.38 safety hammerless

SuperM70 · #1 03-24-2015, 04:01 PM

First time posting on here. Can someone please tell me what year and model this hammerless was born. Serial number #2353xx.
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glowe · #2 03-24-2015, 05:34 PM

That one would have shipped around 1915. By the teens, these hammerless top-breaks were quickly falling out of favor due to the popularity of Hand Ejectors. The factory did not ship in serial number order, but rather grabbed any guns when an order came in, so the only way to get a specific ship date would be to obtain a factory letter.

mmaher94087 · #3 03-24-2015, 08:37 PM

The model is known as a: . 38 Safety Hammerless, 5th Model. It is also described as a: .38 New Departure, 5th Model. Some call this type of revolver a "Lemon Squeezer" which is based upon the 'squeezing' of the safety lever on the back strap to fire the arm.

SuperM70 · #4 03-24-2015, 09:38 PM

Thanks guy. How much would you value this piece. The gun is all original and blueing is 97%.

glowe · #5 03-24-2015, 10:08 PM

I assume it is a 5"? It is difficult to value any revolver from a couple of photos, but I would set a range of $350 to $450. There were a ton of these guns made and the fact that the gun requires an FFL for transfer lowers the value compared to one made before 1899. The caliber is pretty much extinct and is hard to find, so that is another negative. It does look like a nice revolver.

SuperM70 · #6 03-24-2015, 10:26 PM

No, it's a 4"

singleshot1891 · #7 03-25-2015, 12:35 AM

I picked up this very nice 3 1/2" Fifth Model in November at the Tulsa Arms Show for $300. S/N is in the 251000 range, which is pretty close to the end of production. A little wear near the muzzle, and a couple of other very minor blemishes.

WB

SuperM70 · #8 03-25-2015, 09:08 AM

Very nice, I would like to get a set of those wood grip. Did S&W produce a lot of the 4" top break

singleshot1891 · #9 03-25-2015, 01:34 PM

As a general rule I believe the 3 1/2" (or 3 1/4" or 3" - depending on particular model) is the most common bbl length on most top breaks. With the longer barrels becoming more scarce as the barrel length increases. That being said, the 4" barrel is not that uncommon in the 5th model. That looks like a very nice 5th model you have there.

WB