?s about a S&W from a newbie

C

carguyjohn350

New member
Hello all.

I am a college senior and I recently inherited a Smith & Wesson .38 Special. I have never fired anything bigger than a .22 and its been years since that. I am trying to find out about this gun.

I would like to know:
What model is it?
How old is it?
What are the identifying marks I should beaware of?
What type of ammo is safe to use in it?
What should I use to clean it and how is that done?
Most of all, is it safe to shoot?

I have included a link to pictures. The butt has a letter "S" on it (I have a picture, but have observed that other people don't display their serial numbers, so I am not showing mine...why is that?). I am basically a complete newbie to the gun thing and I want to learn in a safe manner. Any help is appreciated.

Here are the pictures

-John
Baylor Universtiy Class of '05
 
1) It's a S&W .38/44 Heavy Duty. It was made before S&W began their numbering system.
2) 1920s-30s. Somebody on here could give you the exact dates if they had a partial serial number. It was often nicknamed a "Pre-Magnum". It was a .38 built on S&W N frame. There were some .38 loadings back then called .38/44 which were loaded hotter than standard .38 loadings and were intended just for this gun.
3) Not sure what you mean.
4) Any commercial .38 Spl loading.
5) Clean it as you would any revolver. Be careful when cleaning the barrel that you don't damage the crown (end of the barrel). Wear there will adversely affect accuracy. Keep a light coat of oil on it to prevent rusting. Don't remove the side plate if you don't know what you're doing inside. More guns are tore up not from shooting but from people "fixing" them.
6) Can't answer that from a picture. A gunsmith will need to examine to make sure everything is fit and working together.
It appears to be in excellent shape and well cared for. If a smith declares it safe you'll find it's extremely accurate and fun to shoot. It has some collector's value altho I couldn't tell you how much. Just don't see too many of them for sale. They're one of S&W classic guns.
You got a great gun. I'm jealous. Enjoy it.
 
Just use X's for the last 3 numbers. The HD (Heavy Duty) is collectable and popular. A lot of people search for them and yours looks like a mighty fine specimen.
 
I have to agree with ISP2605, I am jealous too! It is a beautiful gun. Definately have a gunsmith check it for you first, but most likely you will find it is just fine. The S&W crewd in here can tell you better than I can any collector's value. If you aren't worried about that, then have a blast shooting it. I have shot a few in my time and found them to be fun and reliable. This is the gun that the .357 magnum was born in. :) Some people have taken this model and had it converted to .45 long colt as well, Bowen Customs does conversions and repair work. Of course that gets expensive quick! Good luck and enjoy it.

.44mag
 
We found it in a safe when we were cleaning our my grandfather's things after his death. It was with a box of Federal .38 spl 158 grain lead bullets and a few .38 spl +p rounds. Is it safe to shoot +p's out of it since its so old? The collector value is not that important to me, but I would hate to destroy it shooting it. I would like to shoot it in a way that will not harm it, if possible.

serial number: 154xxx

ISP2605:
Could you be more specific about cleaing the crown? I assume you mean inside the barrel. I'm new to cleaning as well. Also, do you mean leave a coat of oil on the outside?
 
" Is it safe to shoot +p's out of it since its so old?"

It was made to shoot .38s that were loaded about as hot as today's .357 Mag. The .38 +P isn't that hot. I wouldn't push handloads as hot as .357 but the +P should be OK as long as a smith checks it as OK.

"ISP2605:
Could you be more specific about cleaing the crown? I assume you mean inside the barrel. I'm new to cleaning as well."

Look at the end (unloaded) and you'll see the rifling where it ends at the end of the barrel. That's the crown. If that's damaged, such as nicked or worn unevenly, then it will affect the accuracy. Any smith could easily fix it but it's best to avoid the problem in the first place. Steel cleaning rods can cause the damage.


"Also, do you mean leave a coat of oil on the outside?"

Yup, also the inside of the chambers and barrel. Any exposed metal. It shouldn't be dripping but just a very light coat, almost invisible.

You got to get it to the range and let us all know how it shoots.
Gee, why can't I find one like that? You've got what most of us wish for. Good deal. Christmas came early for you.
 
If the serial number is S154xxx, it was made sometime in 1956.

The .38/44 HD was introduced in 1930 in response to police calls for a more powerful handgun.

Your gun will handle any +P .38 Spl. ammunition on the market.

A post WW II one like yours, in mint condition, with the box and paperwork, can bring upwards $650-700.

A good shooter will be in the $300 to $500 range.
 
and now that you know that not only do you have a fine, fine gun AND an heirloom to boot, go join the NRA, get some firearm safety classes/training and go shoot that beauty!

