what is the age of this 38 s & w revolver

[doggone1954]

in my father n law safe he been gone 20 years was a 38 s & w ctg no history about it s.n. 997851 same number on the cylinder 4 inch barrel dark blueing inside swingarm of the cylinder there is the number 8 below that numbers 29198 also in finer eching below cylinder on fram us-ab that be might be a 8 16528 gun was in a brown flap hoster any help

[Absalom]

Originally Posted by doggone1954

in my father n law safe he been gone 20 years was a 38 s & w ctg no history about it s.n. 997851 same number on the cylinder 4 inch barrel dark blueing inside swingarm of the cylinder there is the number 8 below that numbers 29198 also in finer eching below cylinder on fram us-ab that be might be a 8 16528 gun was in a brown flap hoster any help

Welcome to the forum.

A few things don't match. I assume the 997851 serial is correct since you found it in two locations, the cylinder and hopefully the butt. With no letter prefix, that serial would be from mid-1942, assuming it's a K-frame gun which with that serial it should be.

Are you positive the caliber on the barrel says 38 S&W CTG and not 38 S&W SPECIAL CTG?

If there is no SPECIAL, the gun at that serial cannot have an original 4" barrel. Did you measure the barrel from the cylinder forward? What is the serial on the flat underside of the barrel (swing out the cylinder to see it)?

Is there a lanyard loop or a plugged hole for one visible in the middle of the butt?

A few photos would be helpful.

[DWalt]

The closest SN I have listed to 997851 is 997546 which shipped on 5/25/42 to the U. S. Maritime Commission. There are others having nearby SNs which were also shipped to the U. S. Maritime Commission, so this one may have also, if it does not have the "UNITED STATES PROPERTY" stamp on the topstrap. A few good pictures would have been very helpful to show marking details.

[murphydog]

As Absolom noted, it is likely stamped .38 S & W 'Special' on the right barrel.

The official name is a .38 Military & Police, and after SN 999999 a very similar version with a phosphate (Parkerized) finish was called the Victory Model. For this reason, and the fact that nearly all production of this type was going to the US military or defense-related organizations, this is commonly called a "pre-Victory Model". Agree that photos would help here.

[doggone1954]

it dose say 38 s & w special ctg and it does have the lanyard hanger stap hook attachment also and under barrel on the swing out arm for cylinder arm there is the number 8 under that 29198 also like I said light engraving not stamped is us+ab-16528 that b might be a 8 ll send pictures when I can transfer them

[Absalom]

Originally Posted by doggone1954

it dose say 38 s & w special ctg and it does have the lanyard hanger stap hook attachment also and under barrel on the swing out arm for cylinder arm there is the number 8 under that 29198 also like I said light engraving not stamped is us+ab-16528 that b might be a 8 ....

So DWalt’s diagnosis appears to be correct. The gun shipped on a DSC or Maritime Commission contract.

The number on the “swing out arm” (the yoke) is a factory assembly number that is meaningless to us.

The letters and numbers you describe as engraved on the frame below the cylinder in your original post were likely applied by the end user who received the gun in 1942, maybe a property or inventory number.

[DWalt]

I am not sure how the USMC revolvers may have been marked after they arrived at their destination but us+ab-16528 may have been a shipyard hull number. Some revolvers were included as part of a merchant marine ship's equipment, and some were used by shipyard guards. But in this case, it is not certain it was a USMC gun. A historical letter would be necessary for making such a determination.

[Absalom]

On these war-time guns, additional non-factory markings can also reflect a second post-war career. In another discussion a 1944 Colt Commando just came up which has a police dept. stamping on the butt, but lettered as originally shipped to the Maritime Commission.

[DWalt]

Some year ago I had a .38 Special Victory (I no longer have the SN or other details) which was engraved "Ohio State University." Obviously the OSU PD came into it somehow. Could have been DSC, or it could have been obtained some different way during the postwar period.

[doggone1954]

I don't know if I will ever shoot it but what ammo can I us I know you cant shoot new 38 special ammo because it is jackeded and higher powder grain

[Absalom]

Originally Posted by doggone1954

I don't know if I will ever shoot it but what ammo can I us I know you cant shoot new 38 special ammo because it is jackeded and higher powder grain

The military issued a standard jacketed ammunition for it. You can likely shoot any modern .38 Special ammo without worry, but as with all older guns, you don't know what it has been through, so I'd stick to standard target loads and avoid hot stuff like +P; there's no need anyways.

[Pisgah]

Originally Posted by doggone1954

I don't know if I will ever shoot it but what ammo can I us I know you cant shoot new 38 special ammo because it is jackeded and higher powder grain

Any kind of .38 Special factory ammo you can find will be safe in your gun -- even +P loads, assuming you limit its use to no more than a few rounds. Even if you shoot a bunch of +P ammo, the gun won't blow up -- just wear out and get out of time quicker. BTW, jacketed-bullet ammo was what was issued for these guns, so your misgivings on that score are not valid.

[Wiregrassguy]

Originally Posted by doggone1954

I don't know if I will ever shoot it but what ammo can I us I know you cant shoot new 38 special ammo because it is jackeded and higher powder grain

Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! The ammo pressure that was used when that gun was made was much higher than current ammo. Around 1970, ammo manufacturers decreased the pressure of their ammo by 30%. +P only raises the pressure to close to the pressure when that gun was made. I don't think you can buy commercial ammo that will stress it too much. Also, it was designed to shoot jacketed ammo as others have mentioned. Chill, have a libation, and enjoy the POW, POW, POW of a fun filled day.

[doggone1954]

thank for all your help that gun is a gem to me my dad was in navy ww11 and called back for korea

[shouldazagged]

Welcome to the forum, doggone1954. I hope you'll stick around, and enjoy shooting that revolver.

[DWalt]

The original FMJ ammunition used in these had bullets with plated STEEL jackets. Around early 1942, S&W changed the specification of the steel alloy used for barrels to one which had greater wear resistance primarily because the steel-jacketed ammunition would be used in them, and by mid-1942, all barrels were using the newer steel alloy (1045).