Smith and Wesson serial number search

38 S&W Special CTG info requested

Just inherited a 38 S&W Special CTG revolver that was my grandfathers. The gun has a 6 inch barrel. SN on butt is 1871xx. SN on frame is 34xx. No model number listed. Last patent date is Sept.14.09. Interested in what year it was made and what the value may be.
 
SN on butt is 1871xx
Click to expand...
.38 Military & Police Model of 1905, Third Change. Serial numbers ran from 146900 in 1909 to 241708 in 1915. I'm assuming the 34XX number on the frame is an inspector/assembly number. The SN on the butt should also be on the rear underside of the barrel and the back of the cylinder. Value depends heavily on condition and can range from $200 in fair to ~$2K in "as new condition".
CTG = Cartridge.

Jim
 
SN 1871xx on butt

Thanks for the response. I didn't know my grandfather had a revolver so interested in whether the 6 inch barrel was made for a special purpose? Also was the 6 inch length as common as the shorter barrels?
 
S&W 38 special military issue

i have a 38. from referencing i think it is k style model 64-3 i the serial number is on it twice and there is a number that starts with letter f believe it may be military issue number or something . series number only has 5 numbers total i will leave out last 2 or you need all of them just let me know. i have people wanting to buy it but was wondering around what year it was made and maybe its worth. serial number is 235xx the other number i spoke about was f283 and it has service ctg written on barrel thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

lee short
 
serial number is 235xx the other number i spoke about was f283 and it has service ctg written on barrel thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
Click to expand...
What you have is a model 64, also known as the .38 Military & Police Stainless. It is the stainless version of the model 10. It was very popular with many police agencies. It's built on the K (medium) frame. Chambering is .38 Special CTG (cartridge).
The official location of the serial number would be stamped on the underside of the grip frame. It will either be a 7 digit number with "D" as the second digit or 3 letters followed by 4 numbers. The other numbers are assembly and inspector markings. If it was previously part of a police department inventory then it might also have their markings on it.
64-3's (the -3 referring to the 3rd engineering change) were produced from 1977 to 1988. If you provide the SN I can give you a more precise date range. Just X out the last few digits.

Jim
 
thats the thing ive looked everywhere and i see a set of 5 numbers stamped twice one on the butt of the handle the other under the bottom side of the barrel its 23542 then the number when you open the revolver chamber is f283 on the left side of the barrel it reads 38 S&W special then it looks like a c then says service ctg's i even took the grip off nothing under that that is every number,letter,and words on the handgun. and when you open the revolver chamber in between where the bullets go there are 7 indentions close together dont know if this was intentional or maybe misfire where the firing pin has hit itive looked it over and over and that is it thats everything
 
Last edited:
The pictures made all the difference. It’s a .38 Military & Police Model of 1902. Serial numbers ran from 20976 in 1902 to 33803 in 1903. It’s a commercial model but was marked U.S. Service CTG. as the 38 special was the military service cartridge during that period. The gun is nickel plated. Appears to be in very good condition for a 113 year old gun.

Jim
 
laytonj1

what would a fair asking price be for this handgun and then ill leave this alone again thank you all so much for your time and consideration. the barrel is actually 3 1/4. someone siad it was either cut of which diminishes value i know or special ordered wondering how i would tell
 
Last edited:
For true barrel length, measure from the muzzle all the way back THROUGH the frame, where the barrel's forcing cone is -- just ahead of the cylinder. That is your barrel length.

To find out if it was actually special ordered to an odd or non-standard length, you can request a factory letter from the S&W historian, Mr. Roy Jinks. There is both a cost and a wait associated with this factory letter, but it is value-added to the revolver forever more, and will answer some questions.
 
Serial Number Help

I just purchased a 360SC with the longer barrel. Nice looking gun! Trying to get a build date.
Serial number: SCA2039

Thanks in advance!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top