S&W 15-3
Morning people, my wife has inherited a S&W 15-3 from her grandfather dont care to know the value because its pricless to us. My question is in learning more about this type of weapon I keep hearing about I J K L Frames any one have photos of the differances and which one do we have . I also hear about +p and +p+ ammo, would it be safe to shoot with this weapon. the serial # is 5K67509
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do they have wide triggers or has some one changed it? it has a narrow hammer. 0 -
AND THE QUESTION IS ?????? 0 -
Your Smith 15-3 is a K-frame .38 special revolver with adjustable sights. Smith and Wesson wasn't very shy about marketing, so they called this gun the "Combat Masterpiece"!
Hype aside, its actually a very nice gun for target shooting, or defense use, and makes a great first centerfire gun for a novice shooter too. Your wife could do a lot worse!
The K is the MEDIUM Smith and Wesson revolver frame. Even though for decades, this was the most popular size for "service" revolvers, Smith and Wesson has largely discontinued making guns in this frame size, except for one model.
(The I is the smallest frame, but has been out of manufacture for at least 30 years. The J is the small frame used for concealable snubnose revolvers, and is highly popular to this day. The L is a beefed up K-frame intended mostly for .357 magnum guns. The N-frame is a large frame good for beefy cartridges like the .44 magnum, etc).
In terms of +P ammo, so long as its in good condition, your Smith 15 should be fine using +P ammo for self-defense, and in fact I would recommend use of that sort of ammo for self-defense. The extra cost associated with +P ammo means that you probably won't want to use it for casual target shooting, or use too much in practice.
So you know, +P ammo is ordinary .38 special ammo that is loaded to about 10% higher pressures (hence +P) for defense use. Any modern manufacture K-frame Smith and Wesson revolver (and yours counts) ought to be strong enough to handle +P ammo safely.
+P+ ammo is a little more problematic, since there is no formal SAAMI pressure spec for that sort of ammunition. So how "hot" +P+ ammo actually is is questionable. I've heard varying stories about this, from ammo that is basically identical to .38+P (which to my mind seems most likely) to ammo that is WAY hot and approaches full .357 magnum-like power.
In practice, you're probably not going to find any +P+ ammo for sale anyway, so the question is probably moot. While it probably IS safe to fire a few rounds of this through your gun, I'd say you're better off not using it. If you need more power than .38+P will give you, trade up to a .357 magnum gun.
Edit:
weap?on (wpn) n.
1. An instrument of attack or defense in combat, as a gun, missile, or sword.
A weapon is a tool used to apply force for the purpose of causing harm or damage to persons, animals or structures. Weapons are used in hunting, attack, self-defense, or defense in combat and range from simple, prehistoric weapons like clubs and spears to complicated modern weapons such as intercontinental ballistic missiles.0 -
By the way , your gun is a "K" frame , most likely a 'square but' variation , post the serial number and I can give date of birth .
Thanks !!!
d.a.stearns....a.k.a......SKEEZIX
Gunsmith / LEO
Athens , Tn
www.allamericangunshop.com0 -
Thanks Beantown as always you have the most concise accurate informative answers to my not so understandable posts. I always like reading your post, thanks for your knowledge
Stan0 -
Stanley, Your model 15-3 was made in 1973. It will be a square butt frame since Smith did not discontinue the square butt until about 1995. You didnt mention the barrel length. They came in 2" and 4" variations. The 2" are not nearly as common as the 4" 0 -
BTW,IMO, it's not a weapon until you are in the military, or use it improperly.
I'm just saying.
Bill0 -
semantics[:D] 0
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