I hade this posted in the antiques forum but thought I could get more info since it is a hand ejector. Also posting pics. hope they help.

I have an old revolver that was handed down from my grandfather. Not sure if he carryed it when he was in WW2 or when he was a state trooper. It has the Smith & Wesson trade mark logo behind the cylinder on the right side. The length of the barrel is 5" and says "smith & wesson" on the left side of the barrel, the top says " smith & wesson springfield Mass USA patented oct 8. 01, dec 7 01, feb 6 06, sept 14 09, dec. 29 14 ", the right side says " 38 S&W Special CTG ". Blue finish, the grips are what look to be fake bone but when taken off there was real wood on the underside. On the frame under the grips is the number 32 in the top corner 6.18 in the bottom and the B in a triangle across from that. The sights are fixed. And the number on the butt, underside of barrel, and back of cylinder is 37369 but on the butt of the handle there is a star after this number. On the yoke the number 7180. I would just like to get as much info on this gun.





Thanks,

Scott

Scott

You have a scarce gun, if that is really the right 5-digit serial number.

That gun is a Model of 1902. I can't tell from the picture if the
barrel has a shoulder, where it meets the frame, or not. If there is
no shoulder, and the barrel is just a straight taper along its full length,
then its a model of 1902, of which there were only about 15,000 to
18,000 - about. If it has a shoulder, then its a model of 1902 1st change
, of which there are maybe 30,000 or so.

The gun went back to the factory , for something, on that 6.18 date,
which means June of 1918. There may be some other marks that would
indicate what the repair was , but I can't tell from those small photos.
I would need something higher resolution.

The gun looks to be reblued - there seems to be a lot of rounding
of the edges of the serial number, on the butt. The star on the butt
is also an indicator of a return to the factory. Maybe it was refinished
then, although I doubt it. Seems too early for a refinish.

The gun was made sometime between 1902 and 1906, depending on
whether it is a 1902 or 1902 1st change. The grips, of course, are not original.
They would have been what we call hard black rubber - a bit smaller than
what you have now.

Hope this is helpful, Mike Priwer

Hi, I posted a message on the previous thread. Mike is correct about the possible model variations and the June 1918 (6.18) rework. I believe you mentioned your gun's barrel has a matching serial number, but it also has a patent date after the gun was produced. So (at the very least), in 1918 the factory replaced the original barrel and stamped the matching serial number on it, along with the star after the SN.

__________________
Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Scott, maybe a minor point in context but I make that S/N as 37360, not 37369.

That serial number falls in the range 33804-62449, which Roy Jinks associates with the Second Model, First change in his "History of Smith & Wesson." If that's right, interpolation suggests your gun was shipped in 1903. (The S/N range I mentioned is associated with the years 1903-1905, according to the Jinks table.)

__________________
David Wilson

Thanks for the info Mike,
It is hard to tell but it looks to me that the S/N is 37369. As for the shoulder on the barrel I would have to say it does have a shoulder as the barrel tappers up to the frame but when you open the cylinder you can see that the barrel is smaller then what it tappered up to the frame at ( if that makes since).
Any idea what the value would be even without the original grips ( my grandfather must have changed them out when he used it as a trooper )?
The only other mark is the 32 behind the grips on the frame at the very top close to the triger.

Scott

Murphydog,
I did check to make sure I got all the S/N and it is 37369 and it is stamp that same number on the butt ( which has the star after it ), on the cylinder ( no star ) and under the barrel ( there is no star after this S/N thought but I did find the B in a triangle stamped there.

Scott

Fair enough. You have the gun to look at, and all I could see was the butt-stamped serial in a single photo.

Regardless of the extent and timing of the refinish/repair work, it's a nice looking gun. Congratulations.

__________________
David Wilson

Scott

The B in the triangle on the underside of the barrel is the indicator
for the replaced barrel. If the serial number agree's with that on the
butt, then they serial-numbered the replacement barrel to the
frame.

The shoulder that I am talking about is outboard of the frame. It
would be right next to the frame, and it would be an more/less abrupt
increase in the OD of the barrel, as it nears the frame. In other words,
without the shoulder , the barrel simply increases more/less in OD all
the way from the muzzle of the barrel to the frame. With a shoulder,
there will be a radiused/abrupt increase in the OD, in the last
1/8" to 3/16" of the barrel, right next to the frame.

If that barrel was replaced in 1918, then it should have a shoulder
on it. That makes it a 1902 1st change, with a replaced barrel, and
maybe refinished.

Its about a $200 gun, maybe $225. Its probably still a good shooter,
but it's lost enough of its originality that it does not have much, if any,
collector value.

Later, Mike Priwer

Would that mean that the B in a triangle being under the grips stamped on the frame that the grips were also replaced at the factory?

Welcome to the Forum - neat gun!

Those grips are aftermarket and made by J. Scott - probably from the 1970's. The Factory would not have had anything to do with them.

The B in the triange is, generally, the service department mark,
indicating some work on the barrel, presumably a replacement.

Does this barrel have a shoulder on it, where it meets the frame ?

Later, Mike Priwer

Yhea I check again last night and it does have a shoulder on it.
So you think most likely it's a 1902 M&P 1st change made closer to 1906 that had the barrel replaced in 1918 and valued around $200-$250?

I may just drop the $50 for S&W to do the research just to find out were this gun has been. Might be neat.

Thanks everybody for all the help.

Scott

Probably 1904. A letter will only tell you where it was initially
shipped. Make sure you ask about the original barrel length - maybe
it was originally longer, and someone wanted it shorter.

Later, Mike Priwer