Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg617ma
Hello Ladies and Gentleman, I am a self proclaimed newbie when it comes to this forum and revolvers. I own several firearms, rifles, shotguns and I carry a gun everyday and have for the last 20 plus years however, I don't know much about revolvers. A couple of days ago, I was able to purchase an old Smith and Wesson which based on my several hours of reading the various forums I can conclude it is somesort of Chiefs Special. I managed to purchase this firearm from a man in his 70's who stated he bought the gun in 1971 for a part time security job he had for a couple of years. I failed to ask him if he bought it new or used however he did not have the box for it. I am still confused whether it's a Model 37, Model 36, Chief Special, Chiefs Special or some other variation. I was looking to find out the approximate date of manufacturing, shipment date from the factory and maybe the dealer it was shipped to. I know this is a lot of information that I am requesting but any bit would help. I really like the firearm and plan to keep it and carry it on rare occasion. I did a pretty thorough inspection with a flashlight and magnafine glass and it appears to be structurally intact. The blueing and the rest of the firearm appear to be in good condition with the exception of a few wear marks from sitting in a holster. No rust or any real pitting are evident. It came with a nice old Bianchi leather holster and leather ammo holder. The marking on the firearm are as follows:
Right Side: (2) Screws only and on the barrel AIRWEIGHT with 38 SPL CTG
Left Side: SMITH & WESSON on left side of barrel and the Smith and Wesson trademark insignia below the cylinder release
Yoke: No model number and a series of weird numbers which don't make sense to me. 1340 7 65
Serial #130711 on the bottom of the handle on the butt of the firearm.
Again, any and all information would be greatly appreciated. Thank You, Greg
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Hi, Greg. Even though it is not a Chief Special "Target" model, what you have there is a Chief Special Airweight or pre-37. Likely produced around 1957-1958 (by the serial number) but the shipping date may be a surprise sometimes as many models did not "ship" in the same sequence or relative to the serial number on many models. On "this" model pre-37 the shipping date should be about the same time as the manufacture.
Earlier models had an alloy cylinder. By this serial number S&W was well into the steel cylinders as the alloy cylinders proved to be weak and were prone to failure.
You can try a magnet on the cylinder just to be sure but just at a glance it appears to have the correct steel cylinder. You will discover the magnet sticks to the cylinder while if you try the magnet on the frame (choose an area with no steel behind it, e.g. the back strap between the wood stocks / grips, you will notice the magnet does not attract.
I have found the most common area of the pre-37 and model 37s that are prone to stress / weakness is the frame itself and the very thin area where the barrel screws in. If you open the cylinder, turn the gun upside down and examine the frame where the barrel screws in, from the bottom view you can inspect there for a crack or evidence of fatigue.
These were never intended for +P ammo and should be used with standard .38 S&W Special (non +P) loads only when necessary to use as self defense, I feel.
For example, it you took this gun (if in new or as new condition) to the range every week for a year, to run 50-100 rounds through it, you would soon discover a stress crack in the area described.
Although I have not ever encountered one of the early alloy cylinder versions which are found mostly in the 23,000 to 32,000 serial number range, having a cracked or failed alloy cylinder, I have frequently come upon those same models with the frame either fatigued or cracked in the area described.
If you have the original box for it, too, which should be a blue "starburst" S&W box, you've got a nice one there from what I can see of the picture. The box should be similar to the box shown in post 18 except with the Airweight designation on the label.
The most collectible pre-37s are the early production models with the alloy cylinder. Some of these pre-37s and the sister 6-shot pre-12s were ordered by the US Air Force for their pilots in the 1953-56 time frame (or thereabout).
The USAF, in conjunction with S&W, came up with a lesser powered .38 Special just for these 2 alloy cylinder model S&Ws but were quickly and subsequent scrapped, by being de-milled (destroyed) by the USAF.
Any of the USAF marked models from the 1953-1956 time frame that escaped destruction hold a VERY high value depending on authenticity and verification of being authentic.
So coveted and expense as they've become, both USAF (Pre-37 and pre-12 S&W models) better known as the AirCrewman for the 6-shot pre 12 and Baby AirCrewman for the pre-37 versions, they are prime fodder for fakery. The U.S.A.F. AirCrewman (S&W pre-model 12) was a USAF Model 13, which usually causes some confusion with collectors unfamiliar with the U.S. model number (or name) designations.
This fakery so advanced that many de-milled USAF guns have been rebuilt. While most are poorly faked, there are some out there that are quite impressive. There are S&WCA collectors with databases on these guns, known originals and some known fakes. Fakes would include either a Non-USAF model enhanced with USAF markings to make it appear as if the USAF model and also include the rebuilt de-milled models. The latter are very tricky as the number would return a letter that it was USAF issues, thus, the value relies on the affirmation from a reliable source that the gun is, in fact, an original USAF gun that escaped destruction.
Those "weird" numbers you speak of are likely the assembly / fitment numbers which have no relevance to the serial number. The number imprinted on the frame (visible with cylinder open where you would find the Model Number stamped on newer models) and the steel swing-out crane should both be numbered alike. Further there should be other markings under the grips used for in-factory / production purposes. If a few of those serial numbers, e.g. 7.65 appears under the grips (usually on the left side of the grip frame) that means it had been back to the factory for a repair or refinish in July(7th month) of 1965.
Can you include a few pix of the stampings on the grip frames (both sides) with the grips removed and a few pix of the numbers on the frame in the crane area.
The actual serial numbers of the gun should appear on the underside of the barrel (visible with cylinder open) on the face of the cylinder and on the butt. Those should all match.
Hope this helps.