Need help have S&W .38 spcl very early serial #

J

jflan46288

Inactive
I have no knowlege of revolvers however this one intrigues me. It is marked *38 S&W special CTG*has 5 1/4 inch barrel and a series of patent dates on top last one appears to be Sept 14 09 the serial # is 207*** . Does this mean it was Mfg before 1914 and if so any help as to model value or anything else wouldbe appreciated. ( I would trade this gun ) you can email me at jaxlures@aol.com or lure10@hotmail.com thanks
 
too bad. I was hoping i had finally got some help on this. Perhaps I should have asked for answer to be posted onthis board?
 
Ser. no.

Well you can tell that the is not older than the last patent. But my Jinks book says that the K frame 38's ended in 1940 with ser. 144,684. They started with V prefixes in WW2 and letter prefixes after the war. So I might need more info on that gun. Otherwise you can get a factory letter from S&W and it costs alot less than a Colt letter.
 
the following link is to the answer that lead me to this board
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?mode=hybrid&t=144764

It read in part as follows: "I think what you have is a Smith & Wesson Military & Police; 1905 Hand Ejector. However, check the serial number on the butt again. Serial number 19,5xx would have been made long before 1914 (as indicated by the patent date on the barrel. They were up in the 240,xxx range by 1914, and your gun (going by the patents on the barrel could have been made anywhere from 1915 to 1942. Everything else you describe is correct, including the nickel finish. The Military & Police model eventually became the model 10 after World War Two."

I believe mine is a hand ejector model but it is not marked M&P or Military and Police which leads me to hope it is prior to that
 
Now I am confused

I guess I need new glasses to read the fine print. Sorry. Was looking at the wrong side of a confusing chart. Was seeing the .32 side of the chart. The .38 reached ser. 241,703 in 1915. It is not broken down by each year.
I thought the production no.s looked kinda low on the wrong chart! However for some reason it lists 4 & 6 inch barrel lengths. Maybe yours was a special order? Still you can order specific info from Smith and they will sell you a date of shipment and where it was shipped to. Otherwise they can tell you the exact year of mfr. for a free phone call. Check their website for the proper phone# Good luck.
 
Thank You for your time and advise regarding Calling S&W. I went to the website, found the phone # as suggested and after getting cut off 1 time they managed to put me in touch with customer service, who in turn connected me to their historian. I was informed that I have a Model 1905 military and police 3rd change mfg around 1912 or 1913. If anyone is interested in this gun in particular on a trade please contact me. thanks again
 
It won't be marked either M&P or Military & Police.

Smith & Wesson put stamped/engraved the names on VERY VERY VERY few of their gun models -- the Regulation Police and the Highway Patrolman come immediately to mind.
 
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