There is no evidence of being fired nor scratch anywhere. Serial C407494. Serial is on star extractor / right wooden grip, and bottom handle of frame. No model stamp - Very interesting piece.
Holster was a eBay find one day after the revolver was paid for.


Jesse

I wasn't aware of that model. Beautiful gun. Well done!

Jesse,
The revolver was referred to as the .22 Military & Police ("Post Office Model"). The more common barrel length was 4" with the 6 " (which the you appear to have) being much more unusual. The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson 4th Edition indicates that the revolver in 6" will bring a 25% to 50% premium. So you have a pretty valuable gun.

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Pete Janssen
SWCA #2239

It wouldn't necessarily be a USPO training gun. My understanding is that all of those were destroyed, but it is possible that a few escaped. It has been estimated that about 1500 such guns were made under government contract. However there were a few over-runs which were sold commercially (through E. E. Harris in Chicago) and a few which were used as municipal police training guns (usually Boston PD, and yours may be one of those as it has a 6" barrel and is in the same SN range). It's probably worth a letter as these .22 M&Ps in any condition are very uncommon and it is possible that no more than few hundred of them remain. And that number may be highly optimistic. There is limited and sketchy information available about these as they were never cataloged by S&W. I have one with a slightly higher SN which has the MOD. 45 stamp, but it has some finish defects on the frame.

Wow, and the condition, double wow! Thanks for sharing that one.

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Stay safe people!

Always wanted a 4" version...but will never get one.

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No life story has happy end.

A very close serial number (four digits away) was shipped to H.H. Harris in Chicago in mid-1955. That gun also had the six-inch barrel. Since your gun dates to the time before model numbers, most collectors would call it a pre-M45 -- but heater1 is correct that the company would have called it the .22 M&P

PC Magnas, I see, with the rounded lower edges to the cheek pieces. I don't know if these were the preferred variety for these non-target .22s. They were often seen on snub-nosed K-frames of the '50s and '60s.

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David Wilson

Surely is one of the oddities of the M&P line of revolvers although not often encountered you'll always seem to find one for sale somewhere at regular intervals. It is one of those sub-specialty of certain collectors and always a welcomed find.

I sold a pre-model number, NIB, to a fellow member in 2015. It was in a correct 1960s vintage, properly labeled, box as a Model 45 even though the revolver was without model number.

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ANTIQUESMITHS
LM1300 SWHF425

The 6" is very nice

I have alwyas liked the 22 M&P

I have one of the 4" guns manufactured in the 1960's. Mine was one of the engraved versions that were sold off from the Smith and Wesson Collection back in 1996(?) when Topmkins owned the company.

30+ years between the time the revolver was manufactured and the factory actually shipped it

BTW, other agencies besides the USPO purchased some of these

Wow, what a great find! Congrats on that rare Smith, and in great shape as well!

I think if you will do some checking the holster in the image is for an N frame with a 5 inch barrel. The 1917 S&W .45 acp was one of the revolvers issued to USPO employees in late ,40s early ,,50s.
My Father was a rural mail carrier and was issued one with that exact style of holster..

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LEX ET ORDO

The holster was just an impulse buy just to tag along with this "post office" revolver. Here is a 1931 6" outdoorsman with it for representation. The Model 45 is Mint and is already stored to minimize handling.

Thanks everyone for checking it out.
Jesse

Wasn’t there also a limited run reported (rumored) to have been made for the Coast Guard as well? I seem to recall hearing about such a thing and that they would have had 6” barrels, but I can’t remember where I would have heard it...

Beuller? Beuller?

Green frog the USCG guns are actually listed as K-22 models with special order fixed sights, which would be essentially the same gun I imagine.

Any idea of time frame or SN range? Were they specially marked? Guess I’ll have to haul out my SCSW4!

Froggie

Many of the .22 M&P revolvers were also sold through the Charles Greenblatt Co. in New York City.
They even ran a special deal on them of a 4" and a 6" set with consecutive numbers.
Of course being 'stupid' as were most of us back in day we never kept any of these, but sold them as well as w could. ( Very few people wanted a .22 that didn't have the target sights).