I have a Smith & Wesson Revolver Serial 814XXX Hand Ejector.5" barrel fixed sights. Need to know when it was manufactured and what model number.
Barrel marked 38S&W Special CTG

Attached are the photos from this AM. There was a plug in the grip,

Thanks.

Attached Images

	S&W.jpg (89.6 KB, 116 views)
	S&W 3.jpg (182.8 KB, 96 views)
	S&W 2.jpg (80.4 KB, 85 views)

What cartridge is it chambered in? Should say on the side of the barrel.

Pictures would help a lot too.

Welcome! Here is a link to a post with needed information:

To IDENTIFY your Gun >

However, if the quoted serial number is complete (no letter before the digits), chances are high it is a .38 Military & Police revolver in either .38 S & W or .38 Special, which will be stamped on the right barrel as noted above. If so it was made well before model numbers were invented.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

If it is what we think it likely is, check for the presence of a lanyard swivel or a plugged hole for it on the butt next to the serial number.

That would make it indeed a .38 M&P as diagnosed above, and somewhat uncommon as far as the time.

A serial in the 814-thousand range (no letter prefix) would put the gun into early fall 1941, a time when most of these were manufactured in .38 S&W with swivel for the British, and even the US version in .38 Special usually came with a swivel.

Some pictures would be interesting, including of the butt.

PS: Just saw the photo you added. The gun looks original, except the oversized stocks are not, and later.

Welcome to the Forum.

If you will, remove the grips and post a picture of the butt, please.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

varman52

Be sure to include a good pic of the left side, best if it is lying flat so we can see the entire side of the revolver. There are some things it would be helpful to see, like the end of the hammer pivot stud and the hammer itself.

Some features we can see in the single picture you posted are helpful. One line address, five screws, barrel shaped extractor rod knob, half-moon front sight, etc. I cannot get a good handle yet on what the hammer looks like because of the angle of the pic.

As noted above, the stocks are not even close to original. They appear to be of very recent origin.

As Muley Gil suggested, it would be good to see a clear photo of the butt with the stocks removed.

The finish is in awfully nice shape! That's especially true if it is, indeed, a wartime gun. I'll admit to some doubt about that. Will look for your pics in the A.M.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Had those grips originally had plastic grips. Looking for replacements grips for the time period

It would have likely had service (small) stocks, checkered walnut with small silver medallions.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Is that a "K" frame or "J" frame

It is a K Frame.

Ahh, seeing that.

It looks from those pictures like one of the guns they made right after the war, the plugged hole in the bottom was originally there for a lanyard ring, which was standard for military guns (the victory models)

The serial number actually incorporates that S, so the serial is in reality S 814XXX which puts it at very early post-war production, basically 1946.

The original grips for this gun are likely pre-war magna style, and *extremely* rare. I have never seen a set of those for sale.

I have a gun that is also an S814XXX, you can see if you compare the grips on it to a later gun that the checkering pattern is different:

Early Post-War M&P Value Question

As an aside the S in the serial indicates Safety, and was put on guns to denote an upgrade that was made to stop them from being able to discharge when dropped.

Thanks to everyone appreciate the time you took to help an old guy out. This was my dads revolver

Thanks for the additional pics. As I suspected, this is a postwar M&P. I was pretty sure there would be an S prefix to the serial number.

It is a 95% certainty that your revolver left the factory in March, 1946. I own three in the S814xxx range and all of them shipped in March, the first full month of postwar shipments. In my database is one in that range that shipped in April, but it is anomalous in several ways.

I don't think we can see the stocks well enough to tell what they are. Maybe you can post a picture that shows them completely. One thing is certain: they do not match that revolver.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Here is a comparison picture for you, showing the different checkering pattern on the postwar M&P, mentioned by SixgunStrumpet.


Both are S prefix revolvers from March and April, 1946, respectively. The upper unit has original prewar style Magna stocks. The lower unit wears original Magna stocks with the postwar checkering pattern. Both have the sharp shoulder, which lasted until late 1952.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Beautiful set

Just received and applied period correct grips. Thanks again

Attached Images

	S&W New Grips 1.jpg (89.8 KB, 13 views)
	S&W New Grips 2.jpg (93.2 KB, 8 views)