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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 04-08-2014, 05:06 PM
drobs1 drobs1 is offline
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38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question  
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Default 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question

Picked up this gun about 5 or 6 years ago at the local gun shop for $150. Someone had spray painted it black. Removing the paint via Citrus Strip revealed this:

6 inch barrel Serial # on the frame and cylinder = 43708X
Serial # on underside of the barrel between the frame and lug = 515454
The gun came with an older rotting leather holster and looks like it was a cop gun from all the holster wear & scratches on the finish.

Wanting to know date of manufacture and wondering about the miss-matched barrel # ?

Lastly, do you think this would be worth getting a letter from S&W?

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Old 04-08-2014, 05:36 PM
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At least the frame is an M&P target model, ca. 1923. It appears from the mismatched barrel SN, the barrel has been replaced. Its dating would be about 1925. Are there any stampings on the frame under the grip or on the barrel flat indicating a trip back to the factory? The factory usually stamped the SN on the barrel to match the other SNs when they replaced a barrel. Not a collector-grade revolver, but the price paid was certainly right. And it could be a very excellent shooter. Target revolvers are not that common.

Last edited by DWalt; 04-08-2014 at 05:39 PM.
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Old 04-08-2014, 05:50 PM
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38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question  
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Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! Nice work on cleaning her up! They are great shooters. I had one for a while that had some finish blemishes but was otherwise original. I wouldn't get a letter since the barrel has been replaced.
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Old 04-08-2014, 10:40 PM
drobs1 drobs1 is offline
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38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DWalt View Post
At least the frame is an M&P target model, ca. 1923. It appears from the mismatched barrel SN, the barrel has been replaced. Its dating would be about 1925. Are there any stampings on the frame under the grip or on the barrel flat indicating a trip back to the factory? The factory usually stamped the SN on the barrel to match the other SNs when they replaced a barrel. Not a collector-grade revolver, but the price paid was certainly right. And it could be a very excellent shooter. Target revolvers are not that common.
Just took the grips off. On the right side of the grip frame just to the right of the main spring is a letter "B."

On the left side of the grip frame just below the main spring is "24." Just below the post (probably not the right term) is a "4."

Going to the flat of the barrel, I just noticed there is also a letter "B" then that 515454.

I'll take some additional pictures of those markings tomorrow in the sunlight.
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Old 04-09-2014, 12:27 AM
rct269 rct269 is offline
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The letter 'B' typically denotes blue finish. The '4' and '24' are likely fitter's or inspector's stamps simply noting they had done their thing during the course of manufacture.

Given the mismatched barrel and the rear sight (which came into use in 1932---possibly late 1931), your gun would appear to be a "put together" or "frankengun". A letter will speak to the primary serial number (on the frame)----shipping date/recipient/anything else of an unusual nature. It is highly unlikely a letter will disclose anything about the circumstances of the mismatched pieces----and "highly unlikely" translates to next to impossible----even if the work was done by S&W (Service Department). If you get a letter, and include the serial numbers found on the barrel (and the number likely found on the bottom of the rear sight) in your request, Jinks will sometimes identify the shipping date of the guns carrying those numbers-----which may or may not be of interest to you.

Ralph Tremaine

You note the possibility this may be a "cop gun". That is certainly possible----and a letter would indicate if it was shipped to a police department----or to an individual officer. (I have/have had several shipped to both departments and individuals.) Given that it was a police gun, that could explain the mismatched pieces. Police department armorers were not noted for assembling guns with the proper parts----more like anything that fits and works. With just a little imagination, I can weave a tale of a gun that came to have its barrel and rear sight damaged----and was put back into action with whatever fit and worked. It would take a little extra imagination to envision a target gun being used as a duty gun (unless it was owned by an individual rather than by a department), but who's to say? I wasn't there!

Actually, if you can take the time to teach it how to talk, you'll get the whole story. And after that, I would certainly appreciate learning how you managed that----I have several I'd like to talk with!

Last edited by rct269; 04-09-2014 at 12:56 AM.
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Old 04-09-2014, 08:09 AM
drobs1 drobs1 is offline
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38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question  
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I'm tempted to see where they (barrel and frame) were shipped to.
Otherwise looks like a shooter.

Thanks All.
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Old 04-09-2014, 10:35 AM
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I'm going to make a guess, being a target model, it was used in some police competitions, and the user shot handloaded target loads, and naturally got a squib load and followed it (in rapid fire) and bulged the barrel. The dept armorer got a new barrel, or took one off another gun to mount on this one.
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Old 04-09-2014, 10:49 AM
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"Serial # on underside of the barrel between the frame and lug = 515454"

does the serial number "515454" on the barrel flat have a --diamond shape-- near it?
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Old 04-09-2014, 11:32 AM
mikepriwer mikepriwer is offline
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38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question 38 spl hand ejector w/ Target Sights - date + barrel question  
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I think there is something else going on here. 437XXX should be a 1923 - 1924 gun.
The rear sight leaf, which does not look like its fits "right", is 1930 or later. My guess
is that this gun was shipped as a M&P, and later converted to target. As Ralph notes,
I was not there either, so I don't know who might have done the conversion.

Regards, Mike Priwer
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