I found this extremely rusty old revolver which appears to be a Smith & Wesson of some type. The grips, which have the SW logo on them appear to be wood or bakelite.

Some friends on an ex-military mailserve said you guys might be able to identify the piece.

Thanks for any help!

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Well, you are right. It is a tad rusty and neglected. Appears to be a 38S&W top break and double action. Some shrinkage of the grips is evident.
Next step? Not a clue! What you going to do?

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

Did you find it in a toilet tank or bottom of a river? Give us the story?

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"Tastes just like chicken"

I'd clean it up as best I could, get as much of the rust gone, and use it for a desktop curio, like a paperweight.

I dont know. That century old patina looks honest and adds a lot to the history and story of a great little Smith.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

It was found under the flooring of an old house. I really don't have any plans for it.

Any idea how old it might be?

No way to tell on that particular gun. But the model appeared in the 1880s.
I believe it had about a 40year run.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

Holy oxidation!

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My Daddy was a pistol..

Leave it as is, it has more value as a rusty relic than as a paper weight. Especially if it's loaded. The grips are hard rubber. Ed

“If” what I’m seeing is writing on the left side of the barrel? See photo:

Then it dates to post 1902.

I would bet there is still a serial number visible at the base of the grip between the grips on that flat area. If it’s visible we can get closer to the date of production.

Murph

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Donate it to the S&W historical society.

That should buff right out.

How's it shoot? Leave it as is!

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Don Mundell

Well, Fords is going to charge a bundle. I have a set of perfect grips with a pristine screw.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

I agree with cleaning it up as much as possible, but only if you like a challenge. I enjoy "rustoring" vintage stuff- knives, tools, cleavers, guns, etc. Just one of my hobbies. Although not a S&W, a friend of mine found a rusty old Colt 1862 Pocket Police in a rusty toolbox during an auction. He picked it up for me for $140...a little pricey but these models are relatively rare. It wasn't quite as frozen in rust as your little S&W .38, but it was pretty bad. I spent some time soaking and cleaning and replacing/fabricating a few parts, but it turned out surprisingly nice. The hammer will cock, rotate the cylinder, and fire. The only thing I couldn't free up was the ramrod which is totally frozen under the barrel.

You may or may not be able to "rustore" your .38, but it may be interesting to find out. Good luck!

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A number of years ago a visitor to my table at the gun show late on a Sunday afternoon brought in a Colt 1873 SAA in about the same condition as your S&W. Interesting enough it had the hammer frozen in full cock and it was loaded. Frozen in time, he wanted $350 for it and I couldn't make the down payment on a free lunch, having just bought a couple of S&Ws. He said that it was found in a Louisiana swamp. The gun was real, I don't know about the story. Is your S&W loaded?

Based on the size of the cylinder, I am guessing this is/was a .32 Double Action.

As noted, if you can make out the serial number on the bottom of the grip frame, we can tell you how old it is, give or take a year or two.

You could certainly immerse it in a 50:50 mixture of acetone and automotive ATF for a few weeks to dissolve some of the rust, but I think getting it to cycle/function is highly optimistic.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

There might be some writing on it, but it certainly isn't certain. I am not going to spend any time trying to clean it up. Not something I am terribly interested in.

No. All the cylinders that are visible are empty.

Send it to me I will mess with it.

Terry

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Treat others with respect

I don't know if it's an S&W but I have a nice paperweight!
Discovered while diving in Yugoslavia and neutralized in Altuglas.

Seems armed and loaded

IMG_20220516_081034.jpg

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Daniel
SWCA#2471

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Daniel
SWCA#2471

Not sure of what it is but it would be better to clean it up and keep it safe

When something is that rusty ... I soak it in pan of Evapo-rust ...
no finish to worry about and Evapo-Rust is safe and the abosolute best thing to get the rust removed . a gallon a wally-mart is $20.00 and you will spend that much on products that don't remove the rust near as well .. Evaporust is the best for rust removal .
My kids (and wife) would leave my tools in the yard ...all winter ...when I find them they are just RUST caked and covered but soaking in evaporust will get them back usable again .

An old school soak is in Kerosine ... but takes longer (3-4 months) and evaporust does it faster and probably better .
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

Try setting it up in an electralysis (sp??) Bucket for a week or two; you will be most impressed with the results. My buddy is a civil war dug artifact collector and he has had amazing success with that method.

It has to be a 38 if it is a S&W. 32 DA's had recurved trigger guards only with the early trigger configuration. The 4th Model changed design to an oval trigger guard and new style trigger.

This revolver has a recurve trigger guard and a new style trigger, meaning it would be a 4" 38 DA, 3rd, 4th, or 5th Model, made from 1884 to 1911. Of course, it could be a copy of a S&W, hard to tell.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

The grips have the Smith & Wesson logo at their tops. PRetty sure that is the best clue as to the manufacturer.

"Under The Floorboards"
Why was it hidden there?
Who puts a gun under the floorboards or a body in a wall?
Was it used in a homicide?

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

I keep all my guns under the floorboards to keep away from the bad guys.
Bodies, in a sealed bag. Keeps down the smell.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

Your gun, your call. I'm the firearms curator for a local museum and hate it when the well-intentioned "clean up" or "restore" a historical artifact. So I'd leave it as is. Otherwise the story is lost. The revolver will never be completely functional. And I doubt the S&W museum would be interested.

We have seen lots of copies with S&W stocks. Spanish copies have shown up in the past on Gunbroker with S&W stocks and the sellers call them Smith & Wesson revolvers. When foreign copies were mads, those companies were very capable of making almost exact copies so the stocks will fit. Too bad there are no stampings still readable.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

I’ll go with #26. If you ever decide to do anything with it, I’d recommend trying the electrolysis method. It converts rust back into iron. There are several “how to” videos on YouTube.

Who ? "a mad wife" thats who ! i like the "toylet water tank". have not heard that one. mine bured one in the garden and it took days for me to find it. the wife? "thank god and Greyhound shhe is gone." Vinn

Years ago, one of dad's rental houses caught fire and revealed a boarded-up window which hadn't been visible from inside or out. Inside we located this old pistol.

In France in 1940 (WW2) owning a firearm was punishable by death.
many preferred to hide or bury them rather than return them to the occupier

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Daniel
SWCA#2471