S&W Question - Symbol and value

D

Denald

Inactive
The gentleman at the local gun store said if the people on this forum don't know, then you are out of luck. Already I have learned two things, I am not the first person to acquire a pistol from their Grandfather and there is already a lot of talk about these guns on the forum.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q8ttrj9pceojv44/AADblidfz0-tbOy2bYx4hzCja?dl=0

Until I started reading several of the posts on here last night I was certain I had .38 Military & Police (Model of 1905 - 3rd Change) and with the serial number being between the 146,900 to 241,703. However, last night I read with the V it was probably made in the 1940's.

The gentleman at the gun shop saw the symbols on the gun in several locations and was almost certain the gun was supplied to the British.

I hope the photos will help someone educate me on this gun and possible value. If you have additional questions or need additional information I will sure do what I can to supply that to you.

Thank you for any assistance you can provide.
 
The gun is an S&W .38/200 Model*, chambered for the .38 S&W cartridge (not the .38 Special unless it has been altered) and made for Lend Lease to Britain and other Allied nations. That gun was made about mid-1943 and was sent to England. The British BNP (Birmingham Nitro Proof) commercial proof marks were applied when it was sold around 1950 on the commercial market, mainly to U.S. importers. It has been buffed down and appears to have been nickel or chrome plated, destroying any collector value.

It has a hammer block safety, but not of the later and more reliable design, so it could fire if dropped on the hammer; is best not to carry it with a loaded round under the hammer.

*Also called the K-200 Model by the factory. Some collectors call both that and the .38 Special version made for U.S. forces the "Victory Model" but S&W applied that name only to the U.S. contract guns.

Jim
 
I agree with James and Mike. Having been heavily buffed and refinished; $150.00 for the sum of it's parts or as a hard to feed shooter is about right.
 
Thanks everyone and now I know. This will be one just to keep since it was my Grandfathers. Have a happy new year!
 
Likely reamed for 38 Special proper ammo is 38 S&W. If you reload worth $150 buy a different gun if you don't reload.
 
Many of those revolvers made in .38 S&W were reamed for .38 Special when they were brought back to the US. If the gun is otherwise OK, there is no reason they can't be fired safely with .38 Special.* There might be some bulging of the cases, but not to any danger point. The official specs say that .38 S&W has a larger bore/groove diameter than .38 Special, but slugging the bores of those guns indicates that S&W never did use the .38 S&W dimensions; they made all the barrels to take a .357" bullet, and the bullets in British WWII ammunition mike at .357" also. The only difference between the two models would seem to be the actual chambering and the marking on the barrels.

*The M&P, unlike many older guns, was originally made for .38 Special, so there is no problem with the slightly higher pressure. But avoid +P and +P+ ammunition.

Jim
 
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