S&W Model 10 and Model 14 in .38 - look to be a nice pair...

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Pendragon

New member
Ok,

it looks like I am trading in my colt Defender and my Ruger single six .22

I found 2 really nice Smiths and they are begging me to take them home.

I was going to go for a 625, but people in this forum have sold me on the virtues of a .38 revolver.

Numbers wise, the deal is OK - remember that in PRK, these older guns are VERY hard to come by and cost a lot more than they probably do in free America.

The Model10 is an absolute gem. It looks and feels brand new. It has immaculate nickel plating and the action is super slick and smooth. My best guess is that it is a 3.5" barrel its a little short to be a 4". I think it is the "pencil" barrel - it is relatively thin and tapered - perfect bore. This gun has the firing pin on the hammer and comes with (I assume the original) wood grips and some nice rubber grips too. $300 Ser# starts with K65 IIRC. - this is on hold for me for certain and should be a nice wife/range/carry/car/hotel/show gun.

The Model14 is blued and is also in excellent shape - although the wood grips are way too small for my hand. 6" thicker barrel (perfect bore) - not tapered - flat topped with adjustable sights. Firing pin on hammer like the 10. Very well taken care of Ser# D95.... $325 I think this would make a great range and target gun.

I am interested in some opinions about these guns bought as a pair - I am not all that concerned about the lack of .357 ability - I can always get a Ruger later on - these are on consignment and seem like a good opportunity. I dont shoot my Defender or my Single Six anymore and I think my wilfe would shoot the .38s and enjoy them more than my 1911 or a larger revolver. Plus the .38 is a nice, economical accurate round to have fun with. (I plan to reload).

Oh - I did most of Jim Marches check list - the guns seem tight and smooth - especially the Model 10, but the 14 is nice too. Something about buying two similar guns yet with different purposes is very apealing to me.

Comments and advice please - I am comitted to the 10, not quite yet to the 14.
 
B

bountyh

Moderator
Small world. I happen to own a nickle-plated model 10 (early seventies vintage) with walnut grips and the "pencil" 4" barrel. It's basically new. The works are tight as a bank vault door, and the trigger is smooth as glass. I keep 110-gr .38 Hydra Shoks in it for a defense pistol because it is such a good gun, and lighter than a .357 for carry. $300 is a bargain, I'll bet it's much better fitted than the new SW's guns.

If the model 14 is tight, it's a good gun. I recently went shopping for a new model 66 and gave up because all the ones I saw were out of spec or had other problems. I wish I could get a good used SW, but we can't buy them in Kalifornia.
 
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Hutch

New member
PD, don't pass up the M14 (aka K38 Masterpiece) if you can afford it. It is one of the most satisfying revolvers ever made. If your specimen is as good as you say, there's probably a very mild target load that will make one ragged hole in the target. The grips you're describing are the Magna grips. The target grips are much better. Even a set of michelins (read: hogue or pachs) will feel better than the Magnas. I'm away from my Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson, so I can't tell you when this one was made. Also, if the grips on the K38 have a diamond-shaped relief where the grip screw goes thru, DON'T lose track of them when you put on the larger grips. Those were standard on revos made prior to about '68.
 
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jmlv

New member
And just for shooting the grips that come with the model 10

Will fit the 14 as well. so those riubber ones will make nice shooting grips on the model 14 till you get a nice custom set od woods.
 
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Radicalcleric

New member
I would tell you the date of manufacture on these but I need to know how many numbers are in the serial. K65 could be K650 or K6500 or K65000 you know?

Also, I have never seen anything like a IIRC in a serial number by S&W.

I am sure the barrel on the 10 is 4" as a 3.5" M10 has never been made. The whole length is measured, not just from where it emerges from the frame.

Both are great guns.
 
D

Desert Pete

New member
I have a 6" model 14 I use strictly for target shooting. Very accurate. One of my favorite handguns. Shoot it a lot. If you can find a pair of the Target stocks S&W used to put on most of their revolvers, get them. They fit me perfectly and they just look right. You can still get these in new condition at the bigger gun shows.
 
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Pendragon

New member
Also, I have never seen anything like a IIRC in a serial number by S&W.
Click to expand...

IIRC = if I recall correctly :)

Guys, I really really appreciate the advice and the comments.

I actually called the store right after I posted and had them hold the M14 for me.

