Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns S&W 15-3

There's been a few threads lately on the 15-3 and this one came to me recently from my Dad as he was downsizing to a retirement facility.



I felt a grip upgrade was warranted and was contemplating elk/stag when I came across these Altamont aged 'ivory' grips.



The fit of the grips to the frame is very good, and the slimmer profile feels much better than the factory grips. I have to say I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

Next up will be to see how Mackay Sagebrush 158 SWC ammo shoots in it...

Dang, that is pretty! I have its twin and in about the same condition other than the grips. The grips on mine are mismatched from side to side, one is very light, and the other side is dark stained. I actually have a pair of VZ grips on the gun right now but those Altamont grips and a Tyler T adapter would be perfect. They are slick revolvers and with some juiced .38 aren't too shabby power wise for what that gun is designed to do. I don't shoot mine enough.

The M-15-3 was the standard issue handgun for the USAF. The ones I shot were smooth and accurate. I liked the far more than the M-9 boat anchors.

Very nice combo. I too have its brother. Nice pleasant gun to shoot.

Very nice. I have a 15-3 in pretty good shape, but it's one of the few popular (pinned barrel) S&W models that I don't have a pristine or near pristine example of. They are getting pretty spendy now, so that's not likely to happen.

JGray,

Glad to see such a fine revolver get passed down. The Model 15 aka Combat Masterpiece is one of the finest revolvers S&W has ever produced (in my opinion). It balances superbly and they tend to shoot extremely well. I know my example has always been a tackdriver. It does not look anywhere as good as your does.




Those loads you mentioned are a poly-coated 158 grain +P load and they really turn the Combat Masterpiece into a whole other animal. They are what I keep in the gun for protection duties. Between those and some light recoiling 148 grain wadcutters, a guy pretty much has everything covered.

I have used my Model 15 on more than a few winter time Jackrabbit expeditions and it always performs. Simply a great gun for such things!








Congrats on the fine gun. The grips look great as well.

I loaned my two model 15s to a friend a month ago as his wife wanted a gun in the house (long story - older couple, huge house). One was a 15-3 in fair cosmetic condition with one of the smoothest actions I have ever encountered, the other a heavy barrel 15-6 which I picked up 6 months ago and never shot. I kinda miss the 15-3. She freaked out when he brought them home, but he hasn’t returned them yet.

Well hopefully they never have to use them for anything other than target shooting, but you certainly gave them some very nice revolvers. Good simple tools that will get the job done. They should be grateful.

Love a 15-3 and that one looks like it's been shot just enough to get it nice and smooth.

Nice! I really enjoy shooting mine.

I have a 15-3 that rode in a Safety Speed clamshell for over 25 years, patrolling the streets of LA. It was given to me by an old LAPD friend who I worked with. It was missing about 40% of the finish, but there wasn't any rust or pitting. It'd been through a couple of riots, more than one motorcycle crash and 4 gunfights. Grips were a set of really beat-up Pachmayrs that were still functional.

I sent it back to S&W and they refinished it, cleaned up the action and fixed the endshake. Like most big-city cop guns, it was carried daily but shot only for semi-annual quals. My old partnero wasn't a gun guy, but he took care of his revolver. The refinish looks awesome. I carry it now in retirement occasionally, when an overcoat is warranted here in TX. One of my favorite revolvers.
Bob

Nice revolver, most would prefer. 357 in revolver of this size and weight which S&W markets as Model 19. Not particularly good .357 because unlike Service Six or Security Six it can not withstand steady diet of real .357 Magnum loads. Those older Rugers were very nice handling revolvers. To take more $ out of buyers pockets management decided to offer two lesser products GP100 and SP101. The champion of max profit are now LCR revolvers. There is no denying that LCR revolvers tend to have very good triggers even those with shrouded internal hammers.

The 19 could take more "real" loads than you think. A steady diet of the original Super Vel 110 and later 125 full house loads sometimes cause some top strap cutting. Granted the L frame S&W revolvers are better for "real" loads. What ever that is.

RGK, enjoy your new gun.

Oh look, Slavek is using AI to make his answers look like he knows something about guns. Isn't that special...

I've got a pre 15 Combat Masterpiece from my great uncle that was made in 1954. It was his companion when working for NH Fish and Game. It's as fine an outdoorsman revolver now as it was when it left the factory 69 years ago. Just as accurate and maybe even smoother.