Good Morning All,

New to forum; been a member over at pistol-forum for some time and was pointed in this direction for assistance in IDing a hand me down from my Grandfather. I tried to search through the vast info, but could not nail it down exactly. Thank you all for any info.

Info:
Hand Ejector
S# 166276
.38 S&W Special CTG
3"-ish barrel
Hand Ejector fixed sights
Strain Screw present

Barrel inscription: (I will type this out as its hard to get a good image of it)
Final Date shows: SEP14.09 with Crosses

HELLO MATSBY, FIRST OFF GREAT INFO AND EVEN BETTER, GREAT PICS.
Appears to be an early M&P, Mod. of 1905, 3RD change. 1909-1915.
Blue, round butt, 4". Nice gun. No hot ammo at all. Best

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

Others will be along with better information, but according to the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson, I believe you have a .38 Military and Police Model of 1905 -3rd Change. Most of this you know from the excellent information you posted. Barrel length should be measured from the front of the cylinder to the end of the barrel. It's probably 4" because these were available only in 4" and 6". Your serial number falls in the range of 1909-1915, 146900-241703. 94,803 were manufactured between those dates.

Based on the pictures, your revolver is in very good shape for being 100 years old. It's a wonderful family heirloom and a great reminder of your grandfather. In that regard, it's priceless. For insurance purposes, I'd guess the value is around $500, but again others with a better feel for market may correct my guess.

Does his serial number fall in the range of the 1st Change or am I reading the catalog incorrectly?

No, you were correct. I saw 116XXX. You are correct.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

I believe those are kind of scarce with a blue finish. I know from first hand they are fantastic shooters.

Just FYI, the barrel is measured from the muzzle to the front of the cylinder. I'm sure your gun is a 4", AND, WELCOME to the S&W Forum. Stick around, an enjoyable and educational time can be had here.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

166276 would probably have shipped 1911-12. It would be a third change. With the round butt, and at that time, S&W would have called it a Model of 1902.

Thank you all for the information; very helpful. I knew I wasnt measuring that barrel correctly, ha! My Grandfather also passed me down a pristine WW2 era Colt 1911, a 1903 Hammerless and a Detective Special...so unfortunately this S&W is headed to the gun store. I am in need for a modern M&P. This will help though when they offer me 150.00 or something. Thank you again - I will surely stick around.

Side question - Are the maltese crosses just indicative of m&p?

You might expect an offer of $150 from a gun shop. I'd say $500 is optimistic. A private sale would net you quite a bit more if you can do that, I'd think it would move quickly at around $350- $400. If pre-WWII, your DS could be very desirable.

Well, if I can get some post count up, ill put it up in the FS thread...not sure how that works, ill go read the R&R. Will come with some nice leather. Thanks again for the info all.

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Hello Matsby, your gun and your decision, dont sell Grandpas gun.
A lot of us here on the Forum have hand me down guns from family. They mean a lot more than cash. I still have all of my Dads guns that we use to shoot together. Even a few of his Dads. Your gun, do as you wish.
That 1902 is a nice little example. Best, Mike

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

Actually, according to the S&W catalog of the day, these revolvers were referred to as the .38 Military Model 1902 and the .38 Military Model 1905. According to the actual verbiage, "These models are identical except in the shape of the handle."

In the catalog, the 1902 is a round butt and the 1905 is a square butt.

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James Redfield
LM #497

"Side question - Are the maltese crosses just indicative of m&p?"

It's not actually a Maltese Cross. Some call than "Dingbats" but there is probably a more precise name. They were placed at the beginning and end of barrel stamp dies, thought to assist in getting uniform depth of stamping from the roll die. Not specific to the K-frames.

Hey Matsby, still a great bunch of pics. And a neat gun and holster. Best.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

I'll join the others in recommending against selling it to any commercial venture like a gun store or pawnshop. You will not get an offer anywhere near a realistic market value, the only advantage is convenience.

Were I to sell that particular revolver, based on your photos, it would go on auction at Gunbroker (very easy to operate even for novice sellers) for probably a "psychological" minimum bid like $299.95 or 349.95. Take some good, well-lighted photos (avoid a white or too dark background) and it will sell for that eventually, and may well draw a few higher bids.