Mark, very nice 38 Perfected, especially with the box, papers, and cleaning brush. I am wondering if you could tell me if the barrel has a 1909 or 1914 patent date? I am continuing to track this model to further refine when the switch to a safety block was made. To date, it appears to be around serial number 57,500. This patent change signaled a model number change in both the 38 M&P and the Model 1903 and I am trying to add the late production 38 Perfected to that list.
i have been opining that this design change should be given a formal model name change. Those made with the safety block should be recognized as a 38 Perfected, 1st Change revolver, just as the M&P and Model 1903 received their own model change designations.
This has been a neglected collector firearm and often thought of as an oddity, but with almost 60,000 made I would argue it was a success made during an important transition period in firearm design and smokeless powder introduction. Anyway, that is about as close to Perfected perfection as one can get.