Keep it clean and rust free, feed it good ammo and one day, you too will pass it on to your grandson.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys.

A friend of mine who knows some about guns and I went today and bought cleaning stuff, though we ended up shooting skeet with my 20ga (also inherrited) instead of going to the hand gun range. So thats progress, one gun learned about and fired, on to the revolver.

Can anybody recommend resources on the .38/44 heavy Duty? Either online or real books will do. I would like to learn anyhting I can about it.

Also, can anybody offer any range advice? Etiquete (sp?)? Stance, ammo, etc?

Thanks.
 
PM or E-mail me. I will try to talk you throogh the 38-44. That is one S&W I don't own. I have done a small bit of research on that model though.
 
I thought of another question.

In relation to cleaning and the oil on the surface...what type of oil? I got some Hoppes no. 9 and some Remington Rem Oil for the slide on my shotgun. They had Hoppes lubricating oil, can that be used for surface protection? If not then what is a good thing to get?

Once again, thanks for all the help.
 
An older gun like that just fits with Hoppe's No. 9. Hoppe's No. 9 smells like gun oil should smell. It ranks right up there with fresh baked bread and hot apple pie.
Truthfully, any of those you list will do fine. There's some very good lubes and rust preventative oils out there. Everyone has their favorites. I just like the smell of No 9.
 
Looks like a really nice 38/44 heavy duty 4". I am with Mike that it is a 56/57 gun.

My recommendations are to have it looked over by a good gunsmith just in case, but otherwise I would shoot it. They are great guns. I have 5 or 6 38/44 heavy duty's now and semi collect them. I guess accumulate would be more accurate.

If you want information on it, I have a bunch of digital information stock piled up on it. If you can accept a unix "tar" archive I can send it relatively easily. Otherwise we can figure it out.

As for ammo, pretty much anything in 38 special including +P ammo will work. The 38/44 was made for a sort of +P+ ammo level that is no longer commercially available. Pretty much any commercial 38 special ammo will be fine.


As for comparison the your 22LR experience? The 38 special in a big N frame like that one will seem very similar. A nice little pop, a slight bit of recoil and you should see a very nice accurate little group developing. The 38/44 heavy duty can be a very accurate gun.


Finally congradulations. You picked a really fine 38 special to start out with. I expect you will enjoy it for years! I know I still have my first 38 special now 26 years later!
 
Peter, I would appreciate any info you have, but I dont have anything that can read a "tar"file (I am assuming that I do not as I have never heard of it).

Sir WIlliam, you have mail.

Just an note, I have cleaned it since I took those pictures. I forgot how dirty it was, having sat for 5 years unused minumim. I should take new ones!
 
Waco, you are not that far away so shipping wont be much.

Send me an email with your address and I will what I have collected on a cd-rom (I assume you can read one of those).

I am a bit behind on my sorting, but it is reasonable. I have 121 megs of posts, pictures and other gunk I have downloaded off the web over the years. It is about 440 pages worth of 38/44 history, reloads and then detailed discussions on the Heavy Duty, and Outdoorsman.

I am sorry I am not completely up to date in my sorting as I have about 10,000 more web pages to sort. I just save them to my hard disk and then sort them when I am overseas or on a boat.

Anyway, email me your address and I will cut you a disk and ship it up.

By the way, if you are ever coming down to Houston, or want to shoot some other heavy duties there is a small club of us out on the west side (katy) that is really into the big N frame Smiths. I would gladly take you out and let you try any or all of the heavy duty's, outdoorsman's or if you want to have some real fun, you can shoot my registered magnum. That is an experience.

Take care and keep in touch from a fellow Texan.
 
very nice gun

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976542618.htm

If you go to this location you can check on the prices that there bringing.
Out of the shop I work out of it would bring at least $700, depending on condition and yours if very good, it could bring a lot higher.
We have several people in my town that collect Smiths and the looks of yours I would be calling them if the gun came into our shop.
One question, Do you have the box or any paperwork that came with it, thats the stuff thats very rair and brings high prices.
 
I e-mailed you back! The history I sent is a short synopsis. The ammunition data I sent was generic. I do suggest Elmer Keiths Sixguns as a great read. I am a M28 357 Magnum owner. I still like the 38/44 and the Outdoorsman N frames. Colt owned the market in my area until the 70s. There are few older S&Ws to be found here. The most popular S&W here was a short barrel 38 S&W breaktop in nickel. I see them all the time. The S&W designers didn't offer anything to beat the Colt New Service for several years. I sent the dates along to you.
 
"The S&W designers didn't offer anything to beat the Colt New Service for several years."

The New Service came out in 1909, didn't it?

The S&W New Century, or Triple Lock, came out in 1908...
 
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