Was my great grandfathers and would like to know more about it, any info and a estimate on the value would be greatly appreciated.

S&W .38 hammerless top break revolver
Serial # 150123
Fixed sights
Barrel is 3 1/4 inches
Strain screw is in the front gripstrap

Attached Images

IMG_20170712_111119.jpg (48.2 KB, 63 views)

Appears to be a 4th model, 1898-1907. Your pic could be better.
Value: $250-$275.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

IMO something looks off with the finish and there is no case hardening on the trigger. It almost looks like someone took off all the finish and the gun is "in the white" i.e. bare steel. I could be wrong, but it hard to tell with the blurry picture.

Note that 38 S&W is different from .38 Special. You can still find 38 S&W online, but I would make sure the timing is good before firing it.

I sure hope that isn't the case.. I spent a few minutes cleaning it and and I think it may just be lots of surface rust but then again I don't know much about these firearms and what the original finish would be.. it does look pretty nice on the spots I was able to clean though. I apologise for the blurry picture, I don't have a camera or smart phone but I might be able to get a better pic sometime today. Say someone did take the finish off, the value would drop by alot correct?

The timing was okay and shoots fine, thanks for the heads up though.

Welcome to the forum.

Finish loss will hurt collector value. Overzealous cleaning ie: steel wool, sandpaper etc. will destroy it and render it into the shooter category. Collectors tend to pay more as unmolested 100 year old guns in pristine shape don't come around often. Shooters are just looking for something that goes bang and since there are millions of guns out there don't usually pay a premium.

Add a box, tools and original paperwork to a pristine gun and the price can rise dramatically.

The older guns have a smaller audience as most of the younger buyers are looking for black plastic tacticool guns.

Since many of these older guns saw black powder, which is very corrosive if not cleaned right after shooting, their condition tends to be even worse than their more recent smokeless powder brothers.

As gmborkovic stated, value is probably in the $200-$300 range but without seeing the gun close up it is always hard to give exact estimates.

If you plan to further clean the gun, do it gently with lots of oil and a cloth. A fingernail can sometimes remove built up crud or even rust without killing the finish. Removing the stocks and soaking the gun in Kroil or some other crud buster will also do wonders for the inner workings. You can also pull off the side plate and clean and lubricate it that way but care must be taken so that the screw and plate are not damaged. Buggered screws and pry marks will also lower value.

I hope this helps.

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James Redfield
LM #497