Hi All,

After a couple of the last posts and seeing the condition of those my new to me find isn't as impressive.

Serial no. S 997xxx and in general is a nice peice. Shows sign of use but not abuse. It appears to be a numbers matching piece. I would rate it good to very good. No box or papers. I'm into it for about 250.00usd. I don't think I got hurt but it's not Christmas either. OK, I lied, I have always had a love affair with S&W and this would have been a nice gift. It seems to have wider hammer spur. Something along the lines of my model57. I'm mainly a Swedish Mauser collector so my library on Smiths is limited. Whatever you folks can add about this piece is appriciated...Jim

An S, not an SV is not a Victory. A late S such as yours (and mine) has the narrow ejector rod without any exaggerated end, a shorter hammer fall. It has Diamond Magna grips, would have shipped blue. The S is a continuation of the WWII serialization, the end of the second million, V to SV to S. It shipped in 1948. It really falls into the category of a "Pre-Model10" rather than the 1905 Hand Ejector Change 4. By the way the rounded front sight continued to 1952. Also mine and I suppose yours has a "speed hammer".

Welcome to the Forum. Does it have both the S and V stamp on the bottom of the grip frame? The SN puts it as a 1947 gun, so it is more likely an early postwar commercial .38 Military & Police that is one of the early "short actions", as opposed to the wartime Victory Model and prewar long action guns. It should have a narrow service hammer, so if the checkered area is wider than the hammer body it is likely a replacement.

Can you post photos? Hope this is helpful.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Roughly the last 10,000 revolvers assembled in the "second million" M&Ps are actually short-action revolvers and can be considered true Pre-10s. (The "second million" began with the V-prefix Victory models, proceeded through the SV prefix revolvers, and wrapped up with the S-prefix numbers that concluded with S999999.) A .38 M&P with a number lower than S990000, even though postwar, has the long action and is for design reasons a different model -- or at least a different variant in the continuum that started in 1899.

Your gun, with that serial number, is one of the last 10,000 guns produced in the serial number range that included all Victory guns. That is pretty cool by itself and easily worth $250 in my opinion.

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David Wilson

Welcome to the forum.

I'd say your gun most likely shipped sometime in the autumn of 1948.

How about posting a photo or two? That really helps out the folks here in giving a definitive assessment of your gun.

PS - My first gun ever was a Swedish Mauser (still have it) and while I'm not a collector of them per se, I have picked up a couple more over the years. Terrific caliber, generally very underappreciated in this country.

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

Jim it does sound more like an early post war .38 M&P than a Victory.
Interesting revolvers in that they are post war guns but probably have more in common with the pre war .38 M&P
and Victory guns because they are long action with a large ejector rod knob.
Somewhere in the late "S" serial to low "C serial they transitioned into the "High Speed" hammer short action guns commonly associated with the early 50's .

Except for the stocks and dull finish this early post war .38 M&P has the same features found on late pre war guns,
Payed just over $400 for it in unfired condition so $250 sounds like you did just fine.


Just wanted to add a picture of this interesting transitional "S" serial one line address M&P that posted in the forum the other day,
Notice that the large ejector rod tip is gone and it now has the newer short action "High Speed" hammer ,
The same combination of features are also found on K22's that shipped in 1948 .

Thanks for the reply's. You all are helping me narrow this down. I have a digital camera and can post pictures but the sun has set for the day so that is a tomorrow project.

Waidmann pretty much hit on what I was trying to describe. It does have the narrow ejector rod, and not the one shaped like Engine49guy posted. It definately is an "S" prefix and not "SV".

DCWilson has added other info that seems to describe my piece. The hammer spur is about midway between the firing pin and the frame at the base where it enters into the frame by the stockset. Different than the hammer in the photos Engineguy49 posted. The trigger face is also grooved.

As we go along here I'm just liking this pistol more and more...Jim

Is it Parkerized or sandblasted instead of blued?
Are the grips smooth or checkered?
Any 'Victory ' markings, like 'United States Property'; GHD, or ordnance bomb?
(Long shot) does it have the initials K.N.I.L. on the backstrap?

Helpful information, appreciated . . I bought a pre-model 10, a week or so ago, and figured it was an early post war by the s/n and the stocks but was uncertain whether it was a long or short action. . . s/n S 8572xx . . .

Rod

Long action. Most likely shipped in late 1946 or early 1947.

__________________
SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

Thanks . .