Another St. Louis Police Dept .38 M&P 4th Change

EarlB · #1 03-28-2019, 08:59 PM

I stopped in to Cabelas last night and this old M&P caught my eye. Normally it probably wouldn't as I'm more a N frame person than K but something made me ask the guy in the gunroom to take it out of the case. As I handled it, I saw the Saint Louis PD markings on the backstrap.

I took the "Cabelas Gamble" - that it would have good lockup and timing, etc. purchased it and got it home to find that indeed it is smooth as butter with no push off, great lockup and perfect timing (and a really nice trigger). Better yet no return markings on the grip frame and matching service stocks to boot.

It is S#532116, blued with a 5" barrel and according to Mr. Jinks shipped in October 1927 and is a "neat police revolver" so it will be in the next letter request. It's all matching and in pretty darn good condition for a revolver getting near the century mark. No factory return markings, appears to be original finish with typical holster and police wear - but not bad. It would have been there throughout the depression, prohibition, and gangster eras. I am really growing to love the lawmen revolvers, the stories they could tell. This one has an excellent bore still.

Using the search feature I've seen a few of these on the board reported in the past. Many numbered earlier than this one have an issue number on the backstrap along with the PD markings. It seems somewhere before or around the time this one was made they dropped the issue number and just had the PD markings as I saw at least one reported after this one that also has no rack/issue number stamped.

Earl

shouldazagged · #2 03-28-2019, 10:05 PM

I love it. Very nice find.

Bob L · #3 03-28-2019, 10:08 PM

Great find Earl! I love it. Sweet little revolver and I bet it has some amazing history. So are you going to shoot it?

Absalom · #4 03-28-2019, 10:12 PM

Great find. Compared to other St. Louis guns I’ve seen, this one looks to be in very nice condition.

EarlB · #5 03-28-2019, 10:24 PM

Yeah I'll put some low power cowboy loads thru it. Earl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob L

Great find Earl! I love it. Sweet little revolver and I bet it has some amazing history. So are you going to shoot it?

Targets Guy · #6 03-28-2019, 10:54 PM

Beautiful revolver. Nice get.

Waveski · #7 03-29-2019, 07:37 AM

EarlB,

Given my personal taste that revolver is extremely attractive-
The finish fades from deep blue to slight patina , the case hardening colors are vibrant - especially on the hammer , and the stocks - condition and wood characteristics - are beautiful.

Throw in the backstrap markings and you have a real winner. Congratulations.

rct269 · #8 03-29-2019, 09:10 AM

Having been a collector of target guns, I wouldn't have given this one a second glance at the store-------------but I read the opening post---and saw the first photo----and said, "WOW!!".

And that says it all.

Ralph Tremaine

les.b · #9 03-29-2019, 09:35 AM

That's why, despite my distaste for what is happening at Cabela's, that I keep stopping by.... because of their size, they still end up with some very nice revolvers that we might not find otherwise.

Great gun, Earl, thanks for sharing with us.

Best Regards, Les

two-bit cowboy · #10 03-29-2019, 10:03 AM

Terrific police find!

Enjoy shooting that one.

RKmesa · #11 03-29-2019, 10:52 AM

Great gun and photos!!! It is a heck of lot nicer than my PDSL M&P (SN 540203) which has an earlier set of grips, a bent hammer (I don't know if that was intentional or someone dropped it) and a "what the heck happened to the front sight" front sight

...

Thanks for sharing,

Waveski · #12 03-29-2019, 02:16 PM

Yeah , but you still have that beautifully executed back strap I.D.
To stretch a metaphor - I would not kick that one out of bed for eating crackers!

EarlB · #13 03-29-2019, 03:19 PM

I love yours too RKMesa...I think it was intentional on the hammer, perhaps whomever did it liked the humped back hammers of the time and they were trying to duplicate that look?

dcopper · #14 03-29-2019, 05:42 PM

Beautiful piece of LEO and S&W History! Great snag!

Benton Quest · #15 03-29-2019, 10:38 PM

I have St.L #29. Probably, from around 1922. LOTS of honest wear, but it roared through the twenties...

Odd given the condition of most of these revolvers, as St Louis used the horrible flap holsters.

Real history there....

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

FifthWheel · #16 03-30-2019, 04:01 AM

Beautiful, looks like it was taken care of. Congrats.

usmc2427765 · #17 03-30-2019, 11:36 AM

Very nice LEO gun find.

cruzans · #18 05-21-2020, 01:19 PM

Just picked this one up. Looks to have been converted at some point to target sights and it has a great trigger job on it. Grips changed too....