ANGST
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Masterpiece vs Combat Masterpiece ?
What's the difference between a 14 and 15 ?
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ANGST
Member
Masterpiece vs Combat Masterpiece ?
Barrel length and front sight. The 15's are 2" & 4", the 14's were 6" & 8.375". There were, however, some rare exceptions.
carguychris
Member
A Model 14 Target Masterpiece has a Partridge front sight, whereas a Model 15 Combat Masterpiece has a Baughman Quick Draw (i.e. ramp) front sight.
A Model520Fan implies, these is such a thing as a 6" M15 and a 4" M14, although they're rare. The distinction is the front sight.
A Model520Fan implies, these is such a thing as a 6" M15 and a 4" M14, although they're rare. The distinction is the front sight.
bmcgilvray
Member
They're both such great revolvers! Seems like every handgunner would want one.
RalphK22
Member
That's a Patridge front sight. No R.
Besides the differences in barrel lengths and front sights, the 15s had contoured/tapered barrels and the 14s had straight/bull barrels.
Small runs of 14s with 4-inch barrels were produced at one time or another for specific contracts.
Dan
Small runs of 14s with 4-inch barrels were produced at one time or another for specific contracts.
Dan
carguychris
Member
Shucks, you have no idea how long I've been writing and saying this, and nobody ever told me it was wrong...
Model 15's were available with 2", 4" or 6" barrels. Dean
DaveWW
Member
Here's a Model 14
claygrazer
Member
Partridges belong in Pear trees. The sight developed by E.E. Patridge in the 1890's belongs on your Smith.Originally posted by carguychris:
Shucks, you have no idea how long I've been writing and saying this, and nobody ever told me it was wrong...
claygrazer
Member
What's the difference between a 14 and 15 ?
About one, as far as I can tell.
About one, as far as I can tell.
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K38 Masterpiece (later called Model 14) had straight walled barrel, K38 Combat Masterpiece (later called Model 15) had tapered barrel. Barrel length and sight configuration is not the determining factor.
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There are even 5 inch barrel version of each. Missouri State Highway Patrol had 5 inch tapered barrels like the Combat Masterpiece and Illinois State Police had straight walled barrels like the K38 Masterpiece.
davemuzz
Member
Took way too long for this answer to get posted.
G
Guest
Guest
Pretty tough question to answer without benefit of "vintage".
Generally speaking we think of barrel length and sight configuration and barrel taper, but there are so many exceptions that one needs to almost put a stake in "time" in order to answer.
For instance, the Masterpiece is generally thought to have a straight (non-taper) barrel, and that's generally true, but the very first models had a narrow ribbed barrel that did, in fact have a taper. Then, we think of the Combat Masterpiece as having a taper, but after the mid 90's those were deleted and became straight barrel.
Then, we know that the M14 had the longer barrel versions, the M15 the shorter, but when the M14 was removed from production in the early 80's, the longer barrel lengths were added to the M15 line.
Both did have 5" versions, and they did differ due to taper/non-taper.
For some of us that have been around these guns for years, it seems simple, but the exceptions and production interuptions have made it tough to explain.
Here are some generalities, just to confuse things.
The M14 was the longer barrel model (6" and 8 3/8"), except for those special production runs that were made in 4" and 2 1/2")
The M14 had the straight barrel, except for those early guns that had tapers.
The M14 had patridge front sights, except for those that had ramp (generally the 4" and 5" special production run guns).
The M15 was made in 2" and 4" barrel lengths, except those made with longer barrels...
The M15 had ramp front sights, except for the mid/late 80's guns made when the original M14 had a brief hiatus from production, those had patridge front sights.
The M14 generally had a wide rib barrel, except for the early guns that had a narrow rib.
The M15 had a narrow rib, except for those made in the mid/late 80's when the M14 was out of production for a bit, as well as those in the mid 90's when the taper was deleted and the gun had a wider rib.
The M15 was regularly offered in blue and nickel finishes.
The M14 was made in blue, except for a very few that were made with nickel finish (special production).
Oh, yeah, the mid/late 80's long barrel M15's had the same overall appearance to the M14's that they replaced, except for the length of the front sight base....
