I just acquired another Smith & Wesson revolver. I think I have a problem, this makes the 3rd older Smith & Wesson revolver in as many weeks. It has "38 S&W CTG" on the right side of the barrel. Is 38 S&W the only ammo to shoot in this gun? Does anyone have any info on the markings on this gun? I see someone punched out the "USA" in the made in USA. On the cover plate there is a stamping that has been ground off which I believe to say Australia. The gun did not have the original grips or the lanyard ring. It is a 5 inch barrel. It does not appear to me to have been refinished. The gun works it is on the loose side though. What would this gun be worth? The serial number is V 311271

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Yes, unless the charge holes have been altered for the (longer) .38 Special, .38 S & W is proper. You can find it online for about $20 per 50.

A fair number of these were sent to Australia and had rework stamps on the right frame from the mid-1950s. Enjoy!

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Check out the Victory thread on this forum. All of your questions will be answered.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

In this condition it is unlikely to be worth much, maybe in the 200 to 300 range.

It has a complete set of re-work stamps from the Lithgow factory in Australia on the right frame; it was done in 1955. Peening out the USA and then stamping it again is weird, but I've seen it before; I'm not sure whether Lithgow did that. See picture below for the standard look of the stamping.

Your gun is also unusual in that the Lithgow re-work usually included a parkerizing-type refinish, while yours looks like the original S&W phosphate finish.

PS: Most Australian service revolvers were not converted to .38 Special after the war, but better to check it out by trying to insert a live round of .38 Special; if it goes all the way in, the chambers have been bored out.

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A 38 special round will chamber all the way. Is it safe to shoot a 38 special in it? I have read that the 38 S&W bullet is .361. I really appreciate any information.

Yes. Stick to standard practice loads. The cases will bulge slightly since the original .38 S&W's case diameter is slightly larger; cases might even split. That's not a safety issue, though, as the frame and cylinder were designed for .38 Special pressures and are way overbuilt for .38 S&W. It's only annoying if you plan to reload the cases.

Don't worry about the differences in bullet diameters for .38 Special and .38 S&W. .357 bullets usually shoot OK.