The Smith & Wesson Model K-38 Target Masterpiece Revolver Model 14 is a six-shot, double-action revolver with adjustable open sights built on the medium-size "K" frame. It is chambered for the.38 Special cartridge, and most were fitted with a or barrel. A small batch were made with barrels, and even fewer were made with barrels. First produced in 1947 and originally known as the K-38 Target Masterpiece, it was renamed the Model 14 in 1957 when all Smith & Wesson revolvers were given numerical model numbers. It is built on the same medium-sized frame as the seminal Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver. The K-38 model was authorized for duty with the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Variants
The Model 14 Masterpiece Single-Action was available in 1961 and 1962. It came with a barrel and functioned in single-action only. It was otherwise identical to the rest of the Model 14s. Smith & Wesson also released a Model 14 in their "Classics" line. A nickel-plated version has since been discontinued, but the blued-steel version is still available. Other than the finishes, the revolvers were identical with barrels, a pinned Patridge front sight, a micro-adjustable rear sight, and wood grips. During the years 1965 - 1968 a serial number range of the Model 14-2 was acquired by the Dayton Gun Headquarters of Dayton, Ohio. Smith and Wesson allowed this gun distributer to block a number of serial numbers for a special run of 14-2 handguns. These handguns were distinctive in that they were all Model 14-2, 4" revolvers with a Baughman front sight and a mixture of standard or target hammers, triggers and stocks. The "Dayton" guns are a hybrid involving a shortened Model 14 barrel with a Model 15 sight. The Dayton guns were made in four separate blocks of serial numbers. They are: 1) K623337 - K623737 K623857 - K624496 K660288 - K661087 K661389 - K 661585 for a total of 2038 pieces; during years 1965 - 1968. Excerpt from: The Dayton Guns; An Early Example of Customer - Blocked Serial Numbers; Volume 30, #2 Autumn 1996; Smith and Wesson Collectors Association; author Mike Priwer.
