S&W Model 14 Recent History

C

Crow Beads

New member
Howdy:

A copy of the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson is on my Christmas wish list but I'd appreciate some info on the subject revolver in .38spl from y'all.

What was the last year of manufacture? Are there many of these still around? How difficult would it be to find one new in box or nearly so? I am especially interested in one with a six inch barrel. Was the model 67 meant to be a replacement for the model 14?

Best,
CB
 
From the SCSW:

The K-38 Masterpiece started being stamped Model 14 in 1957 and went through 7 engineering changes until it was discontinued in 1999.

I bought my 14-4 a few years ago. IIRC... $275

14_4l.jpg


Very accurate shooter and not too hard to find a nice used one, but a true NIB may be a challange.

A quick check of www.gunsamerica.com www.auctionarms.com or www.gunbroker.com should turn up several examples.

Good Luck...

Joe
 
The M67 is the ss counterpart to the M15. Nothing replaced the M14 nor was there ever a ss counterpart.
With a little searching you should be able to find a NIB or LNIB specimen. It was a very popular revolver and there are quite a few on the used market.
 
The model 14 that is unfired or LNIB is hard to come by. The reason is that most of these were bought to be target shooting pistols used by folks who enjoy turning money into noise.

The good news is that most of these guns probably only fired 148gr match wadcutter ammo or similarly "light" loads.

The closest you'll find in stainless steel is the Model 68. These were actually a Model 66 with a 6" barrel, but chambered for the .38 Special instead. Some will be marked CHP (California Highway Patrol guns) or LAPD (both command something of a premium).

The most apparent differences are the longer cylinder (originally for .357), the Baughman front ramp sight instead of a Partridge sight and the ejector rod housing under the barrel.
 
It gets confusing. Although the Model 14 was dropped, Smith & Wesson began listing the Model 15 with a six-inch barrel. I don't remember if there was a longer barrel offered or not. There was a full-lugged (heavy barrel with full-length ejector shroud) Model 14 for a while. The .22 caliber variations, none of which were called Model 14's, were even more numerous.

The first K-38's and Model 14's were from a time when you just had to have a wide trigger and hammer for target shooting. They were, however, popular as police guns. I have an old copy of some gun magazine from around 1960 which shows L.A. police officers on the range with their K-38's. At the time, according to the article, they received additional pay for high qualification scores. They all were in a combat crouch and firing one handed.

Those old magazines can be eye-openers. There was also an article about the U.S. Olympic shooting team for the winter olympics getting ready to compete with their .243 Winchesters.

I've had both an early Model 14 as well as later K-22 and Model 15 with 4-inch barrel. The K-22 was not as nice as the .38 specials, I thought at the time.
 
Both the M14 and the M15 were dropped in 1999 although the M14 was in a heavy barrel configuration by then. Over the years both models could be had in 4", 6", and 8 3/8" models. Only the M15 could be had in a 2" version though.
Ask around or post WTB ads in forums and you can find LNIB specimens. I passed on quite a few while looking for the specific one I wanted. They are out there.
 
"Turning money into noise?" I love it!

Joe, That's a pretty handgun.

All The rest:
Thank you for the fine descriptions of the Model 14 and comparisons with model 15s. It clears up a lot. I will check out the Colorado Gun Collectors show next Spring for one of the above. There's no hurry, I just bought a new S&W 586P and 432pd. That's enough toys for now.

btw, this is the best firearms forum on the net. Thanks again.

Best,
CB
 
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