USAF Model 15

[mag318]

Anyone ever hear of a USAF issued M15 with a parkerized finish? I was in the USAF Air Police Security Police 1966/1970 and all ours were typical S&W blue.

 

[JayCeeNC]

All I ever saw were standard blued finish, no parkerizing. I was a USAF SP from 1971-1975.

 

[mag318]

Thanks John, I think this example I'm looking at was refinished after it was surplused out.

 

[Lowpower]

All I ever saw were standard blued finish, no parkerizing. I was a USAF SP from 1971-1975.

Not trying to hijack but I was in at the same time! Went in in Oct'71.

 

[JohnnieB]

All I ever saw were standard blued finish, no parkerizing. I was a USAF SP from 1971-1975.

Back in the mid '60s the USAF APs (that's how they were identified back then) that guarded a couple of birds in a TWA hanger at Orly Airport carried Combat Masterpieces that were either SS or Nickel plated, but the APs were assigned to SHAPE and supported through the embassy, so they probably weren't standard USAF issued weapons. Other than those few, all I saw from '63 - '75 were blued.

John

 

[fat tom]

I've been watching that one too. Just out of curiosity. I don't think any were ISSUED with a parkerized finish.
f.t.

 

[handejector]

I've had several, seen more.
ALL blue.

 

[mag318]

I wonder who parkerized it, I don't think it was the factory or the USAF. To my fellow APs, I hated it when they changed our name from Air Police which was at least distinctive like Shore Patrol, to Security Police which sound like a commercial security company.

 

[JohnnieB]

To my fellow APs, I hated it when they changed our name from Air Police which was at least distinctive like Shore Patrol, to Security Police which sound like a commercial security company.

I wasn't an AP, but the people in my field of endeavor weren't too happy about the name change either. When we told people we were in Security Service, they thought we were in law enforcement while the opposite was closer to the truth. Of course, we never did anything that was actually illeagal, or at least it wasn't back then

Finally USAFSS got around to changing their name and the confusion went away, but that was long after I got out in '75.

John

 

[S. Hammer]

I remember about a quarter of the 15's in our armory (1982-1984) being parkerized. From what I was told they were refinished by the military. Elite Gate Guards (Security Police) had the nickle 15's in cross draw holsters.

 

[deenb]

Parkerized Finish

I was in from '67 til '73. In '68 I was in the 1st Mob out of Clark AFB, in the Phillipines and we were issued Victory Model S&Ws and all were quite ugly but boy could they shoot. Mine was a Navy model with the old smooth walnut grips (stocks), sure wish I had that sucker today.

 

[bobcat]

All the ones I saw while I was in, ('73-'77) were standard blue. Nice guns, but I had a 4 legged land shark to use on duty also, funny, I never had to pull or use the gun, the dog made the point for me. Something about 90 lbs. of snarling sheperd sure made people meek and made them mind.

 

[stantheman86]

I saw the parkerized USAF M15 on GunBroker too, too rich for my blood!

Plus I was in the Army, so I'll leave it to an AF guy to get that one

 

[Tonkawa]

I was in USAF from '62 to '68 and as Minuteman Missile Crew Commander, and was issued and carried a Model 15. All of 15's we had at the 810th Missile Wing were S&W blue.

 

[murphydog]

Parkerized, and with later S & W Magna stocks than the 1965 serial number would suggest also...hope the bidders know what they are getting.

On a probably unrelated note, I fired my first Navy pistol qualification in 1994 with a model 15 along with about 20 others. I do not recall if any were property or military stamped but they were all blued.

 

[handejector]

Right serial range for a USAF gun, and the marking looks legit.

Pits are visible on the butt, so my best guess is an AF armory repair unit parked it. Or, it could have been done after. No real way to tell.

 

[Homie]

Fellow airmen (and others),

Tom Ferguson, who wrote for Gun World and was a retired San Antonio LEO, did an article about the Lackland gunsmith facilities that pictured a whole rack of M-15s that were parkerized there. Seems to me the article was in the '80s, after the AF marksmanship program started up again.

Good shooting.

 

[mag318]

I see the top bid was $905.00, I hope the high bidder got a legit gun. I would have felt much more confident had it been blued and therefore original.

 

[JWM]

Parkerized model 15's

I was DOD Police at Otis ANGB, MA, from 1983-1989. About 1985-86 time frame, our police force was increased quite a bit, and therefore more model 15's were needed. I remember we received a crate straight from Warner Robbins AFB, GA, and inside were about a dozen new parkerized model 15's. Target hammer, target triggers, magna stocks, and USAF stamped as I recall. They looked brand new. I was issued one because my older, blued S&W M15 was suffering from "push-off" from a cocked hammer and the unit armorer pulled it from me for repair and issued me one of the parkerized guns.

 

[XAVMECH]

MOD 15s in the AF

I also served in the USAF during the mid to late 60s. Our aircrew issue weapons (survival gear) included an S&W MOD 15: Blued.
Bill