Old revolver

tedman · #1 10-16-2018, 05:22 PM

I just bought an S&W revolver and want to find a model and manufacture year. It has a five-inch barrel which is pinned and has a fixed sight. It has four screws. There is no model number. Barrel is marked, 38 S&W Special ctg. Serial number on the butt is 557xxx. What size frame is this and where can I purchase replacement grips?

I may be pushing things here; I have another about which I would like the same information. It's a model 10-6, serial number D994xxx.

Kinman · #2 10-16-2018, 05:49 PM

Welcome to the forum, there is a fifth screw located at the lower portion of the trigger guard. I believe what you have is a 38 M&P Model of 1915-4th change. Pre-war built between 1915-1942...everything looks good to me. The real experts will weigh in shortly, nice piece.

Jtown · #3 10-16-2018, 05:54 PM

Probably made between 1923 and 1927.
Walt

jmace57 · #4 10-16-2018, 07:22 PM

These stocks are fairly often available on eBay. Do a search for vintage smith wesson grips (even though we call them stocks). If you search there for a couple of weeks, you will likely run across a pair. If not, PM me, and I likely have a spare pair. There are several versions of these with concave tops (aughts), with gold medallions (teens) and silver medallions (1930s). Yours are correct convex tops (1920s).

k22fan · #5 10-16-2018, 07:35 PM

Welcome to the forum. Since it appears to have been reblued with pits on the cylinder that were too deep to polish off and the hammer and trigger which should not have been blued were, I would buy the most comfortable modern K frame stocks for shooting or nothing at all. Correct vintage excellent condition stocks look wrong on a worn revolver. Besides, there is a good chance the stocks on it were serial numbered to the gun. The S/N would be on the back of the right stock. To match the point of impact with the point of aim I'd start with 158 grain lead bullets at standard velocity.

Muley Gil · #6 10-16-2018, 10:26 PM

"I believe what you have is a 38 M&P Model of 1915-4th change." I think member Kinman mistyped. That should be the Model of 1905, not 1915. By this point in time, IIRC, S&W was referring to these revolvers as the Military & Police model, either round butt or square butt. Yours is a square butt.