Hey - new to the forum here. Picked up a 38/44 4" nickel, S/N S66114 - can anyone tell me what I got and some history on it? I think I got a pretty good deal - $250.00 out the door at a local gun show. Picked up a Brazil 1937 .45 and a 28-2 Highway Patrolman as well - $250.00 a piece for those, too, Guess I was on a S&W quest this weekend. Any info would be appreciated.

Welcome.

Very early post-war model. Like 1946-47 I think. May have been built using left over pre-war parts and those are called "transitional models" and bring a premium. If it has the original stocks and hasn't been refinished you paid about 1/4 actual value. If renickeled and old stocks missing you still got a shooter HD about $100-$150 cheaper than usual.

thanks for the input. I don't believe it has been refinished - there are a couple of places the nickel is worn on the cylinder. The stocks are target stocks with most of the original varnish and have sharp checkering and S&W inserts.

Was this in Atlanta? Sounds like a good find.

Its about a 1946 gun, so the grips are not original. Target stocks did not appear until
two to three years later - maybe very early 1950's .

You might check the grip frame, under the grips, for a large N . Also look on the rear
face of the cylinder, and under the barrel, where the extractor resides. There may be
a N on the rear face of the cylinder, and maybe under the barrel. If you find a B under
the barrel, then the gun was originally blue.

The N was used to designate nickel, but its absence may or may not be meaningful.

Later, Mike Priwer

The gun show was in Atlanta at the North Atlanta Trade Center. I'll look under the grips and frame for the n or b marks.

$250 is a good deal in my neck of the woods.

Congratulations

MOONDAWG

$250 is a sickeningly good deal.

Hello trustno1,

Another tell is if the extractor star is blued. If it is nickeled, then most likely a refinish (of at least the cylinder). Sounds like a nice find, regardless. You've got to love those long-action guns.

Take care,

Gentlemen - Thanks for all the info. There is good feedback and I've learned alot about this S&W from the members. I am slowly compiling info on the firearm and if this information helps to identify the firearm I purchased, I would appreciate any feedback on this:

There is a large N on the grip frame. There is an N on the rear face of the cylinder.

The extractor star is blued, not nickel.

The pins are rounded, not flattened as can happen in a refinish.

The spur on the hammer is near the top, not from near the middle of the hammer.

There is a dimple under the cylinder release.

There is the one line S&W marking on the right side of the frame.

Could this be a transitional gun? Any help would be appreciated. Not new to firearms, just new to S&W's.

Sounds to me like a transitional HD that was originally in nickel.

quote:

Originally posted by trustno1:.... Picked up a 38/44 4" nickel... $250.00... Picked up a Brazil 1937 .45 and a 28-2 Highway Patrolman as well - $250.00 a piece for those....

HOLY S--T!!!!

Did you travel back in time using a wayback machine? Those are GREAT buys with prices I haven't seen in YEARS!

quote:

Originally posted by DMark:

quote:

Originally posted by trustno1:.... Picked up a 38/44 4" nickel... $250.00... Picked up a Brazil 1937 .45 and a 28-2 Highway Patrolman as well - $250.00 a piece for those....

HOLY S--T!!!!

Did you travel back in time using a wayback machine? Those are GREAT buys with prices I haven't seen in YEARS!

well, even a blind squirrel finds a nut........actually, not to bore anyone, but the 38/44 was sitting on a table at the Atlanta gun show and was getting no play. It was siiting on a table at the very back of the room, on the side. I picked it up, looked it over and left, thought about it and came back. I got to talking to the gentleman (a private seller) and recognized him from a gun show I had attended 3 years earler. I had torn my achilles tendon, was on crutches, and he offered me a place to sit down behind his table. Anyway, he and I got to talking and he said his health was failing, his son, and I quote, "didn't know a muzzle from his a%#". So, he offered me the 38/44 for $250 and when I saw the other two, I looked them over, did some quick math in my head. I had roughly $150.00 in my wallet, cash, and I knew I could get $600.00 out of the nearby atm off my two debit cards. I threw out the figure $750.00 all in. He sighed, looked at me for a moment, and said "$750.00 all in".

If someone could tell me how to post pictures, I'll post pictures of the 38/44, if anyone is interested.

T

To post pictures, you need to load them onto a public hosting site. There are
several good ones - all free. I use www.photobucket.com. Go to their webiste, and create an account for yourself. There is no cost.
Then, upload the picture(s) from your machine to their site. Once uploaded,
the address, or pointer, to the picture(s) will be right next to each picture.
Select the "image" version - highlight it, and copy it into your cache by doing
ctl C - control key and C .

Then, come to this site, reply to this thread, type whatever you want,
and at the place where you want the picture, do a ctl V , or control V.
This will transfer the cache to your posting. It will look just like a line of
text, with [IMG] at the beginning, and [/IMG] at the very end.

When you Post Now, your message will be posted. Anyone viewing your
message will see the pictures - opened. The IMG prefix and suffix will cause the
system to access your hosting site and open the picture.

Later, Mike Priwer

thanks mike, will do.....