finally got it out on layaway. I took it to my local gun smith and got it inspected. Says its a keeper. Timings good, bore, yoke, cylinder is in good condition. It just looks old. Well see what you all think and maybe if you guys would know the date if possible. I attached some pics. hopefully i did it right.

Attached Images

	cylinder.jpg (59.6 KB, 126 views)
	IMG_1593.jpg (79.2 KB, 164 views)
	IMG_1603.jpg (76.1 KB, 125 views)
	IMG_1605.jpg (64.9 KB, 134 views)
	partial serial.jpg (82.9 KB, 135 views)

Welcome to the forum.

It's an early post-war transitional long action with the internal hammer block safety ("S" prefix). 1945-46ish.

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"I also cook."

very nice gun and welcome to the forum...you have a classic

i would guess very early post war, noting the plugged lanyard ring hole in the butt. there should be a little S under the right stock near the top of the side plate too. your gun was meant to be a victory, but the war ended and commercial production began. they are some very well made guns from that era. i have a few and they shoot great. enjoy and thanks for sharing. lee

I would find it interesting to know if the serial number on the stocks match the gun. I have a couple in the 814,000s and one in the 817,000 range and all have numbered pre-war magnas. I always wondered if there was a fairly specific cut-off when they ran out of those stocks.
Ed

ed, i've got one S 816000 gun that has those same stocks with the fine pre war checkering, but the routed border. lee

hey thanks guys i really appreciate it. yeah i was wondering about the safety issue with these guns. I know about the victory models, how they potentially had a safety issue. So i guess that wouldn't apply to this one since its not a victory model. Do you think i paid a fair price for it? ($320). Any way thank you all.

I say any shooter that is good shape is worth $300.00 these days. I paid $200.00 for one in the same shape 4 years ago, but things have changed since then.

I think that's an OK price.The gun shows honest wear, but has not been abused. It should be shootable, but you might want to give it a detailed cleaning before shooting it.

The safety issues on wartime .38s involved two issues that don't (or shouldn't) apply in your case. First, there was a single incident in which a loaded revolver was dropped. It landed on its hammer and discharged, killing a sailor. The S prefix shows that your gun had the safety improvement (hammer block bar) that the company designed and installed following this sad event. I say "had" because that would have been its original configuration. It should still be there unless someone has removed it. If inexperienced gun owners take the sideplate off, sometimes the hammer safety bar is left out because unless you put it back in exactly the right position, you can't get the sideplate back on.

The other problem involved thousands of guns manufactured in the 38 S&W caliber for British wartime use, also called .38/200 models. After the war, many of these were modified to chamber .38 Special rounds, but .38 special cases can bulge and sometimes split in the modified chambers. If your gun says .38 SPECIAL CTG on the barrel, this does not apply to you and it is safe to shoot.

As someone said earlier, you have a classic gun. Congratulations.

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David Wilson