Hi I recently came into possession of a nice S&W .38s CTG. I was wondering if I could get some more information about it, such as the Year,? Model,? & If it is worth anything. My grand father passed it down to me where he got it I have no clue but do have plenty of info for y'all to help me with.
On the Butt under the barrel and on the chamber #996142 & on the Yoke #Ac40601. Thank you for taking the time to help me out everything looks to be original. Nothing had been replaced. Photos have been posted.

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Nice looking piece. It appears to be a .38 M&P pre-Victory model that most likely shipped in May/Jun time frame of 1942. Value is probably in the $500 to $650 price range as long as in original finish/condition. Are there any other markings on it and does it have a lanyard ring?

Welcome to the Forum.

Sometimes folks removed the lanyard loop, leaving a hole in the butt. Other times, the loop is sawed off and left flush or the hole was plugged.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Welcome. With the flash of the camera, it is difficult to see what type of finish you have? Is it nickel, some type of other coating, or bare metal? The reason I ask about the finish is because it has a very dull matte looking finish in the pictures, which would not likely be original to the gun. Also, could you show a detailed photo of the wood stocks? Again, they do not look quite right and the screw hole looks odd.

These issues greatly affect value and it is hard to come up with an accurate number not knowing the originality of the revolver. It is not uncommon to lose half the value of a collector piece with replaced parts or a refinish. Still, it is a gun that appears in good condition and many of these are quite beat up after coming back from the war. Very sharp edges, case coloring on the hammer, stampings are in excellent condition, clearly shows a well cared for firearm. Yours might have served in the US and not gone overseas??

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Gary
SWCA 2515

I agree with Gary; looking at the contrast between the overall finish and the ejector rod (see enlarged snip), I feel pretty certain that this is not the gun's original utility finish, which should be non-shiny, but a more uniform greyish-black tone.

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I noticed what looked like a blue thumb release & screw and ejector rod also?? Wonder why the person who refinished the gun left these parts blue?? Maybe they were replaced parts from a later date than the gun refinish?? The thing that confuses me are the pristine stocks and the perfect case coloring on the hammer. Why would the metal have ever needed refinishing??

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Gary
SWCA 2515

I just bid on a very close s/n (995141) that was a 5" and so have been doing some s/n shipping dates research.

s/n 962383 (a BSR .38/200) shipped in Apr 1942
s/n 927625 (a blue 4" barrel Model of 1905 - 4th change) shipped Apr 42

That would be my guess for yours.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Oh and welcome to the forum.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

The rod, hammer, and trigger weren't phosphated on the factory-original finish either, so conservative refinishers generally leave those alone; see the attached close-up from the best-known "official" refinish, the Australian FTR.

Why a gun with such pristine parts would get a refinish is a good question. It does raise the question of their originality.

To the OP:
Have you taken the grips off the gun and noticed a serial number stamped into the back of the right panel? It should match the others, or the stocks are not original to this gun.

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