Bought this last weekend at a small gun show.

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Serial number is just over 3000. I would think from around 1877-78?



All numbers match, including the the stocks, which are in very good shape.



Seller had it tagged for $75 "as is" and made no claims on its working condition. He found it in a bucket of gun parts that he bought at a local auction.



I wasn't sure if it was in 100% working condition so I offered him $60 and he accepted. Seemed glad to get rid of it. Took it home and soaked it in Ed's Red overnight after removing the stock.
Everything seems to be in good working order except that the cylinder spins freely when on the hammer is in the half cock position. Is it supposed to do that?
I'm not very good at rating the amount of finish remaining but would guess that it is at least 50%. You can see most of the wear on the pics with the exception of the back strap of the handle, which is worn to bare metal on its upper half. Bore and cylinder chambers are in good shape too. What condition would this gun be rated?
I haven't seen many of these old spur trigger S&Ws for sale, and the few I have seen were 32s, so I don't have a good idea of a reasonable value for it. But I am sure it's worth more than what I paid.

John

Great buy for a 38 Single Action, Second Model. These are common, with over 108,000 manufactured, but not encountered as often for sale as the production numbers would indicate. Yours is probably a first year gun, manufactured in 1877, given the block letters SW on the stocks. I would think you could improve the appearance quite a bit by a little polishing with Mothers Mag Polish. I would say you have around 80% finish left and that should bring $400+ at most auctions.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Thanks Gary. Those pics were before the Ed's Red soak, which did wonders. Action is solid and tight.
Gently rubbed her down with some copper wool immediately after her bath then used a little Flitz to polish her up. Looks nicer now. I'll repeat the process a time or two more and keep a coat of wax on her. Hard to believe that this piece is over 135 years old. Says a lot for the quality of Smith & Wesson's products of the era. Am I correct in assuming that the 38 S&W cartridge debuted with this model?
John

Well, actually the 38 S&W debuted with its predecessor, the 38 SA Baby Russian or First Model. This revolver was made for 2 years before the introduction of the Second Model. About 25,500 were made.

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Gary
SWCA 2515