Gentlemen:

I was cleaning this one today and it ended up looking so nice and shiny that I decided to take a couple of quick pics of it. The light was right.

Although I am mostly a Victory collector, I bought this gun years ago because, as a left over Victory frame, it had some Victory features. It also attracted me as a fairly scarce, early post-war factory nickel gun. The great bulk of the early (1946-47) long action guns were blued.



It is a five inch .38 Special with serial S815204. It has the N-mark in all of the usual places indicating factory nickel finish. It also has the small "s" mark on the side plate which was originally intended on Victories to show that the revolver had the improved safety hammer block.

The butt shows the plugged lanyard ring hole, another feature of a left over Victory frame.



The factory letter on it shows that it shipped as a factory nickel gun on March 27, 1946. It went to House - Hasson Hardware Company in Knoxville, Tennessee as 1 of 12 units in the shipment in the same configuration. The Invoice that accompanied the Letter indicated that all in the shipment had Magna stocks.



The right side. It is not a mint gun but I thought it looked fairly presentable after its cleaning today.



There were a relative handful of factory nickel SV-prefix guns that shipped post-war. I show 4 in the SV-811000 range in the Victory Model Database.
I would love to find one of those.

This one is the lowest serial numbered S-prefix M+P with factory nickel that I am aware of. Of course, there were 11 other nickel guns in the same shipment, too, so there is a very good chance that there are some lower numbers. Has anyone seen a lower serialed S-prefix gun in nickel? I am sure that Jack has the answer on that one.

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Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215

Charlie, i'll take it. PM on the way. Oh, I mean I like it a lot. that for sure is a "rare" or "scarce" gun depending on your definition. thanks for sharing that. now I have to go to Knoxville and scour the pawn shops. makes you wonder if it was an order for a LE dept. it's remaining finish does not indicate it was carried much if any. lee

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VFW, NRA, VVA, S&WCA 1758

It's beautiful. Could it have been ordered for local cop shop? Although it remains too nice to have been a duty gun.

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No life story has happy end.

I also have one of those made a little later.

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Hi Charlie
That is an extremely nice looking revolver. Thanks for sharing.

I actually list 6 in that range that are all 5" nickel guns. Most of them shipped in March, 1946, possibly all (I haven't got ship dates on a couple of them).

The closest one in my database is S815202, only two digits off from yours. The highest one in the group is S815313.

Here is one odd thing: All of them but yours and one other shipped wearing Magna stocks with the prewar checking style. Yours has the postwar style and the other odd one out is unknown because when it was located, it was wearing stocks from the 1930s.

Another interesting factoid: I have a 5" example in my collection that carries a serial number only 142 numbers lower than yours, but it was a blued gun. It also shipped in March, 1946, and wears its original Magnas with the prewar style checking.

As for earlier M&Ps with the nickel finish, I don't find any simple S prefix guns with that finish. You have to go back to the SV811xxx range to find any. I do show a batch of those, all with 4" barrels. Those with their original stocks when found had the prewar style checking. Several had replacement stocks, so it is impossible to tell what the originals were, but my experience would say it is likely they were of the prewar style.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Good eye, Jack! The stocks on my revolver are not original to the gun. Although they fit very well, they are not serial number matching so your thought that these early guns all had pre-war style Magnas is probably correct. I wonder when the factory finally ran out of those pre-war Magnas?

Thanks for all the nice comments. It had not been out of the safe for a long time. I am pleased to have been able to share it with everyone.

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Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215

Very good vintage: 2 months and 2 days older than me. Wish my finish were as nice!

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Randy
Provenance nerd

Pretty quickly. I've not found any that shipped after April, 1946. The highest serial number I've identified is S818072. But by that high, they are mostly the postwar style, with a few of the earlier type sprinkled in. By S816xxx they are pretty much gone.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Totally agree, except it is 2 months and 25 days younger than me.😄

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Terry Lester

Very nice gun! I love it! As an aside I wonder if it shipped in a maroon or gold box? Reason I ask is because I just recieved a gold box for a nickel 4 inch M&P with early C prefix that I scoured the internet for a very long time to find it. Most gold boxes have blue finish with 4,5 or 6 inch barrel lengths on end. The one I have is the only gold box for a M&P in nickel I have ever seen. Of course if yours had shipped in a maroon box the finish is not listed on those making it an easier find unless you have the original box?? I have a M&P in very end of S prefix in its original gold box its S 999949 but that is a ways from your serial.

