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


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Old 01-31-2012, 11:16 PM
Wctjr7 Wctjr7 is offline
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Default 38 S&W Special CTG

I am new to the forum and am trying to learn more about my grandfather's S and W 38 special ctg that I inherited. It is a C series xxx587 with a four inch barrel, fixed front sights, and original grips. Any help would be much appreciated.
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Old 02-01-2012, 12:26 AM
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I am new to the forum and am trying to learn more about my grandfather's S and W 38 special ctg that I inherited. It is a C series xxx587 with a four inch barrel, fixed front sights, and original grips. Any help would be much appreciated.
Welcome to the forum. It's actually the first part of the serial number we need to know in order to get a likely date. But even without that, we can say that your gun is a Postwar .38 Military and Police with the new short action, or short throw hammer, that was introduced for these guns in 1948. If you swing out the cylinder and look at the concealed frame surface, is there a stamp MOD 10? If so, the gun postdates 1957. If there is no MOD 10 stamp, the gun is called (for shorthand) a Pre-10, and it was manufactured between 1950 and 1957.

The .38 M&P in all its varieties was the most successful line in S&W history, with several million manufactured. The C prefix was introduced at the beginning of the third million and ran until 1968.

I doubt you are interested in selling a family heirloom, but for insurance purposes the gun would probably be valued between $250 and $400 depending on condition.

Feel free to post a photo of your grandfather's gun. We like photos here.
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Old 02-01-2012, 01:17 AM
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Smile

Thank you. The first part of the serial number is C 387. Model 10 is not stamped on the concealed frame surface.

Pic won't attach from my iPad so I will upload tomorrow from my computer.
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Old 02-01-2012, 01:31 AM
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C387xxx would probably have shipped in early 1957. It would be classified as a Pre-10. The first designated Model 10 revolvers had serial numbers a little above C450000, but they didn't ship until several months later.
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Old 02-18-2012, 07:16 PM
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Question Hello

This is my first posting. I am looking for information on my 38 S&W Special CTG model number C210665. Can anyone help me with information on when it was made and the value?
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Old 02-18-2012, 07:49 PM
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This is my first posting. I am looking for information on my 38 S&W Special CTG model number C210665. Can anyone help me with information on when it was made and the value?
Welcome to the forum. Everything David said above continues to apply. You likely have a Military & Police Model (pre Model 10). The ".38 S&W Special CTG" marking simply indicates the caliber (ctg. being an abbreviation for "cartridge"). Your revolver probably shipped from the factory in 1952. As to value, condition and originality are the key factors.
Posting a photo would greatly help those here who might venture to offer an appraisal.
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Old 02-07-2016, 06:53 PM
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Default New grips?

I also have a pre-10 model with serial # c 352410. Will replacement grips for a model 10 fit this frame?
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Old 02-07-2016, 07:03 PM
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Probably will not be a fit problem. Some grips may fit better than others, as for a long time there was a little custom hand-fitting done at the factory on grips for each gun.
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Old 02-07-2016, 07:03 PM
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After looking at some grips, I guess I need to know what frame I have also.
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Old 02-07-2016, 07:06 PM
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It's a K-frame
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Old 02-07-2016, 11:12 PM
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You have to determine if the frame is a "Round Butt" or "Square Butt" as the stocks are a different shape. One won't fit the other.
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Old 02-08-2016, 07:25 AM
Muley Gil Muley Gil is offline
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This is my first posting. I am looking for information on my 38 S&W Special CTG model number C210665. Can anyone help me with information on when it was made and the value?
Welcome to the Forum.

Serial number C218272 shipped in September 1952. Value depends on condition. A wide range would be $250-$425.

Please post pictures.
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Old 02-08-2016, 12:21 PM
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Yours is from about the time when the so-called PC (plain clothes) grips started to come into use, and I would strongly suspect yours has a square butt - round butt M&Ps were a little uncommon at that time. Anyway, PC grips are sort of rounded on the bottom, and do not have sharp corners. The idea was that concealed handguns would not print through clothing as much and also would reduce wear on jacket linings.
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Old 02-09-2016, 12:28 AM
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I appreciate all the information. Thank you
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cartridge, concealed, military, model 10, postwar, pre-10, s&w

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