The barrel ribs on the M14 and M15 (and Masterpiece/Combat Masterpiece versions) had barrel rib serrations, almost always. The exceptions were the 4" Dayton M14's made in the late 60's, these had an extra heavy barrel from the M10 HB line, and the topstrap was matte, but not serrated.
When the M14 was shipped with magna grips, it had square bottom grips (exception was many of the Dayton guns
), while the magna equipped M15's had the modified Magna (PC) grips in later years (I'm sure there are exceptions for early guns as well!).
The M14 was offered in a SAO version, the M15 was not. There are examples of DAO M15's out there, but these would be special production if original, but I've not personally seen one documented.
Both the M14 and M15 was only offered in square butt gripframes, with the exception to the late 90's M15's and the full underlug M14's starting with the M14-6 engineering change and extending into the -7.
All this info taken into account, it's pretty easy to sort it out.
Generally speaking we think of barrel length and sight configuration and barrel taper, but there are so many exceptions that one needs to almost put a stake in "time" in order to answer.
For instance, the Masterpiece is generally thought to have a straight (non-taper) barrel, and that's generally true, but the very first models had a narrow ribbed barrel that did, in fact have a taper. Then, we think of the Combat Masterpiece as having a taper, but after the mid 90's those were deleted and became straight barrel.
Then, we know that the M14 had the longer barrel versions, the M15 the shorter, but when the M14 was removed from production in the early 80's, the longer barrel lengths were added to the M15 line.
Both did have 5" versions, and they did differ due to taper/non-taper.
For some of us that have been around these guns for years, it seems simple, but the exceptions and production interuptions have made it tough to explain.
Here are some generalities, just to confuse things.
The M14 was the longer barrel model (6" and 8 3/8"), except for those special production runs that were made in 4" and 2 1/2")
The M14 had the straight barrel, except for those early guns that had tapers.
The M14 had patridge front sights, except for those that had ramp (generally the 4" and 5" special production run guns).
The M15 was made in 2" and 4" barrel lengths, except those made with longer barrels...
The M15 had ramp front sights, except for the mid/late 80's guns made when the original M14 had a brief hiatus from production, those had patridge front sights.
The M14 generally had a wide rib barrel, except for the early guns that had a narrow rib.
The M15 had a narrow rib, except for those made in the mid/late 80's when the M14 was out of production for a bit, as well as those in the mid 90's when the taper was deleted and the gun had a wider rib.
The M15 was regularly offered in blue and nickel finishes.
The M14 was made in blue, except for a very few that were made with nickel finish (special production).
Oh, yeah, the mid/late 80's long barrel M15's had the same overall appearance to the M14's that they replaced, except for the length of the front sight base....
The barrel ribs on the M14 and M15 (and Masterpiece/Combat Masterpiece versions) had barrel rib serrations, almost always. The exceptions were the 4" Dayton M14's made in the late 60's, these had an extra heavy barrel from the M10 HB line, and the topstrap was matte, but not serrated.
When the M14 was shipped with magna grips, it had square bottom grips (exception was many of the Dayton guns
The M14 was offered in a SAO version, the M15 was not. There are examples of DAO M15's out there, but these would be special production if original, but I've not personally seen one documented.
Both the M14 and M15 was only offered in square butt gripframes, with the exception to the late 90's M15's and the full underlug M14's starting with the M14-6 engineering change and extending into the -7.
All this info taken into account, it's pretty easy to sort it out.
Awesome Smithnut. Your explination made me laugh several times, and for that I thank you!
carguychris,
This is a Partridge!
carguychris,
This is a Partridge!
G
Guest
Guest
s&wchad,
Glad you liked it, I'm hoping it clarifies the differences...
Almost forgot, the M15 was also produced with 3" barrel, but that's another story....
Glad you liked it, I'm hoping it clarifies the differences...
Almost forgot, the M15 was also produced with 3" barrel, but that's another story....
Nframe_is_no1
Member
SmithNut,
I thought the 15 was only shipped with square-bottomed magnas just like the 14. Weren't PC magnas only used on fixed-sighted guns?
I thought the 15 was only shipped with square-bottomed magnas just like the 14. Weren't PC magnas only used on fixed-sighted guns?
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