Revolver advice

[muzzlestuffer2012]

I'm looking for a 38 special revolver was thinking between the K-38 Masterpiece and the Colt Officers match but I hear the Colt triggers not as good which I tend to believe based on the Smith's I own have excellent triggers after very little tweaks. Going to use during the 2700 Bullseye matches for the center-fire portion. Any particular year or what I should look for would be appreciated.
Thanks
MS

 

[pantannojack]

I once had a Colt Detective Special 38spcl. Nice revolver had factory, i believe, oversize grips. Only detractant, and a serious one, the point of the trigger poked the nerve of my trigger finger on firing/recoil. It hurt. Could not get rid of it fast enough.

 

[Birdhunter6]

I greatly prefer the trigger, sights and cylinder latch of the Smith.

 

[TAROMAN]

I have both.
Have to give a nod to the model 14.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

Bullseye shooting…Colt.
Combat style shooting…Smith.

The actions of each lend themselves to different disciplines. Not that they were intentionally designed for such…just how the strengths of each worked out.

 

[bobsguns]

Colt didn't stay in business as long as they have by having ugly triggers, IMO.

A Diamondback would serve you well also.

My .o2

 

[rct269]

I've owned only one Colt Officers model, and it was the end-all, do-all of pretty much any that ever were---or will be!

That's because it had been to Walter Roper's shop, where he and his lads had their way with it---grips, sights, and action job.

The best way to tell you about the action job is to tell you about a visit I made to my gunsmith----just to show it off. He sat there on his three legged stool, wearing his leather apron, and puffing on his pipe. He oohed and awed in all the right places, and then he said, "You know---I hate these (bad word) Colts, but whoever did that action job REALLY KNEW what they were doing!!!" The best way to tell you about the reaction of the folks buying my guns during the 3+ years liquidation of my collection is to tell you it fetched $3530. I reckon they thought it was something special. They were right!

As an aside, I too hate "these (bad word) Colts"! That's mostly because I had to put it together TWICE--after its welcome bath---nothing worked the first time around, and it remained a mystery as to who made the hammer, but the only thing that made sense was Colt made it----to Roper's specifications.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[pasound]

The Smith. K-38, if in good shape, or any of the K-14, or a long barreled 67. I have a 1948 K-38 Masterpiece. S&W no longer makes 38-only revolvers, other than the mdl10.

 

[muzzlestuffer2012]

I passed up a brand new in the box colt yesterday for 1800 bucks on GB it was really hard decision to not buy it but I'm going to go with a Smith since I do my own action work on those. I have done a Colt Python action one of the newer ones but I am really impressed with the actions on the Smiths so searching for one now.

 

[Grayfox]

I have a 1940 Colt Officer's Model that somebody did some work on. No doubt it was set up to be a Bullseye gun. Its without a doubt the most accurate .38 revolver I've ever owned.

 

[richrd]

I hope you are only shooting 2700 matches for fun. Trying to do the timed and rapid with a revolver is way beyond my abilities. Do you plan to shoot single or double action on those two stages?

A club I used to be in shot an international course of fire for the state games. I used a m14 for the "precision" stage. I wasn't competitive and at the time that was the only gun I had to shoot .32 to .38 inch bullets required.

 

[lrrifleman]

Would you mind an observation?

I was one of the 2 NRA Referees at the NRA National Precision Pistol Matches in 2024. To the best of my recollection, the ONLY time that I saw revolvers on the line was during the Harry Reeves and the Distinguished Revolver Matches. I saw a Taurus, one or two Pythons, a few 586/686 revolvers, but the majority were Model 14/K38 Masterpieces. The K38s tended to produce the tighter groups.

My recommendation would be to go with a K38/Model 14 ... you just can't ever own enough of them. But when you make your move, you need to make a decision: are you going to do the timed and rapid fire stages single or double action? Please remember, S&W sold the K38/Model 14 in mostly Double Action models, but they also sold them as a Single Action model and they also sold aftermarket Single Action kits so you could retrofit the revolver.

Also, remember, the traditional diet for the 38 in the Centerfire Stage was a 148gr Wadcutter over 2.7-2.8gr of Bullseye!

 

[Model 15-4ever]

I'm looking for a 38 special revolver... Going to use during the 2700 Bullseye matches for the center-fire portion....
MS

Having been down this road many moons ago, let me repeat the very sage advice given to me at the time by a legitimate High Master:

"Put your money into the .45". Meaning, the 1911 pistol.


PS. This was during a time when good bullseye-quality accurate revolvers, AND accurate .38 Special wadcutter ammunition, bullets and brass were readily available. Today, hardly at all.

 

[H Richard]

The Center Fire Match can be fired with a .45. Using light target loads there is no reason to not shoot it with the same gun used in the .45 match.

 

[smoothshooter]

Smith has the superior cylinder latch. Especially if your fingers are cold.
Colts are mechanically more complex according to my gunsmith friends.
It is easier to find someone who will tune up a Smith. Will cost less to do so as compared to a Colt.

