Hello,
This is my first post on the S&W forum. I acquired this gun today for next to nothing (some music equipment I was going to toss), and appropriately I know next to nothing about it, except that I've owned it for about 2 hours. To me, it looks like an older(?) military weapon, although I'm not sure why it would be finished like that...
I don't really have any interest in selling it. Even if it's un-usable, It could still be a neat discussion piece when discussing firearms, which I do frequently, as I live in Idaho. I would love to have found myself a neat-o shooter with some character. At the very least, I'd love to know a bit of history about the model,as my knowledge of revolvers is pretty limited. I will attach pics, and try to clarify where they may be vague.

The serial number on the inside of the frame reads: 9249, although the 9's look strange..

The serial number on the butt is obscured by the lanyard but it looks like I can see (7?)952

Thanks for any help anybody can give me.
Pete

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Welcome to the forum. That guns is a .38 Military & Police Model of 1905, fourth change. Based on observable characteristics, it will date between 1915 and about 1928. The serial number from the butt is the one that counts; he number on the yoke is a process control number that has no meaning once the gun leaves the factory. Unfortunately the lanyard loop (an addition, not original to the gun) has damaged part of that number. Please look at the rear face of the cylinder and the flat underside of the barrel. In both places you should see a six-digit number that repeats the serial number from the butt of the gun, but undamaged. Let us know that, and we can give you a better date on the gun.

The gun has been refinished with a fairly aggressive polishing to give it a fresh surface, and then nickeled. There's no way of telling when that happened. Because of the refinish it has no collector value, but it has value as a shooter-grade revolver. If it is in sound mechanical condition, it's probably a $200-225 gun. As always, that's an approximation. Some gun buyers would walk past it without making an offer, and others might like the current shiny surface and pay a little more for it.

The .38 M&P is S&W's best selling revolver of all time, with millions made since their first introduction in 1899. There would not be that many if they weren't considered reliable guns by both public agencies and the gun buying public in general.

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David Wilson

The serial is on the butt. Unfortunately, if it has been obliterated by drilling the hole to add the lanyard ring it makes the gun illegal and it is subject to confiscation and destruction as contraband. The serial also appears on the rear of the cylinder and under the barrel and it could be re-stamped but the full serial must be on the frame as per federal law since 1968.

The revolver appears to be a Military & Police Model and I am guessing it is from 1923 or earlier due to the large head on the ejector rod. It has been refinished. The hammer and trigger are plated and S&W didn't do that.

I see that as usual Dave has replied first.

__________________
No life story has happy end.

Welcome. Moog? Switched On Bach? I would guess the 9 looks like this.

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Dennis

Ah Yes, including the non-obliterated portion of the serial number brings the total to 257952. I am mostly concerned with having a nice shooter, so this seems like good news.
If you think it necessary, I suppose I could have it stamped to comply with federal regulations....

Switched on Bach indeed, as well as switched on many other things moog, hammond, wurlitzer, rhodes and etc. I love my guns, but here is my real baby (the minimoog D finally broke)...

PS..I have a little secret: If you want your wife to stop worrying about your gun collection, start collecting keyboards. You can never quite fit that hammond organ where she'll forget you just got it.

Thanks for your help gentlemen
Pete

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What you have is an early S&W Military and Police revolver in 38 Special. One of the experts will probably be along to nail down the specifics but my hunch is that what you have is the model of 1905, 5th change, however I am NOT an expert on these early M&P's. I can also tell you that it's been refinished because the factory NEVER nickle plated the hammer and trigger on these revolvers. Basically those parts being plated are a hallmark of an aftermarket refinish of questionable quality. From the appearance of the seam for the sideplate and the rounding of the roll stamps on the barrel I would say it's a rather poor job of re-finishing the revolver so it's not a high dollar gun, figure about 175 dollars if it's fully functional. Basically it's what is referred to as a "shooter" because it's value as a collectable is nill. BTW, one other tip for finding the full serial number is to look in the area under the barrel where the ejector rod goes because when this gun was made the barrels were marked with the serial number in this area.

Before shooting it I would suggest having it looked over by a competant gunsmith to insure that the timing is within specification and the barrel is in reasonable good functional condition. If he gives it a thumbs up you'll be safe shooting it with standard 38 special ammunition.

BTW, CTG is an abreviation for Cartridge and you may see some joking about it. A few months back someone asked for more information on a CTG model revolver and it became a bit of a joke thread.

