Forgive me if this has been answered before but I am new to this forum. I inherited a 38 S&W pistol from my grandfather and we were always thinking it was a 38 special but was told by someone its actually referred to as a Smith and Wesson 38 S&W. There are 3 patent dates on the barrel: May 11 1880 Jan 9 1880 and April 9 1889. I would include a picture here but do not know how to upload it to this forum. The pistol is in mint condition and it appears ammo is hard to find for it. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
John

serial # is 386195

DSC05673.jpg

Heres a picture of my previous post

patent dates on barrel May 11 1880 and Jan 9 1880 and April 9 1889

4th model ? any additional infomration is greatly appreciated. pistol is in great condition

Hopefully I will get better on uploading photo's to stop the repeated posts. Here's another picture. Guys trying to locate S&W 38 ammo seems to be difficult

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Hi,

nice gun, you can post all your pictures in one post. I merged all of them together for you.

Dan

Old Western Scrounger, Northwest Shooters Supply and many others carry 38SW. Google them.

John, welcome to the forum. I think you have answered most of your own questions. Yes, based on the serial number this is a S&W Double Action, Fourth Model in caliber .38 S&W. That is a shorter round than the .38 Special, and has a slightly greater case diameter. It is a little less powerful round than the .38 Special, but it is not a wimpy round by any means. Many British Commonwealth countries relied on revolvers chambering this round during and after WW2.

.38 S&W ammo is hard to find in the United States, but not impossible. Well equipped privately owned gun stores may stock it; a friend of mine got a couple of boxes from the shelves of a store in San Diego a year or so back. If your gun store doesn't stock it (and in an era of chain sporting goods stores, most don't), you could ask them to order it for you.

Alternatively, you could buy it off the internet and have it shipped to you. Different distributors will have it in or out of supply at a given moment, so you have to keep browsing until you find it.

A coincidence: I actually fired a few rounds of .38 S&W through my own .38 breaktop at the range today; mine is the hammerless safety model (double action only); it was shipped in 1907.

That's a very handsome revolver you have. You are fortunate to have it in the family as a generational heirloom.

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David Wilson

Thanks,

I took this to a gun show here in Mobile this weekend and a gentlemen simply told me to take it back home and put it up and dont even fire it. There's a part of me that wants to do this but the other half wants to find some hard to find ammo. The pistol has a lot of history and no amount of money could compensate me for it. But with the shortage of ammo has me thinking its value has decreased. Hope I am wrong

I am no expert, but I think I can tell you the value of your revolver. If it is as you suggest, in "mint" condition, it is likely worth several hundred dollars. If it is not, it may be worth only a few hundred dollars. If it was your grandfather's and he has passed away...it is priceless.

Hi Rolandgp, Welcome to the forum. Very nice looking revolver you have there! I'm in North Alabama and have had good luck finding .38 S&W at the local Gander Mountain Store. I've also picked it up at every Birmingham gun show I've attended. Check out the vendors at gun shows specializing in ammo and you'll usually find some there. I've paid anything from 25-40 bucks for a 50 rnd box. The major ammo makers only manufacture it for a short time once a year so I've been told. I save my brass and reload my own with custom bullets from an internet dealer. Good luck in your search, I'll be glad to pass on any ammo finds around here if you want. Best Regards, Chef

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Alabama Hunter Ed Instructor

I have a couple of pistols chambered for this round (not S&W) and the bores are pretty sorry from corrosive ammo being used and not cleaned properly after they were fired. There are some thoughts that they could be damaged by later day ammo (smokeless vs black powder pressures)
I have fired mine with no ill effect, but not lately. I just keep a box of ammo for 'what if' purposes.(can't stand having any firearm in my collection that can't be fired) Your revolver appears to be nickel plated. Be careful of gun solvents (Hoppe's) when cleaning as it could have adverse effects on the plating. If you use(Hoppe's) it make sure you get all the solvent off after you clean it. Just my 2c.
Good luck with your revolver and your quest for ammunition.

I just did a search on GunBroker under ammunition and by using 38 S&W had 23 auctions come up. It seems that there is a bunch of Magtech ammunition for sale for about $30 per 50 rounds. You could even Google Magtech and may find some other suppliers close by.

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James Redfield
LM #497

Try the Winchester Super X ammo if you can find it. It is still loaded in nickel casings, which seem to aid in extraction with old topbreaks, plus they'd match the revolver.

Ten-X, I think it is, offers cowboy type low pressure loads in this caliber. Try MidwayUSA, Natchezshooters Supply, Grafs, etc. Someone will have some.

It isn't a rare type of ammo per se, since it is still loaded and a lot of guns so chambered are out there.

.38 S&W ammo isn't tough to find in my area (San Antonio). You won't find any at Wal-Mart, but the local gun stores will carry a few boxes in stock, and there's always some to be found at the local gun shows. I'd guess any local gun shop could order some for you from their ammo jobber if they don't have any on their shelves. About all you will find for sale are the 145-146 grain lead bullet loads. You may run across some old British military loads, but I wouldn't use them in an older top break, unless it's a WWII-era military Enfield revolver.

Best way to go is to reload once you accumulate a case supply. You don't need the .360" dia. lead bullets. Those in .356-.358 work just fine. In fact, I've pulled and measured a fair number of lead bullets from antique .38 S&W factory loads, and the diameters run in the .357-.358 range. I usually load lightweight (125 grain) .358" lead bullets with mild charges (3.0 to 3.5 grains) of Unique in my top break revolvers. For a long time I have used .38 Super dies for loading the .38 S&W with no problems. Depending upon the maker, shell holders for the .38 Special may or may not work for .38 S&W. The Lee shell holder for .38 Special will work for the .38 S&W.

1880 Smith & Wesson 3.25" barrel .38 DA.5 shot, stamped on barrel is SMITH & WESSON,SPRINGFIELD.MASS,USA-PAT'D Jan 17 July 11 65 Aug 24 69 July 25 71 Dec 2 79 May 11 & 25 1880 Serial 75xxx
always looking for info on this rare rare gun also

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The last time somebody asked about .38S&W here on the forum,
someone mentioned "ammo to go". If you use that in your search, you'll find the store. Their prices seem competitve, and I have used them for hard-to-find ammo. Welcome aboard. TACC1

I have purchased Magtech 38 S&W from Midway at very reasonable prices. It is mild and should not harm any older break top in decent condition.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

When buying cleaning rods can I buy the 38 rods that are common and available at Sports Academy or do the rods have to be 38 sw rods...if the 38sw is slightly larger in diameter than the 38 then using 38 rods should be ok?

Any .38 caliber cleaning stuff will be fine.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

I have fired the Magtech .38 S&W from Midway in both DA and SH versions without ill effect.

Worst sights on earth, though.

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Peter #2091