One of my favorites among my prewar guns. Not perfect but lots of blue left and the butt is square. I would be interested in what you think.
Thanks.
JP

Attached Images

	.38 HE right side.jpg (105.1 KB, 161 views)
	.38 HE left side.jpg (103.0 KB, 150 views)

I think you're gonna like it - I sure do!

Are the grips numbered to the frame? They look like new!

RonJon

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Stand behind our troops!

Unfortunately, they are not. When I bought the gun a few years ago, it had post-68 grips on it. The good news is that I only paid $275 for it.
Anyway, today at the gun show, I found these grips for $50. They look pretty good, don't they?
JP

What is the first half of the serial number ? It very rare to see an
original pairs of magnas on a M&P, meaning that the gun was shipped
with the grips.

Mike Priwer

Hi Mike
It's 531xxx. I plan to get a letter on it, but just haven't got around to it yet.
JP

I like that gun a lot. I have two or three prewar M&Ps that are among my favorite revolvers, including one that is only about a year younger than yours. The serial number you cite probably puts it around 1926, but the letter will put some precision to that date.

Nice one. Nice stocks, too. $50 for the wood? MAJOR deal.

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David Wilson

Thanks, David.
BTW - I just today mailed off my SWCA application. Wayne Ross signed for me a couple days ago.
JP

I have a 1916 vintage, 5" factory nickle, square butt, 4th change that looks just like it. Fortunately mine came with the original grips, unfortunately the nickle finish is only about 85-90%. They are nice pistols and fun to shoot. I was able to rescue mine from a pawn shop. Yours looks like it might be a 5" barrel, is it?

Yes. Five inch.

Very nice looking gun, the grips are probably at least as valuable as the gun being pre-war Magnas.

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John. SWCA #1586

At the time I asked for the first half of the serial number, I didn't see
the other message about buying the grips separately. The gun is about
1926, several years before the introduction of those stocks.

Mike Priwer

Beautiful revolver.

Built during a time when the quality would never again be matched. Probably has a very sweet D/A pull and action. The 5 inch barrel, to me, balances the best of the K-Frame .38 Specials. And the grips are of a perfect fitting configuration for me with the K-Frames as well.

I think you have done well.

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Have guns...will shoot'em.

Thanks, Mike. I thought so. But they look good on it anyway. I'll be looking for the correct grips. I assume they will be non-Magna, checkered diamond grips with a medallion. Correct?
Jack

Actually, as a '20s era revolver, the stocks would not have medallions. Proper stocks look like these:



This is 544932, from about a year after yours.

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David Wilson

Thank you, David! Any great ideas for finding a set of these?

Also, according to SCSW, the square butt frames were uncommon. Do you know how uncommon? I know that all my other pre-1930 HEs are round butt versions. But none of the others are 4th Change guns. Curious.

Jack

Gunbroker. Ebay. Here. You are looking for convex non-medallion service stocks. (Really early K-frame M&Ps could have dished or concave service stocks. Those are not the right ones.)

I had it in mind that after the square butt Model of 1905 was introduced, most M&Ps had square butts. So my impressions are not consistent with what you read. Here's a square butt 1905/First, 102653, just to show that they existed before the 1905/Fourths:



This one, from 1907 (104 years old this month!), has the concave-top service stocks that are not correct for your revolver.

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David Wilson

Very helpful, David.
Thanks a lot!
Jack

Jack, that is a misprint in the SCSW, square butt is very common.

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John. SWCA #1586

Thanks, John
Good news for two reasons.
1) I kept seeing them and wondered, if they are uncommon, how come I'm seeing so many of them? Thought maybe I was misidentifying them.
2) My chances of finding the right grips for it have gone up. If the guns were scarce, it would make sense that the grips would be similarly scarce.
Appreciate the info!
Jack