Smith & Wesson Forum

Go Back   Smith & Wesson Forum > Smith & Wesson Revolvers > S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961
o

Notices

S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961 All 5-Screw & Vintage 4-Screw SWING-OUT Cylinder REVOLVERS, and the 35 Autos and 32 Autos


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 08-03-2010, 10:28 PM
robbobbie robbobbie is offline
Member
newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy  
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default newbie with a new toy

my mother jus gave me her dads smith&wesson ,my granddads for my 52 birthday the sn is 930944 its nickel plated and has a crown like stamp with a what looks like a 8 or a backwards band a np on the cylinder any help would be greatly apprecaited
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 08-03-2010, 10:38 PM
Nightowl's Avatar
Nightowl Nightowl is offline
SWCA Member
newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy  
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Warrensburg, MO USA
Posts: 5,404
Likes: 2,840
Liked 3,292 Times in 1,688 Posts
Default

Not much help here. However, picutres help a lot, caliber stamped normally on the barrel, barrel length, etc. The serial number is on the butt, and on the older guns, on the underside of the barrel and back of cylinder.
There are lots of experts here that can tell you a lot about just about any Smith. Sometimes there is a letter in front of the serial number that is also a part of the serial number and is a significant part of the identification process. Good luck and congratulations of have a part of your family's history.
__________________
Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 08-03-2010, 10:43 PM
Muley Gil Muley Gil is offline
US Veteran
newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy  
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The SW Va Blue Ridge
Posts: 17,471
Likes: 88,955
Liked 24,779 Times in 8,481 Posts
Default

Welcome to the Forum.

We really need more info, such as all of the markings, and pictures, if possible.

Offhand, I would say that that you have a .38 S&W revolver (not a .38 special) built for the British at the beginning of WW II, around 1939-1941. It was originally finished blue, with the nickel added after the war. It may have been rechambered to fire .38 special cartridges.
__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 08-04-2010, 10:57 PM
robbobbie robbobbie is offline
Member
newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy  
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default pictures of gun what is it

hope these help but still ****** me and digital cameras jus dont work dang wheres my polariod
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Picture 1030.jpg (175.8 KB, 88 views)
File Type: jpg Picture 1031.jpg (162.5 KB, 68 views)
File Type: jpg Picture 1032.jpg (133.9 KB, 61 views)
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 08-05-2010, 01:06 AM
DCWilson's Avatar
DCWilson DCWilson is online now
SWCA Member
newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy  
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 13,993
Likes: 4,998
Liked 7,681 Times in 2,618 Posts
Default

Based on those photos, Gil nailed it. That gun was originally a WW2 lend-lease revolver. Hundreds of thousands were made, and after the war many of them were reworked -- some sensitively, some not -- and allowed to enter the commercial market. Your gun would have shipped in 1941 or 1942 with a five-inch or six-inch barrel (not sure which) that was cut down after the war. The sight was repositioned on the shorter barrel. The chambers have undoubtedly been lengthened to allow the gun to fire the .38 special cartridge. The original wood grips were placed with some "look-at-me" molded grips.

I am not trying to belittle your gun, but I don't want to overstate the value of a revolver that has emotional associations. The single best thing about this gun is the family connection. One of my favorite guns is a crummy old .25 automatic that my mother's brother carried in his pocket in the 1930s when he worked in mining in the American Southwest. I have better guns, but I don't have any that feel as special to me as that one.

Treasure that revolver. All old guns have history of some sort, but not all old guns have family history. You are lucky to have been entrusted with that one.

And welcome to the forum; lots of good people here.
__________________
David Wilson
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 08-05-2010, 07:59 PM
old bear's Avatar
old bear old bear is online now
US Veteran
newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy  
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: R.T. P, area NC
Posts: 9,701
Likes: 29,444
Liked 22,969 Times in 5,777 Posts
Default Welcome

Robobbie, welcome to the forum. Many war era pistols have been cut down and other wise modified to suite the post war owner. Personally I like the Stag grips they go well with a vintage revolver, such as yours. Yet most importantly you have a small piece of your family history.

If it were my revolver I would clean it up, lube it as needed and shoot it from time to time using standard pressure 38 special ammo only. No +P ammo in your old girl.
__________________
Always Stay Strong!
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 08-05-2010, 08:17 PM
ralph7's Avatar
ralph7 ralph7 is offline
Member
newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy  
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,355
Likes: 9,210
Liked 6,387 Times in 2,214 Posts
Default

is it safe to shoot the smaller diameter .38 specials in a .38 s&w chamber that is a bit larger in id?
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 08-05-2010, 08:43 PM
murphydog's Avatar
murphydog murphydog is offline
Moderator
newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy  
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 26,782
Likes: 936
Liked 18,874 Times in 9,241 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ralph7 View Post
is it safe to shoot the smaller diameter .38 specials in a .38 s&w chamber that is a bit larger in id?
Not recommended. If a gun is originally chambered in .38 S & W and simply lengthened to accept Specials, the latter cases expand with firing to the larger diameter and may crack or split. You can imagine what might happen with this scenario with a +P+ .38 round.
__________________
Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 08-05-2010, 09:18 PM
diamonback68's Avatar
diamonback68 diamonback68 is offline
US Veteran
newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy newbie with a new toy  
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Due south of Orlando
Posts: 7,202
Likes: 597
Liked 3,451 Times in 1,412 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by old bear View Post
Personally I like the Stag grips they go well with a vintage revolver, such as yours.
Bear, I hate to tell you but those are not stag grips. They are called jigged bone pattern and are made of plastic. Look closely.
__________________
Dick
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
cartridge, commercial, sig arms, stag

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Newbie member & newbie question WestTexFree Smith & Wesson M&P15 Rifles 13 03-05-2017 07:30 PM
Newbie with newbie question chaseman31 Smith & Wesson M&P Pistols 11 12-06-2015 07:11 PM
Newbie here, with newbie questions.... : ) Carla S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961 9 03-12-2013 03:45 AM
newbie jbell33 S&W-Smithing 2 04-24-2012 09:28 PM
Newbie here and a newbie to handguns, sort of. roadhog96 New Members Introduction 10 01-10-2012 09:13 PM

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
smith-wessonforum.com tested by Norton Internet Security smith-wessonforum.com tested by McAfee Internet Security

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:54 PM.


Smith-WessonForum.com is not affiliated with Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: SWHC)