Some Combat Masterpiece eye candy

[LPD256]

Here is a Combat Masterpiece if squirrels ever rise up and start a war. Pre-18 from 1952 a week before I was born.

 

[TAROMAN]

Not to forget the 67-3:

This one is an ex-LEO gun from The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)

 

[Oldbird13]

Christmas Tree?

You need atleast 4 more for the top, its more like shrub

That's a Clark Griswold special..

 

[Ameshawki]

No two inch?

 

[RKmesa]

No two inch?

Here you go... Model 15-4 Combat Masterpiece...

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

FANTASTICOOOOOO!!!!! In italian
GREAT JOB!!!!!!

 

[fleabus101]

Happily I joined the Combat Masterpiece family on a 2 5-screw gun trade deal last month(Thanks Nick)..
This K38 1952 Pre Model 15 is in really shape.
I luv the fact is was produced when the polishing
shop retained the 2 front sight pins protruding on its ramped front sight. It came with the factory speed hammer and a set of Hogue combat style wood
Stocks on it. I have since added an NOS Case coloered Target Hammer and a 50s period correct diamond set of Goncalo Alves streaked wood Stocks on it, also. I have just aquiered an early 50s correct gold box with the S&W factory label designating the box is for a K38 combat masterpiece with a 4 inch barrel and blue finish..Getting up the Helpful Hints brochure and now look to aquire other box accessories for it. I'm Working on a nice pkg to go with the Smith..
A picture below for checking it out..
Best, Randy..

 

[CJS57]

4-Screw with brass tack decorated grips

 

[28WheelGirl]

"One small step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind"

should have been the advertisement for the Models 64 and 66 that came out one year later in 1970
as S&W introduces their popular LEO market Models, 10, 15, and 19 in the new Stainless steel
previously only offered on the Model 36 as the Model 60.
The Model 67 followed two years later as SS models were in very high demand in the LE market.

4 Stainless steel Models were a minority at first but set the stage for what was to come at S&W .

Nixon and Agnew are now in office , the 73 gas crunch is upon us and my favorite healthy breakfast cereal is Captain Crunch as the 66 and 67 below were rolling out the doors at S&W.


Note that the early examples have the SS rear site that looked real cool but didnt give enough contrast and so would soon change.


Its now April 1975, Saigon is falling to the Communist North Vietnamese and I attend 5th grade classes at the Sussex Ave public School in Morristown NJ .

And this 18-3 Serial 5K9042 K22 Combat Masterpiece is rolling out the doors of S&W ,


Pretty much the same Combat Masterpiece except for the usual ampersand changes, the dash 3 rear leaf site screw relocation and new short brass grip escutcheons, black washers for blued guns and SS for SS Models inside their numbered Magnas .


Ford, Carter wide ties the Bicentennial , Billy beer, Disco and Star Wars are just ahead on the horizon ,

Oh my gosh --- Billy Beer! I got my parents to buy a six-pack for my Grandpa just to make him cuss!!!

 

[Engine49guy]

So I just reread this old thread started in 2014...it's almost 10 years old now!?!?

Perhaps I need to advance it further but also further backwards with pics of an early test run gun...btw my old photo bucket acct is locked so need to figure out how to post good pics.
My Combat Masterpiece obsession connects with my true obsession of the Combat Magnum....
Being retired now I should really connect the Model 19 evolution to this thread but today I do everything on my cellphone.
Glad this old thread still rises from the dead like lazurus and glad it still gets likes.
Best regards
Brad in south Fl.....retired now E49guy lol

 

[jimmyj]

COMBAT MASTERPIECE EYE CANDY

WOW!
And I thought that all the Combat Masterpieces were in a Bank in Beverly Hills

 

[Green Frog]

So I just reread this old thread started in 2014...it's almost 10 years old now!?!?

Perhaps I need to advance it further but also further backwards with pics of an early test run gun...btw my old photo bucket acct is locked so need to figure out how to post good pics.
My Combat Masterpiece obsession connects with my true obsession of the Combat Magnum....
Being retired now I should really connect the Model 19 evolution to this thread but today I do everything on my cellphone.
Glad this old thread still rises from the dead like lazurus and glad it still gets likes.
Best regards
Brad in south Fl.....retired now E49guy lol

Truth to tell, this thread topic just has very high interest. The 4” K-frame just presents an attractive intersection of size, balance, scale, and other, less easily identifiable factors. As I said several years ago, IMHO the Model 66 takes things to a whole higher level, but ever since the arrival of the first Combat Masterpieces about 70 years ago, this is about as good as it gets.

Thanks for starting it!
Froggie

 

[bdGreen]

Here is one of mine.

Enjoy,

bdGreen

Tap on image to enlarge.

 

[wundudnee]

I think these three compliment each other. 19-2, 15-2 18-2 I put the target grips on the 15. I have two other combat masterpieces, a 18-3 and a first model.

 

[ordnanceguy]

I fully agree that this old thread is one of the greatest and most informative ever seen on the Forum.

Engine 49: Looks like you were victimized by Photobucket as were so many others, me included. It is a shame that your excellent photos are marred by the terribly intrusive Photobucket logo. Wouldn't it be possible for you to go back and edit your earlier posts by taking out the Photobucket links and inserting new links to another image hosting site? That would be time consuming, of course, but would do much to restore the value of your very valuable images.

Thanks for putting this one together (almost 10 years ago). I learned a lot and, soberingly, realized how much I did not know!

Regards,
Charlie

 

[helmsp]

67-1:

S&W 67-1 by swaficionado, on Flickr

15-3:

S&W 15 Combat Masterpiece by swaficionado, on Flickr


And somewhere between the other masterpieces, there is a 18-4:

 

[DGNY]

This thread is truly a classic and emblematic of the richness of this most worthy forum.

To me a most interesting part of this is the post with documentation by Turnerriver at #105 above, part of a letter of February 1949:

That as to the combat masterpiece, “(t)he frame and cylinder is that of the K – 38 target revolver….. but improved by a new and secret electronic hardening process which gives the entire gun – including barrel - a degree of strength and durability never before known in ANY handgun “.

We have all seen references to changes in hardening, such as the 38 K-series cylinder at approximately SN316648, but often with only general references, such as that +P ammo is safe in post model-marked revolvers. That apparently concrete information (though the extent of the hardening/heat treatment by modern standards is not known to me) is most helpful.

Again, great thanks to the OP and to all who have contributed.

 

[DevilDog72]

Extraordinary thread... fantastic,

At least he did not hog up all the 2 inch guns,

 

[Engine49guy]

Glad the thread is still occasionally resurected and appreciated,

Sadly photobucket put the marks on my pics when they changed to a fee based company , When I used to click on the photos could view them full size without the markings.
Now it doesn't work.

All the originals were unfortunately lost years ago when my computer crashed..

Have often thought of morphing the evolution of the Combat Magnum onto this thread (btw have even more of those) but as technology advanced I now do everything on my phone and my computer is old, outdated and hardly gets used anymore.

 

[Matt_X]

Glad the thread is still occasionally resurected and appreciated,

Sadly photobucket put the marks on my pics when they changed to a fee based company , When I used to click on the photos could view them full size without the markings.
Now it doesn't work.

All the originals were unfortunately lost years ago when my computer crashed..

Have often thought of morphing the evolution of the Combat Magnum onto this thread (btw have even more of those) but as technology advanced I now do everything on my phone and my computer is old, outdated and hardly gets used anymore.

It's still works on my browser. I'll send you a PM.