Smith and Wesson serial number search

Unknown S&W, BNP .38 (Possible WWII era pistol made for British Pilots)

I have a S&W, snub nose .38 with a serial number that starts with a prefix that has been partially worn off... It could be a Y, V, or W. I have attached a picture of the beginning of the number. There are 5 numbers total in addition to the mystery letter. Looks like this (I have omitted the last 2 numbers):

Mystery Letter 992xx.

I have also attached a few other pictures showing various other markings. One is a BNP Stamp on the barrel and cylinder. There appears to be a crown stamped with these markings. I've been told that this gun was produced by S&W for the Brits at the beginning of WWII and "BNP" stands for British Navy Pilot for use as a side arm if shot down.

Any insight on date or value would be great... Thanks
 
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thanks again radagast.i was thinking that gun was probably one of the last to be made with out the lock. my wife asked me to sell it and get her something smaller.:confused:
 
Smitty38Special,

Your gun is a .38/200 British Service Revolver aka British Victory produced in mid-1942. The mystery letter is a "V". "BNP" stands for Birmingham Nitro Proof; it signifies that the gun has been safety-tested with a high-pressure proof load, which was (and AFAIK still is) required by British law for all firearms sold commercially, including for export.

Your gun has had the barrel cut. The original length was probably 5", which was more or less standard for British guns by 1942. Oodles of cut-down British Victories were sold by milsurp importers in the U.S. in the 50s and 60s for bargain prices. The firm that cut your barrel left off the front locking lug, which is unfortunately typical for cut-down milsurp guns; without the lug, cylinder lockup is poor and accuracy will usually be subpar. :( This modification was usually accompanied by reaming out the cylinders to accomodate .38 Special ammo instead of the original .38S&W cartridge. .38S&W uses a slightly larger-diameter bullet and shell case, so converted guns will usually have poor accuracy and suffer from extraction problems due to swollen or the occasional split case. The stag grips (stocks) are not original and are probably fake; many importers and resellers ditched the original drab-looking smooth walnut stocks and replaced them, usually with cheap plastic stocks of dubious quality. :rolleyes: Fake plastic stag, ivory, and mother-of-pearl are common.

The above modifications ruin the collectible value of the gun. IMHO it's worth $75-$125 in its current condition. If the grips actually are genuine, they might fetch $40-$75 by themselves, but as I said before, I strongly suspect that they're plastic.
 
Thanks

Thanks CarGuyChris... I appreciate your insight. You are correct about the grips... They're plastic. I've only shot it a couple times but did have some split casings. Thanks a again,
 
pics and more info

Radagast, thanks for the quick reply.
first is a model 36, second 36-1 and third a 10-6.
The flash makes it hard to see the missing blueing. basically the front of the barrel from holster wear. Blueing is better than it looks in pics because they need to be cleaned of finger prints etc.
I found the box for the 3 inch 36-1 and it is in great shape so I don't know if that factors in the price. The wood handles also show some wear due to the years but not too bad as I am sure it spent almost all of its time in the holster.


This is the pic of the 10-6 withe the worst blue wear.
 
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Value?

Think I got lost in the shuffle here, Still trying to get a grasp of what the following are worth


Model 36 Chiefs special serial 556xxx (no prefix) 2 inch barrel with "38 S&W SPL" on it. 5 round Blue with some holster wear on the tip of the barrel Datted about 1967

Model 36-1 Chiefs special serial J117xxx 3 inch barrel with "38 S&W SPECIAL CTG" on it 5 round with box in good condition! with all accesories and wrap. Probably spent 35 years in the back of his locker since issued. Slight holster wear as above. Dated between 73+74

Model 10-6 M&P Serial C974xxx 4 inch barrel with "38 S&W SPECIAL CTG" on it 6 round Datted at 1967. Has about an inch of holster wear on the front left side of barrel.

All were issued NYCPD issued and the one box has some info on it. The Owner was at ground zero and spent alot of time one the "Pile" not that it would effect value, but if they could talk!
 
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Think I got lost in the shuffle here, Still trying to get a grasp of what the following are worth
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It would help a great deal if you could give us the model numbers. If the dates you cite are correct, and from the serial numbers they appear to be at least approximately right, you will find the model number on each gun stamped into the area of the frame that's exposed when you swing the cylinder out. It will most likely be a two-digit number followed by a hyphen and a single digit, i.e., "10-5" or something similar.
 
I inherited a SW in .32-20 CTG. The serial number is 44XXX. I need to get a couple replacement parts for it and I need to know what model number it is on the e-gun parts website. The year of manufacture would be nice too. Thanks!
 
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I inherited a SW in .32-20 CTG. The serial number is 44XXX. I need to get a couple replacement parts for it and I need to know what model number it is on the e-gun parts website. The year of manufacture would be nice too.
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Your gun pre-dates the period (approximately post-WWII) when S&W started assigning model numbers, so it's identified only by name, and in this case a very simple name: .32-20 Hand Ejector. The serial number indicates the gun was made in 1906-1907, so we can be a bit more specific, which could be important if you're trying to find parts: .32-20 Hand Ejector Model of 1905 - 2nd Change. According to SCSW, 11,699 of them were manufactured.
 
The M36 (no dash) dates from the 1962 - 1969 period based on the S/N, but must be prior to 1967, when the -1 was introduced. From the range given in SCSW, I'd guess it was in the '65 - '66 neighborhood, but there's really no way of knowing for sure from the information available. Prices are so variable regionally it's tough to say, but I'd guess somewhere in the low $400s.

1973 to '74 would be correct for the M36-1, most likely 1973 but again that's a guess. I'm really out of my element when it comes to things that are important to collectors such as boxes and tools and the like, and I don't want to give you any misinformation, so perhaps someone who's more of a collector can jump in.

I think you've got the correct date on the M10-6 as well, although from the book it's not possible to be more definitive than 1966 to '67. I'd say somewhere in the high $300s on that.
 
Flyfish,
1967 was when he got on the job so it is possible that they had a previous year in stock.
I am guessing the second gun would be worth at least as much as the first?
 
I am guessing the second gun would be worth at least as much as the first?
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Yes, I would think so, and I was thinking perhaps another $100 to $150, but as I said it's not something I know a great deal about.
 
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