun. One of the nicest looking revolver S&W ever made was the K Masterpiece with target stocks.

Those are nice. The numbers next to the yoke on the frame are:
U
82 11 6
0
So no reference to a model 14. I looked at a list last night that said it was made 1955, so not really sure. Thank you.

 

[glowe]

This is a list that appears from time to time and is in one of Roy Jinks book. Shows that the serial number range K317,823 to K350,547 was made in 1958.

 

[Gun Relics]

It's a slight date mystery but since the cylinder matches, this was obviously from a batch of the older 5 screw K38 frames and the K was cut off. Here's mine from 1955. It's 5 screw.

 

[stanmerrell]

Thanks, my mistake i had listed the SN incorrect. It's 2373xx. So 1955 I guess.

 

[Gun Relics]

Thanks, my mistake i had listed the SN incorrect. It's 2373xx. So 1955 I guess.

That makes sense - mystery solved!

 

[Doug M.]

The not so easy answer is valuing a gun that has been butchered if one is looking for a collector gun. Some members put the aesthetics of a nice set of stocks over the actual value of the gun. The gun has no collector value since such a large chunk of it is gone. The stocks have some value, but I would not put Fuzzy Farrants at the top of any list of collector stocks. I would pass on this gun at any price because of the alterations and because I already own a nice example.

**
There are probably some who collect who would value this revolver pretty highly as an example of a serious use firearm. Reasonable people could assert that as such it is not "butchered", but reflective of a time when people who had serious needs made modifications for those needs. There are firearms out there that I agree are "butchered", but this is not one of them. Remember that the real purpose of this revolver was fighting (the most valid purpose for most firearms), not looking at it.

I don't value this revolver enough to obtain it, and obviously you don't either, but calling it butchered is not precise.