 

[lrrifleman]

The older Colts had a problem maintaining a good trigger. Also mentioned, any centerfire semi-auto is legal for the centerfire stage, as long as it is no smaller than a 32 nor larger than a 45. Unless you just want to experience the match with a revolver, why handicap yourself?

 

[muzzlestuffer2012]

Having been down this road many moons ago, let me repeat the very sage advice given to me at the time by a legitimate High Master:

"Put your money into the .45". Meaning, the 1911 pistol.


PS. This was during a time when good bullseye-quality accurate revolvers, AND accurate .38 Special wadcutter ammunition, bullets and brass were readily available. Today, hardly at all.

Trust me have a bunch of money in my 1911's I have one ground up custom and a Accuracy X top end coming this week. I am building a 10mm at the moment maybe I'll build a 38 super long slide ?

 

[muzzlestuffer2012]

Would you mind an observation?

I was one of the 2 NRA Referees at the NRA National Precision Pistol Matches in 2024. To the best of my recollection, the ONLY time that I saw revolvers on the line was during the Harry Reeves and the Distinguished Revolver Matches. I saw a Taurus, one or two Pythons, a few 586/686 revolvers, but the majority were Model 14/K38 Masterpieces. The K38s tended to produce the tighter groups.

My recommendation would be to go with a K38/Model 14 ... you just can't ever own enough of them. But when you make your move, you need to make a decision: are you going to do the timed and rapid fire stages single or double action? Please remember, S&W sold the K38/Model 14 in mostly Double Action models, but they also sold them as a Single Action model and they also sold aftermarket Single Action kits so you could retrofit the revolver.

Also, remember, the traditional diet for the 38 in the Centerfire Stage was a 148gr Wadcutter over 2.7-2.8gr of Bullseye!

Interesting you wrote this I was just looking on GB and saw a single action only and was wondering if it's convertible to both single and double and was going to ask here on the forum if anyone knew anything about it ?

 

[rct269]

The title and theme of my two cents worth is "Been There, Done That!

Revolvers are all well and good if you're going to compete just for fun.

Not too long after you get as good as you're going to get shooting revolvers just for fun, you're going to have a change of mind---and heart! You're going to want to see your name up at the top of the heap somewhere---and the closer to the top the better! It's the nature of competition.

Then you'll come to realize the chances of getting there shooting revolvers (in the timed and rapid fire segments) vary somewhere between slim and none----and Slim left town last week!

The name of the game is two guns instead of three----both autoloaders, and like the man said, use the .45 for the centerfire segment as well.

Like I said, "Been There, Done That!"

Ralph Tremaine

 

[rct269]

Interesting you wrote this I was just looking on GB and saw a single action only and was wondering if it's convertible to both single and double and was going to ask here on the forum if anyone knew anything about it ?

Yes, I know about it.

My first one was a regular, everyday K-38 converted via the SAO conversion kit waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when---when the name of the gun was SHORT ACTION SINGLE ACTION K-38. The advantage of the gun is the SHORT ACTION (shorter by something in the low 20+ something percent)----and it's an advantage to those who've been through the military sniper training----and know how to and practice shooting between their heart beats!! I reckon it's also an advantage in that you don't have to move the hammer as far when you cock it for single action----and therefore you can do it faster for timed and rapid fire work. Don't ask me how much faster, because I don't know---I and if I did know, you'd laugh out loud!!

Mere mortals like the rest of us react by saying HUH?!!

My second one came along in 1998, not because I'd learned how to shoot between heart beats, but because I needed one to fill a hole in my collection of S&W target guns---and I wasn't going to shoot it at all.

As to whether or not you can convert it back to double action, absolutely. I know for sure and certain you'll need the regular double action hammer---and the double action sear---and pretty sure the double action trigger (memory's a little fuzzy on that).

Ralph Tremaine

Actually---I do know how much faster you can cock the hammer------like I said, "something in the low 20+ something percent"-----same as the reduction in hammer fall distance---thereabouts-----on a good day! ("Short Action" is another name for "short (or reduced) lock time"---assuming I'm remembering my lingo correctly.

To put all this in perspective, we have the pre-war long actions, the post-war short actions, and the shorter yet action of the SAO K-38. If you want to see this with your own eyes---this being the difference between regular post war short action and the SAO short action, get your hands on a machinist's ruler (which is what I used 'cause I'm picky---and because it'll fit between the bottom of the sight and the bottom of the notch), and measure the distance from the tip of the (cocked) firing pin to the vertical surface of the notch cut in the frame underneath the rear sight. (There's no need to spend your time doing this to compare the distance to a pre-war gun because the dimensions of the notch in the frame underneath the rear sight are different.) Besides that, you can see the difference in hammer fall distance between pre-war long and post-war short without measuring anything---even without your glasses!!