K-38, not C&R?

[beagleye]

I do not see K-38 listed in my C&R manual, also that the 38 M&P is only C&R to S# 241703 no letter. But I see at least one K-38 listed for sale online as C&R eligible and my manual indicates that it is not an all inclusive list. Can someone clarify this for me?

Thanks, Pete

[Muley Gil]

Any firearm 50 years old or older is considered a Curio & Relic. It doesn't have to be on the BATFE List.

The S&W SHIPPING date is used to determine C&R status.

[Black_Talon]

Any non-Model 14 is a pre-1958 gun, and is over 50 years old, making it by definition a C&R gun.

[Gunhacker]

Pete... like everyone has said 50 years and older for your K-38.

One of the things about the term C&R that lends to the confusion about a firearm's eligibility is the routine use of the term C&R as a sigular description for something that is actually comprised of 2 provisions in the Federal Firearm Regulations... and I run into that often at gun shops while attempting use my C&R FFL for a purchase/transfer.

A curio firearm is one that has to possess some unique feature/characteristic or monetary value derived from a historical significance, in order to be listed on the BATF "C&R" list. By that definition the list published by the BATF is actually a Curio firearm list because firearms do not need to be 50 years old in order to be on the list. A prime example are the S&W commemoratives found on that list.

The curio list at times is not all inclusive, as firearms can be become a "curio" by submitting a request to the BATFE, and those grant such status are not shown on the list until the next update.

A relic firearm is what most of us are exposed to and purchase... 50 years or older and that's all it takes to be classified a relic... like me And they do not need to be determined by being on any list at the Federal level.

I made that distinction because there are states that do not exactly follow the Federal definitions for Curio and Relic firearms.

[beagleye]

Thanks for the help fellows, I guess I need to re-read my rules. Based on what ya'll have said then the first couple of years of model 14s are also C&R. Does anyone happen to know what the approx. serial cut off is for the 14s.

Thanks, Pete

[deadin]

Does anyone happen to know what the approx. serial cut off is for the 14s.

There's no real way of telling without a factory letter. Because there are no records of actual manufacture date, the shipping date is what is accepted and S&W's didn't ship in serial number order.

[rburg]

Sometimes threads take wierd turns I just don't understand. This is one of those threads. Most of the posters correctly indicated the 50 year rule.

But what worries me is the S serial number quoted. Was that an N frame serial we've mistakenly applied to K frames? K frame guns with S serial numbers are all C&R. Every last one of them, since the C number sequence started in 1948. All "S" K frames are now 62 years old.

Can anyone figure out what we're discussing?

[DCWilson]

I think the "S#" reference is for serial number, not intended to indicate an S-prefix. He just wanted to illustrate a limit number from the ATF C&R list. I don't think he specified a number for the particular K-38 C&R that he referred to.