That's a dandy, Charlie. I've only seen one other S prefix in nickel and it was a short action near the end of the line.

As being a 4" 38spl Victory collector myself I would love to find a 4" post-war factory nickel example having the subtle Victory "characteristics"......especially the filled in lanyard ring hole.

Heck, I would settle for a lowly excellent condition blued example, but a factory nickel immediate post war would be icing on the cake!

Dale

Dale

I have a few that would answer to that description. Unfortunately, I'm not ready to unload any of them at this stage. You might make yourself a note to reach out to me in a year or two. Situation might be different then; especially since I hope to have my research project on these revolvers behind me by a year from now. Maybe sooner!

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Just lemme know and I may even sweeten the pot with some pepper spray and bear bells!

Dale

I wonder if that nickle MP might of had magnas like the ones pictured below?

I have a set of grips that seems to be a combo of pre and post war styles. It has the post war checking border but a much finer checking.One is actually thinner than the other. The backs have the prewar dishes.

I am not seeing this type grip on the first pre 17s so I always assumed this set was likely on an early MP.

Shame someone blocked out the numbers. It appears it was a six digit number originally.

I haven’t pulled it out of the safe in a couple of years but best I can remember, mine is a 1946 in nickel. I remember it has a S in the serial number but I don’t think it has a V.
I need to dig it out and take a closer look.

Well, I would say they are simply the early iteration of the postwar style Magna stocks. The checking border is clearly the postwar style. As for the washers, we see two variations of these on the early postwar Magna stock. Some are blued like these. Others are in the white (some claim they are nickel plated).

The blued type show up as early as SV7698xx. The highest numbers recorded are in the S820000 range. Those guns were shipping in April, 1946.

The white washers show up around SV811900. These disappear around S818000. Again, we are talking about April, 1946, shipments on the high end, as with the blued type.

Basically, it seems the two types of washers were being used at the same time. But broken down by serial number, one type dominates for a range, and then another takes over, and vice versa. It may have had to do with the bin a particular fitter was working out of. Who knows?


The first production run of the postwar K-22 Masterpiece did not begin until the final week of December, 1946, and continued into January of the next year. By that time, the supply of this style of washers was all used up.

Here's a pic of the white washers. These are on a prewar style set of Magna stocks that shipped on an S prefix M&P and left the factory in March, 1946.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Love these things, and great thread. Here's my birth year 1947 ( S 872388 ). Note last year of the knurled "knob" at the end of the extractor rod.

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John

Hey John! Did you get an actual ship date on it yet? I have the gun in my database, but not the ship date.

BTW those stocks look better than the pair that were on it when I saw it last. Nice job!

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Hi JP@AK. Thanks for your assistance back when I first purchased this revolver. I have never received an actual ship date, but would like to know. Do I need to request a letter ??

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John

Hi, I just found this thread while doing some research on my pistol and I am a new member. Seems I've come to the right place. Here are some pictures of my pistol. Serial Number…..S 817129

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Hi and welcome to the Forum.

I actually have that serial number in my database, but I'm not at all sure it is the same gun. Have you had it for long? Perhaps I mistyped the serial number previously. The recorded unit was blued, had its original stocks and the original maroon box.

I can tell you a bit about your revolver, but I'd like to clear up the confusion first.

Thanks.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Yes…I've owned it for many years. My grandpa bought the gun over 60 years ago. As far as I can tell this gun has never been refinished.

Okay, thanks.

Your revolver probably left the factory in March or April, 1946. I happen to own one with a number that is slightly less than 300 digits lower than yours. It shipped in March, 1946. Others with nearby serial numbers shipped in those two months.

The pearl stocks are definitely not factory. The nickel finish might be. I see nothing in your pictures that indicates a refinish, but there are not enough pictures nor is the quality sufficient to determine the state of the nickel or its originality. It is interesting, however, that I find no nickel guns in the S816xxx or S817xxx serial range. There are known runs in S815 and S819. That proves nothing but it is noteworthy.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Many thanks Jack for the information. I am certain the nickel finish is original. The pearl grips have been on the pistol ever since my Grandpa bought it….As I suspected they are after market grips….but they're very old…the genuine mother of pearl shows the age.

Found this link about Al Capone's .38. I notice it has the same pearl handles.

http://https://themobmuseum.org/blog...un-mob-museum/

It appears to be a definite refinish to me. The rounded edges on the bottom strap (where the serial number is) and the washed out logo make it an almost certainty.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett