US property pre-14 K38 Masterpiece revolver

[Slufstuff]

I recently won the bid for a US marked S&W pre-model 14 K38 Masterpiece revolver. It has a letter showing it was shipped to Raritan arsenal on July 30, 1956. This auction picture will have to suffice for now, I will not have it in hand for at least a week.

I am interested in any information regarding army and air force usage of the Masterpiece. I would imagine for pistol teams or training. Anybody know if there was any kind of standard issue holster? Did the USAF get their K38's through the army, or were there USAF contracts for procurement?

Any information will be appreciated. I will try to post more pics once I have it in hand.

 

[kwill1911]

PM me and I'll tell you how to get the rest of this:

 

[bamabiker]

Wow, from that one picture it looks like it was used very little. Very nice.
Can't help with your questios.

 

[mikepriwer]

That looks to be a very interesting revolver. I assume there is no factory letter for the gun, so maybe you ought to get in a request for a factory letter. They do take some time to get, so you might as well get on the mailing list.

I do know that some S&W revolver, of about the time period of this gun, are marked AFPG, which stands for Air Force Pistol Group. I have one that letters as being shipped to Robbins AFB in Georgia. The guns were for a shooting team, which I assume was based at Robbins.

Regards, Mike Priwer

 

[ordnanceguy]

Hello Slufstuff:

That is a fine looking K-38. It is in much better condition than most of the USGI K-38s that occasionally surface.

What is the serial number?

Your revolver was an Army weapon. It was intended for marksmanship competition, not training. Numerous Army pistol teams competed with the K-38 Masterpiece in the 1950s. Your revolver is one of the 1075 that were purchased by the Army in 1956. You will want to secure a copy of the Army/Air Force Tech Manual on these guns published in July 1959.

While some of the Army purchased K-38s may have later found their way to the USAF, the Air Force made its own direct purchases of the K-38. Some of them were "tuned" by the Air Force Marksmanship school gunsmiths at Lackland AFB. Those revolvers were marked on the left frame under the cylinder window A.F.P.G. which stands for Air Force Premium Grade.

The Marines also made some limited purchases of the K-38 during the 1950s.

I hope that information helps you. BTW, please post a copy of the factory letter when it is received as it is helpful to those of us who are data hounds which, in turn, allows us to help collectors like you.

Regards,
Charlie

 

[Slufstuff]

I did not need to wait on a S&W letter, the seller had one. Below is a picture of the relevant page 2 of the letter. I hope it is legible.

 

[Truckman]

Below is a picture of the relevant page 2 of the letter. I hope it is legible.

There is nothing more authoritative than that in the S&W world......Ben

 

[ordnanceguy]

Anybody know if there was any kind of standard issue holster?

No, there was no holster authorized for the K-38 Masterpiece. It was a Target revolver intended for range use, not in the field, and thus did not require a dedicated holster.

Thanks for posting the letter.

Regards,
Charlie