Thanks a bunch,
It's a whole lot lighter than my 586 (6in), so i'm hoping it's functional so I can enjoy both for a bit of compare and contrast.
I had been to a bunch of posts about the victory, pre-victory, pre-model ten, 38 special, 38 cartridge, and had gotten a bit turned around, so i figured I'd get the best answer just putting what was on the barrel. I'd also read somewhere about a few revolvers being re-chambered, and wanted to make sure THAT wasn't the case...
I've been extra-pleased with every Smith and Wesson revolver I've even gotten my hands on, so I think I will stick with it from now on.
Pete

It is possible that the S&W factory placed the lanyard through the serial number . . . in which case you should find the serial number neatly stamped on the left side of the grip frame under the grip panel. This, I'm told, satisfies the federal requirement.

Here is my example . . . a .38 M&P target that shipped in 1931.









Hope this is the case with your M&P,

Russ

thanks guys, the completed serial number reads 257952, which puts it pretty early, i think. I wonder if the nickel plating was done by/for a police dept for use in honor guard things....

I don't have any serial numbers close to yours but do know that s/n 285379 shipped in October 1917. Based on that, I would guesstimate yours shipped circa 1916-1917 (prior to WWI) . . . pretty early for sure.

Can't speculate on why the nickel re-plating, but the lanyard swivel does add an interesting dimension to the gun's history.

Enjoy it,

Russ

I have a smith and Wesson 38 CTG with a serial number of 189297 what can you tell me about it?

Not very much without more information. If you will look at the top of the Forum Page, you will find a thread entitled To IDENTIFY your Gun > . If you will follow the directions there, folks here will jump in and give you all sorts of good info about your gun.

Welcome aboard,
Green Frog

PS I put the link in so you can just click on it from here.

Help! I too know nothing about guns. I am cleaning out a gun case of my husbands, with guns collected over the years from his family. I have a top-loader, chrome/nickel finish 38 revolver. It was kept in a leather holster (stamped 1641) in a gun case in an air-conditioned closet. The serial number is 182243. Can you give me some info on the gun and it's value, and suggest the best avenue to sell a gun? I have several pictures but still trying to figure out how to attach them! Thank you.

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jwbandcab -I sent you a private message and will post your pictures if you need help.

Jim

Yours can't be identified from the information you provide. A few things more are needed:

Exactly what caliber is stamped on the barrel (e.g., 38 S&W SPECIAL CTG)

Barrel length from the front face of the cylinder to the muzzle

How many chambers are there in the cylinder? Could be 5 or 6 for most .38s.

Does the butt appear square or rounded?

What is the full number stamped on the butt, including any letters (e.g., S 921336). There may not be any letter or letters on older guns.

Is there anything stamped on the topstrap, which is the area of the frame above the cylinder?

Open the cylinder and look at the flat area on the frame under where the barrel screws in. Does it have something like "MOD. 10" stamped there? There will usually be a 4 or 5 digit number also, but that means nothing.

A few good pictures will help greatly in identification and also in establishing its condition.

Thank you all so much for your help. To answer your questions:

Exactly what caliber is stamped on the barrel (e.g., 38 S&W SPECIAL CTG)....38 S&W.CTG

Barrel length from the front face of the cylinder to the muzzle...3-1/4"

How many chambers are there in the cylinder? Could be 5 or 6 for most .38s. ....5 chambers

Does the butt appear square or rounded?....square

What is the full number stamped on the butt, including any letters (e.g., S 921336). There may not be any letter or letters on older guns....no letters....182243

Is there anything stamped on the topstrap, which is the area of the frame above the cylinder? lots of writing!
"Smith & Wesson Springfield, Mass.USA.
Pat'd Oct.8 1883, Aug 4 1885, April 8, 1889"

Open the cylinder and look at the flat area on the frame under where the barrel screws in. Does it have something like "MOD. 10" stamped there? There will usually be a 4 or 5 digit number also, but that means nothing...nothing there

A few good pictures will help greatly in identification and also in establishing its condition.

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What you have is a .38 Safety Hammerless revolver, sometimes referred to as the "New Departure" or by some as the "Lemon Squeezer." It is chambered for the .38 S&W cartridge, which is still loaded but somewhat difficult to find. Serial number 182243 identifies it as a Safety Hammerless, Fourth Model. It would date from the early 1900s, likely about 1905. It looks to be in pretty good condition, but I'll let others discuss its value and how best to sell it. Unfortunately, not too many will be interested in it, as it is more in the collector realm. Unfortunately, as it was made after 1898, it is considered to be a modern firearm, not an antique.

Welcome! Your .38 SH is in much better than average condition for a revolver of that era, and if it functions normally and the bore and chambers are as nice as the exterior finish I would guess it to be worth in the $300-350 range to a private buyer/collector. A dealer would have to pay you less than that to be able to turn a profit at that sales price.

If you know someone who is both gun literate and computer savvy, the Wanted to Sell/Trade section here may be a good option. Be sure to understand the selling rules posted in the top of that section. Hope this is helpful.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220