Date of S & W 38 Special CTG?

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bp5602

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I inherited a S & W 38 Special CTG that I am interested in know the age of. From the archives it looks like you guys are pretty sharp in dating these pistols. This is a blue barrel, wooden grip (probably original) revolver with a half-moon front sight and a square rear sight groove. Serial number on butt is 4291xx with NO letters.
Also has numbers on cylinder and under open cylinder. This has been stored in a cedar chest for decades and has some barrel rust. barrel is about 4 inches.
 
I inherited a S & W 38 Special CTG that I am interested in know the age of. From the archives it looks like you guys are pretty sharp in dating these pistols. This is a blue barrel, wooden grip (probably original) revolver with a half-moon front sight and a square rear sight groove. Serial number on butt is 4291xx with NO letters.
Also has numbers on cylinder and under open cylinder. This has been stored in a cedar chest for decades and has some barrel rust. barrel is about 4 inches.
Click to expand...

Your revolver is probably a .38 Military and Police Model of 1905, 4th change based on the serial number you provided. This model has the older style hammer-block safety and if dropped onto the hammer with a live round under the hammer it could discharge. Your gun was probably made in the mid-1920's (1923-1925). These guns predate the S&W Model 10 by 2 generations of changes. Following this series is the S&W Victory Model and the .38 Military And Police Model (post-war) which was designated as the Model 10 in 1957.

Values, as you describe your gun would range from $175 to about $225 depending on the severity of the rusting.
 
Thanks BillCA

Thanks BillCA :) - You guys are good on this forum. You gave a lot of information in your short reply. The date you provided makes it older than I thought, but puts it squarely in my Grandfather's original posession. He was a coal miner and WWI veteran in Southern Illinois during a bloody confrontation period between the UMW, mine owners and "scabs" and probably felt he needed it to protect his family. Interesting addition to my genealogy knowledge.
 
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