Help identify .38 Top Break

TheMHeiner · #1 06-21-2018, 02:16 PM

From what I know about this gun it's a pre-war N Frame Model - .38 S & W CTG - Serial No.: 3120. I have a chain of custody (all my family members) back to 1920.
I've read about the 'Policeman's Insurance' thumb release, which might make it more collectible, right?
Thanks for your help.
New member from St George, Utah
-Mark

max503 · #2 06-21-2018, 02:21 PM

Wow. It's gorgeous.

M E Morrison · #3 06-21-2018, 02:49 PM

Pretty sure that is not a "N" frame......

gmborkovic · #4 06-21-2018, 03:04 PM

Nice early Perfected in blue. No, not an N frame.

JSR III · #5 06-21-2018, 03:32 PM

Welcome to the forum.

Great looking piece and especially significant since it came down through your family. Many of us here feel that such guns are priceless.

TheMHeiner · #6 06-21-2018, 04:57 PM

Thanks for the info. I've learned a lot about this gun from you guys today.

McShooty · #7 06-21-2018, 08:56 PM

I don't know about "more collectible" but the Perfected model surely has collector value. It was the end of the line for the top break design in the early 1900s. BTW mine shoots very well with the Remington Target or Wheelgun .38 S&W ammo that is available these days.

cgt4570 · #8 06-21-2018, 10:28 PM

Very nice. I have a few of these and they are fun shooters. As mentioned above, it is not an N frame. It shares the stock frame (grip) size of the I frame. It is safe to shoot with modern .38 S&W rounds (Win or Rem, etc.), although they are sometimes hard to find. That is still a viable self defense round as it is very similar to the .380 in effectiveness.

mnrivrat · #9 06-23-2018, 02:03 PM

The .38S&W Perfected Model was made from 1909 to 1920 with serial numbers of 1 through 59400 .
They do draw a premium when compared to other S&W top breaks of the period such as the Single Action, the Double Action, and Safety Models.

Your looks to be near 90% in the photo's which also gives it a boost from an average condition gun. Nice family hand down and as stated can safely shoot modern .38 S&W ammo. (not .38 Special)if it is in mechanically sound condition.

Jim NNN · #10 06-23-2018, 02:08 PM

Yeah, N frames are huge guns. The most famous was Dirty Harry's revolver. Not the biggest revo S&W makes today, but it was for a long time back in the day.

glowe · #11 06-23-2018, 02:46 PM

Nice little 38 Perfected, almost certainly manufactured in 1909. I have a Commentary on this model with lots of information, but have not been able to access it for a couple of months and that is becoming very frustrating.

Anyway, here is the introduction to my commentary that will tell you a little bit more about this model.

The 38 Perfected was the last newly designed top-break revolver made by S&W. Introduced in 1909 and made until 1920, this 38 S&W chambered gun was available in 3 ½”, 4”, 5”, and 6” barrel lengths. The standard stocks were black hard rubber round top diamond style. The external appearance resembled the 38 Double Action revolvers, but the frame and internal mechanism was basically the Model 1903 Hand Ejector. Extended target stocks were also available through the factory. There were 59,400 manufactured.

What differentiates this revolver’s operation from the 38 DA is the addition of a thumb operated cylinder release. To open the gun, both the top latch had to be raised, plus the thumb cylinder release had to be pushed. The frame of this revolver was essentially a Model 1903 HE, with the addition of the break open feature. This revolver, along with the 38 Single Action, 3rd Model (Model 1891) was a very popular export firearm to Europe and South America. This accounts for the relative lack of either on US the market today. The Perfected is more common than the 38 Single Action, 3rd, but still not seen in the numbers one might expect from being almost 60,000 made.