Smith & Wesson model 14-4

[Former Cav]

All I know is that it is a 38 spcl.
How are they in terms of strength.?
can you shoot 38 + P's in them?
what are they worth? this one is MINT and an 80 year old man inherited it from his father who bought it new. It looks new even.
TIA
Bob

[Johnny P]

A Model 14-4 (commonly called the K-38 Masterpiece) should date to about 1980. It should have sufficient strength to shoot +P ammo, but is more at home shooting targets with mild loads.

[Art]

I would not recommend that you put 1,000 rounds of +P a year but Model 14s are as strong as any other "K" frame .38 Special, and will fine with +P ammunition. With that in mind it would make a great nightstand gun. Especially with the longer barrel I would recommend the +P 158 gr lead semi-wadcuter hollow point. These are fine revolvers, congratulations on your purchase.

[Former Cav]

These are fine revolvers, congratulations on your purchase.

I didn't buy it. I was just trying to find out info for the 80 year old who wanted to know about it. He wants to make up some reloads for it. I told him, no problem. He is a cool WW 2 vet.

[Johnny P]

I would caution your friend about working up hot loads of the +P type for his pistol. At the upper end of higher pressure loads a tiny mistake can make a lot of difference pressure wise, where if he were loading normal .38 Special loads a small overcharge doesn't become dangerous. Best to start at the bottom and work up rather than the other way around.

[Former Cav]

I would caution your friend about working up hot loads of the +P type for his pistol. At the upper end of higher pressure loads a tiny mistake can make a lot of difference pressure wise, where if he were loading normal .38 Special loads a small overcharge doesn't become dangerous. Best to start at the bottom and work up rather than the other way around.

I will stay with just standard 38 special loads! I don't want to hurt him or his firearm.
Heck, I don't even load my 586 up to "standard magnums". More like 38 +P at the hottest.
Bob

[Gatofeo]

Yep, the Model 14-4 will easily take +P factory loads.
Don't know that I'd try to duplicate such loads, away from a ballistics lab that can measure pressures.
That 6" barrel with a lead Hornady or Speer 158 hollow point, pushed to warm .38 Special velocities but well under +P specifications, will do fine.
The FBI and police learned years ago that the soft, swaged 158 gr. hollow point at or near 1,000 fps in +P loads was a good load for stopping humans. This was in 4" barrels. Not so good in 2" barrels. Even better in a 6" with that bit of extra velocity.
Such bullets are pure lead, or nearly so, and tend to expand or flatten when encountering heavy muscle or bone. This transfers a lot of energy, and creates a wide wound channel.

If you reload for him, you're violating federal laws. I know many reloaders make ammo for friends, but legally (for decades) if you reload for others you must have a manufacturer's license.
I don't reload for others, for reasons of liability. Been reloading since 1970, and I know what I'm doing, but mistakes happen. Rather have that mistake happen to me, and my gun, than lose everything I own in a lawsuit and face the prospect of being in violation of federal law.
Totally up to you, of course.

The old 158 gr. lead roundnosed bullet at 800 fps -- the classic police load for decades -- had a lousy reputation for interrupting a bad guy's attention. Many shooters still consider the .38 Special as a weakling because of this load's performance. But today's bullets -- jacketed and lead hollowpoints especially -- have significantly increased its lethality, especially at velocities that are near or at +P equivalent.
A 158 gr. Speer or Hornady lead hollowpoint at 900 fps from a 6" barrel would not be ignored by most bad guys.
No pistol is as certain a manstopper as a shotgun loaded with buckshot, and even shotguns are not infallible.
I know of one case back in the 1960s where a kid on LSD absorbed two shots of 00 buck in the chest and abdomen and still managed to run 25 yards before expiring.
But, as house guns go, you could do far worse than the S&W 14-4 and its 6" barrel.

[da gimp]

quite commonly, if a friend wants ammo reloaded have him bring HIS components over & help him reload it with your gear......... you MAY NOT charge anything for those reloads........... if he pays you, an ammo's mftr's license is required...........plus you must have the required insurance etc.........

[randy langford]

I don't reload for anyone but myself. I told a friend if I charge what it is worth you will be paying as much if not more than factory. That seems to stop everyone in their tracks.

[Johnny P]

The same federal law covers giving donuts you have baked to your neighbor.