"Special" .38 Special....Updated Pics

[mustangman]

POI should probably rephrase that, special to me. On Valentines Day, my mom came bearing gifts. She handed me a bag, and inside was my grandfathers Harris County Deputy Constable badge, his picture ID from '62, his .38 Special, and a mail order catalogue post marked 1962 full of all the latest "spy" gear. What a wonderful and surprising gift.

I never really thought much about owning a revolver, my semi's had me covered, no need for an "old timey" gun. I guess luck and fate brought us together. Luck that my mom ended up with it after my grandfather passed 20 odd years ago, and fate, because I was the only one who really showed interest in it, and probably was the last one to shoot it back in the early 80's. I had long since forgotten about it.

With all the new lightweight, latest and greatest semi-autos out there, its easy to forget how cool these guns are. After handling it, and just looking at it and thinking about its past, I have a new appreciation for all revolvers. Other guns may come and go, but this one stays till the end.

I apologize for the long winded, rambling post. My intent was just to find some information on this gun, since I only know the basics.
Its a hand ejector, serial# K 817XX, 38 Special, 4 inch barrel with post-war adjustable rear sight. It also has a strain screw and 4 visible screws.

Thanks in advance for any and all info y'all can supply. Pics are not so great. Possibly try for better ones later.

 

[Tadeus67]

It is a pre Model 15. Known as the "Combat Masterpiece". Congratulations, you have a nice revolver with a lot of family history on it.

 

[P&R Fan]

Cool story.
You have a first year production Combat Masterpiece. It was later called the M15. Catalog dates it to 1949.
Shoot it, they are awesome shooters.
Jim

 

[John R]

Very nice keepsake, congratulations.

 

[DWalt]

K 817XX is a fairly early CM - it probably shipped from S&W during the early months of 1950, February or March. If you want a CM, one of the earlier ones like yours is what you need.

 

[usm1rifle]

Love those early Combat Masterpieces, the family connection is priceless.

I am lucky enough to be the custodian of K8160X. It shipped March 28, 1950.

 

[Jack Flash]

That's a five screw. There is another sideplate screw under the stocks...

 

[DWalt]

At one time I had a good friend who served in the Army during the Korean War. He carried his personal CM, and claimed it got him out of several tight spots. Nonetheless, he still got pretty well shot up, but at least he lived. He managed to hang onto the CM, and I have fired it on several occasions.

 

[okiegtrider]

What a wonderful gift from your mom. I'd bet I'm not the only one here who would like to see the badge and 60's ID card. Great heirloom there. Congrats sir.

 

[j38]

Congrats on your good fortune. I think you'll find that gun is a wonderful shooter - most Combat Masterpieces are. Thanks for sharing.

Jerry

 

[mustangman]

Thanks for the info, and all the kind words. I'll try to update with pics of all the "extras". I'm probably going to let my ignorance show a bit, but would it be okay to dry fire this gun? I have done it a few times just to make sure everything functioned okay. Everything seems to work, just a little stiff. Any suggestions on how to clean it up and smooth it out?

 

[DWalt]

Thanks for the info, and all the kind words. I'll try to update with pics of all the "extras". I'm probably going to let my ignorance show a bit, but would it be okay to dry fire this gun? I have done it a few times just to make sure everything functioned okay. Everything seems to work, just a little stiff. Any suggestions on how to clean it up and smooth it out?

The "Official" guidance is that dry firing will not damage a S&W revolver. Nonetheless, I find it difficult to unnecessarily dry fire any gun. Just the way I was brought up by my daddy. Blast everything out as best you can with spray carburetor and choke cleaner (remove the grips first). It's better to remove the sideplate and disassemble everything for cleaning. It's not difficult, but if you do not know how, it's best to not do it. Keep it waxed (I use Johnson's Paste Wax, but most any wax will work).

 

[THEMULE]

Those are the best ones.

I'm deeply rooted in family and friends. I will sell everything before I would give up a gun I got from my grandfather. Those heirlooms/hand me downs, what ever you wanna call them are priceless! Good for you my friend.

 

[THEMULE]

Thanks for the info, and all the kind words. I'll try to update with pics of all the "extras". I'm probably going to let my ignorance show a bit, but would it be okay to dry fire this gun? I have done it a few times just to make sure everything functioned okay. Everything seems to work, just a little stiff. Any suggestions on how to clean it up and smooth it out?

Snap caps.

 

[Jack Flash]

I agree with buying snap caps. Dry firing may not hurt, but why not spend a few bucks and remove any doubt?

I bought some at Gander Mountain, but I'm sure you can get them on-line from Cabela's, Brownells, Midway, ...

 

[mustangman]

What a wonderful gift from your mom. I'd bet I'm not the only one here who would like to see the badge and 60's ID card. Great heirloom there. Congrats sir.

A few more pics. Gun & badge, badge, catalogue page. Couldn't really get one of the ID, discolored and stuck in one of those old wallet picture holders.

 

[Sgt 127]

Very nice set. Badge is likely made by Simmangs, looks like one of theirs. I'm glad those items found a good home for one more generation.

I collect badges....I'm glad most families don't treasure those items.

 

[Cooter Brown]

That's a really nice collection of your grandfather's things.

The grips appear to be the so-called "high shouldered" Magna style. That style would be period correct to the gun. One of the grips (I think the right one) should be stamped with a serial number on the underside. Before shipping the factory put the serial number of the gun on the grips.

Very often police guns and their grips become mismatched. Yours might very well match. Which would make a neat gun just a little neater.

 

[mustangman]

That's a really nice collection of your grandfather's things.

The grips appear to be the so-called "high shouldered" Magna style. That style would be period correct to the gun. One of the grips (I think the right one) should be stamped with a serial number on the underside. Before shipping the factory put the serial number of the gun on the grips.

Very often police guns and their grips become mismatched. Yours might very well match. Which would make a neat gun just a little neater.

I was planning on taking the grips off this weekend, and giving it a cleaning. Being very unfamiliar with this sort of thing, is this something that is pretty simple to do, and not have to worry about messing something up? Also is there any one thing that is better than another to use to clean it up? Would something like Ballistol be ok?

 

[bettis1]

Very nice heirlooms, mustang man. Now I would recommend that you take one more step in preserving them. I would suggest that you have your mother write out (or you write it out for her) a document stating that the gun (incl. serial number and badge number) and items belonged to your grandfather. Have her sign it and notarize it. You might wonder why that is important since your mother has told you the story already. The reason is that with the passing of one more generation those stories will become nothing more than hand-me-down family tales. Undocumented stories related to old guns are a dime a dozen and carry very little significance to the value of the gun.

With your grandfather's name, his office and department, his badge number, his revolver's serial number, you are well armed to find out more about him. Contact the Harris Co. Constable's office (be careful here since Harris Co DA isn't/wasn't very tolerant of a citizen's Second Amendment rights), look through the newspapers in his time for any interesting events that occurred (Think the beginning of SPACE TRAVEL) and preserve them all together for future family members.

Bob