Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Preference in S&W K frame

Here’s ole Maser / Slavek. He’s also got a new Sock Puppet called Q_Sertorius. He’s a desperate little Spic of wasted bandwidth:

https://jasoncardenas.org/

Geezer, do not worry about original boxes especially cardboard you can buy waterproof plastic case for $20+/5. Choose gun with shiny stainless finish, it is < oxidation prone.

Here’s the REAL Slavek / Maser / Q_Sertorius


This is Maser / Slavek: His own photos)





This is Maser / Slavek also. Jason Cardenas.





😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

They usually cost > they should. Real sleeper in older K lineup is Model 67. Actually very well thought out and put together .38 Spevial revolver. They can be found for same price range as Ruger Security or Service Six which is actually remarkably good thing.

I wouldn't be without a few 4" K-frame Smiths; 18, 19, 48, and 66.

I have a 14-4 with 8 /38 or so barrel. Whomever suggested that a long barrel in .38 Spl chambering was of little use; some such. Missing the point. "Sight radius!" Longer barrels historically of principal use in target work or shooting 'at range'. Precept: Doesn't do much good how powerful the gun if you can't hit your target.

Also my Combat Masterpiece from 1949 a its first year of production. About the niftiest, great .38 Spl with carry possibilities. Only made in 4" barrel. Someone's kind pix in this thread!

Honourable mention:

The S&W "Heavy Duty 38/44" chambering. A regular .38 Spl with heavy loading available. Bulit, on "S", not "K" Frame - ("S" as pre "N" Frame.) Barrel underlug. From 4" barrel upward with fixed sights. Also a target model with full rib barrel. Same appearance as the 357 Mag. Really era-cool & easy shooting. Just not often practical "concealed carry for most folks!

Side note that I had photos of all three of these guns. Defeated by pix file size limits. Sharing frustrated!

Best & Holy Easter!
John

I don't think I've ever shot this one. I need to dig it out and rectify that situation.

Model 13 or 10 with 3" barrels. Best balance of any revo out there. I have 3 M13s and 1 M10 in this configuration. Two of the M13s have Kim Ahrends stocks as well.

For daily carry, I agree. I too have some like that, i.e., a 13, a 64, and a 65, all in the FBI configuration. I carried them a lot back in the day, IWB, in a Milt Sparks VM II. Mostly the 13. Great guns in the ideal configuration for daily carry.

17, 18, 48, 19’s, 14, 10 & pre- numbers. Plus a I-frame, L-frames, and N frames. Yes I like S&W’s. I think they are what Colt would like to be when they grow up.

The K-22's and K38's are very nice platforms.

I can't help but think Smith missed the boat way back when by not making K32's available on the same platforms: 18/15's (2, 4 and 6 inch M&P barrel), 17/48/14's (4, 6 and 8 inch bull barrel). Can anyone imagine a 4 or 2 or 3 inch target sighted K32? How awesome would have that been.

They did rectify a bit with the 16-4, but even those were a bit too late and too in tune with the Clinton's at the time. Not enough were made and corporate politics at the time didn't help.

A 4” or 5” 32 H&R Combat Masterpiece would be high in the running for coolest knocking around the woods armadillo shooter.

The day I bought my 16-4 I passed on an 8 3/8” SS K or L frame in 17HMR. Didn’t and still don’t really have a use for it, but it might have been cool to fool with and I wish I’d have sprung for it too.

There is no beating 3" Model 19 Comp or 586 L Comp from PC, only need to switch to rubber combat grips for shooting them.

GregK: You are a man after my own heart - my motto when it comes to guns is "when in doubt BUY IT"!
You can always re-sell it.
Enjoy them BOTH.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

My choise in order would be, 66,686 and last the 19.

I hope the blue 14's get along with my 637, 686+, and 625 Smith's

If You just want the nicest, most shootable K frame, go with a K22 or K38.
If you feel you have to have a magnum then the 19 of course. While the older ones are nice, they are the ones that experience forcing cone issues with higher magnum round counts. Keep the magnums to something reasonable, and the M19 is just magnificent.
Regardless of which one you buy, go for the target trigger/target hammer option if you decide you want a classic.

Isn't it mainly the 125 grainers that caused premature forcing cone cracking? A reasonably steady diet of 158 grain loads doesn't seem to cause a problem, from what I've heard.

You earned the right to learn a secret. The absolute best S&W .357 was 686-4 made between 1995 and 1997. This is L-frame 7-shot pre-lock, pre-MIM, pre-floating firing pin gun.

My favorite K is a 4" skinny-barrel Model 10.