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01-10-2011, 08:01 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Knoxville, TN
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2" .38 special M & P - S serial number
Hello all,
This was given to me about 20 years ago by a couple of my "regulars" when I was a bartender. One of their uncles passed away and this was in a box full of stuff. They didn't like guns, so..........
It has all matching numbers including the grips.
Is a 2" S serial number at all scarce, and is it worth getting a letter?
Thanks.
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01-10-2011, 08:35 PM
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SWCA Member Absent Comrade
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: The kidney of Dixie.
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That is a very cool gun. I think 2" S series M&Ps are extremely uncommon.
Not pristine but I would enjoy having it.
Frankly, I have not lettered anything since the price went to $50. If the point to the increase was to reduce demand it worked... in my case. Maybe for a very valuable collector grade gun I would spend the money but otherwise... no. Too much for me. You have to decide for you.
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01-11-2011, 12:17 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Montana
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My 2" S 935954 is on the "next to get lettered" list. About the same condition, only the grips don't match. I've figured it's from about 1946(?)
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01-11-2011, 03:13 PM
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I lettered my C-prefix 2in. M&P oddball. It was made in 1958, but it has a round front sight on it's barrel (which was discontinued in 1952 per SCSW). It was shipped to Mississippi 8/15/1958. It's fun tracing the history of these guns.
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01-11-2011, 03:17 PM
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SWCA Member
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They can't be too scarce since I have had 2 within the last year and I don't have scarce guns. From what I have seen over the past several years, the 4 and 5 inchers are the most common, followed by the 2 and then the 6 inch guns.
Ed
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01-11-2011, 04:28 PM
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I have read sources suggesting that among the postwar M&Ps, there is a 25% premium for the 2-inch revolvers. I used to think they were scarce, but since buying one earlier this year I have found references to more of them than I thought I would.
With that serial number, yours probably (but not certainly) shipped in late 1947 or early 1948. I have S868055 from January 1947. There is no doubt that they are cool guns. I think value varies a bit in different parts of the country, but I'd price that one not lower than $400 if I wanted to sell it. I paid slightly more than that for mine, but I recall that others have reported $300-350 purchases of this model in the last year or so. I tend to think those are lucky purchases rather than a reflection of the overall market.
I guess I might letter mine someday, but I would expect to find it went to a regional distributor/supplier of duty weapons to LE, or possibly a hardware store. I wouldn't expect to find that it was a direct factory sale to an individual. (But you never can tell.)
SDH, I'd guess your gun is from late'47/early '48 as well.
__________________
David Wilson
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01-12-2011, 09:22 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Knoxville, TN
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Thank you all for the responses. Given the short time span of the S serial number I thought it would be more scarce than the other barrel lengths, but it looks like it is no rarity. I guess I had hopes of it being like a V series 2".
I'm still not sure about getting a letter, it'll wait for a while I guess. I don't think 50.00 is unreasonable for a letter, especially when compared to a Colt, but the odds are not with you to find something other than shipment to a hardware store.
Thanks again!
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