Smith & Wesson K-38 Target, the five-screw revolver that became the Model 14, this one serial K79367 from 1949, in .38 Special with a 6-inch barrel and blue finish. The barrel has been refinished; the frame and the rest of the metal keep their original finish. Grips are excellent apart from one change, a thumbrest cut into the left panel. The seller sums it up as a good-looking revolver.

A 6-inch K-frame .38 is a target and range gun, and this one was set up for exactly that: the Target name and the thumbrest cut in the grip both point to paper. For a South Carolina buyer it is a handgun purchase: photo ID and Form 4473 at a licensed dealer, a NICS check or, at many dealers, a current state concealed weapons permit in its place, and no purchase permit, registry or state waiting period to deal with. The refinished barrel is disclosed so you can weigh it against the original frame finish and the 1949 date.

Key features

• .38 Special, 6-inch barrel, blue finish
• Five-screw pre-Model 14, made in 1949
• Barrel refinished, remaining metal original
• Left grip panel cut for a thumbrest
• Serial K79367

Handguns ship to a licensed South Carolina dealer only; complete Form 4473 and the NICS check there and the revolver is yours.