Then, last night, I get an email from someone who had offered a trade a while back, but went on vacation. He wants to trade a Model 65 LS for the Defender - I was seriously torn between the M14 and his M65, but I prioritize "defensive" guns above "target" guns and the M65 is - as has been said - one of the best carry revolvers there is. Also, the defender is a nice gun and I would rather do a trade with a TFL member (he lives in my area) than the gun store.

So I am going to let the M14 float for a while - I traded my Ruger .22 for the Model 10 (a no brainer) but I gotta throw in a little cash.

I have a feeling that the M14 will sit there for a while - they have a lot of .357 revolvers and I think most people gravitate towards those. Here's hoping its still there in a week :D
 
P

Pendragon

New member
Ok, well, I came to my senses and passed on the M65. I was worried all Sunday that the M14 would be gone - it was not.

Now its on hold while I sell my Defender.


Does anyone know how to find out when the M10 and M14 were made?

I have some Serial Numbers:

Model 10, 4" Pencil bbl, Nickel (pin on hamer)
D96505XX

Model 14 6" adj sights, blue (pin on hamer)
K6509XX

If anyone can tell me when these were made (and how you know), I would be much obliged :D
 
F

FPrice

New member
Pendragon...

"Model 10, 4" Pencil bbl, Nickel (pin on hamer) D96505XX"

Too many digits, should only be letter plus five or six numbers. But, assuming the first three are correct, if there are five numbers this would be early 1968. If six numbers, late 1977.

"Model 14 6" adj sights, blue (pin on hamer) K6509XX"

Late 1965.

Found this information in the great S&W book, "Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson" by Supica and Nahas. The standard way to pass serial numbers for date of manufacture (and maintain some provacy and security of your firearms) is to print the letter prefix (if any) and the serial number with the last three numbers replaced by x's. For example, serial number D123456 woulf be D123xxx.

These sound like some good buys, I hope that you get them and post some pics for us to drool over.
 
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Pendragon

New member
Well, I managed to swing it and today I picked up both the Model 10 and the Model 14.

Inside the crane on the Model 10, it is designated "10-5" where the other is a "14-2"

I have not had a chance to verify the serial number, but I bet it is '77 and not '68

Now - I was going over them with the gunsmith who runs the store - we looked at the back of the cylinder on both guns - the 14 has very little in the way of wear marks on the little notched that turn the cylinder. On the Model 10, those notches look completely untouched - you can barely seel the "grain" left from the machining and there are no marks or wear at all from the action of the gun - if this gun has more than a cylinder or two through it, I would be shocked.

Also, the 10 came with a Model 10 box - the store said the serial# does not match the gun, but I have not checked yet - but I got what looks to be the original paperwork and an aluminum rod with a loop for cleaning it :)

I was comparing the actions on the 10 and the 14 - both feel real nice, but the 10 is obviously lighter and smoother - not sure it it came that way or if someone had something done, but holy cow this gun is slick!

Hutch: the 14 DOES have the diamond relief on the grip screw that you mentioned - and the wood grips for both revolvers are in new condition.

These are my first DA revolvers (the Ruger Single Six was my first revolver, but I never liked it as much as I wanted to like it)

These babys are sweet and I really feel like I scored with these. The shop owner said that he remembers the guy who brought in the 14 and he has a large collection that he takes good care of (obviously).

I am so amazed that the Model 14 has better bluing after this long than I have seen on some new guns.

My Parents got me a Borders Books gift cert for my birthday a few weeks back - got a nice book on 1911s and ordered "Art of the Rifle" - can anyone recomend a good book on revolvers or more specifically S&W revolvers?

Thanks for pushing me towards getting both guys, I cannot wait to go shoot them. these babies are going to get a steady diet of very mild target loads.
 
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Hutch

New member
Books... hmmmm.... I have the aforementioned Standard Catalog of S&W, and it's a keeper. I'm hoping to pick up Jerry Kuhnhausen's Smth Shop manual, so I can try my hand at double action tuning (I already have a "little to lose if I mess up" revo in mind).

McGivern's book "Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting" and Bill Jordan's "No Second Place Winners" are standard tomes, but I have not read them. I do have the Roy Jinks history of S&W, but it was published in '74 IIRC, and it is way dated, still-and-all, it's not bad. I bet Tamara could name off many more.

Like I said, don't lose those grips!!!
 
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