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S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961 All 5-Screw & Vintage 4-Screw SWING-OUT Cylinder REVOLVERS, and the 35 Autos and 32 Autos


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  #1  
Old 02-17-2008, 08:49 AM
Vfeldman Vfeldman is offline
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Hello again all,
I have a 5 screw, Brit proofed, lanyard wearing Smith & Wesson revolver that has "Parker-Hale .22 conversion" stamped in a milled out spot on the R/S of its 6 inch barrel. A close look shows that its cylinder & barrel is sleeved from a .38. Not sure if it started life out as a .38 spl or .38 S&W. The left side is stamped “22lr .610"” above the standard “Smith & Wesson”. In between this is stamped “BNP 8 TCNSFER”.

It has a square butt and wears diamond grips. The left grip is rounded at the bottom and appears to have been made that way (as opposed to being done after it left the factory). It gives the pinky finger a comfortable place to rest. It had fixed sights at birth but part of the conversion included notching the rear of the front sight to make it look like a target sight and milling out the top strap and mounting some primitive looking adjustable sights.

The butt serial numbers is 7345xx and the number on the yoke and frame is 68630. Anyone shed some light on the dual serial numbers?

I'm thinking it was an early model 10 (M&P ?) from 1935 - 1940.

I picked it up about 18 months ago at a local gun show for $250. I've been told it is a common gun and I paid too much but I have yet to see another like it. Either way, I think it’s a cool piece of history and I’m glad to own it.

I took some photos & will figure out how to post later on. I look forward to hear all of your opinions

Thanks
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Old 02-17-2008, 08:49 AM
Vfeldman Vfeldman is offline
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Hello again all,
I have a 5 screw, Brit proofed, lanyard wearing Smith & Wesson revolver that has "Parker-Hale .22 conversion" stamped in a milled out spot on the R/S of its 6 inch barrel. A close look shows that its cylinder & barrel is sleeved from a .38. Not sure if it started life out as a .38 spl or .38 S&W. The left side is stamped “22lr .610"” above the standard “Smith & Wesson”. In between this is stamped “BNP 8 TCNSFER”.

It has a square butt and wears diamond grips. The left grip is rounded at the bottom and appears to have been made that way (as opposed to being done after it left the factory). It gives the pinky finger a comfortable place to rest. It had fixed sights at birth but part of the conversion included notching the rear of the front sight to make it look like a target sight and milling out the top strap and mounting some primitive looking adjustable sights.

The butt serial numbers is 7345xx and the number on the yoke and frame is 68630. Anyone shed some light on the dual serial numbers?

I'm thinking it was an early model 10 (M&P ?) from 1935 - 1940.

I picked it up about 18 months ago at a local gun show for $250. I've been told it is a common gun and I paid too much but I have yet to see another like it. Either way, I think it’s a cool piece of history and I’m glad to own it.

I took some photos & will figure out how to post later on. I look forward to hear all of your opinions

Thanks
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Old 02-17-2008, 08:54 AM
Vfeldman Vfeldman is offline
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I forgot to add..I have been told it was part of the many guns sold to England before the US entered WWII and after the war, many British gun companies converted these and sold them on the US market.
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Old 02-17-2008, 10:43 AM
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Almost certainly one of the many hundreds of thousands of S&W M&Ps furnished to the Brits in .38 S&W caliber ( or .38 British or .38/200 as it's also known). Thousands were purchased by English gun companies like Parker-Hale and Gogswell & Harrison after the war as surplus and converted to sporting revolvers.

Some had target sights added. Many had their barrels shortened from the original 5" length. A lot of them were reamed for the longer but smaller in diameter .38 Special. A number were converted to .22 caliber.

I don't see much collector interest in these guns and prices don't run real high. I saw a .22 conversion and thought it would be fun to play with but to me such a gun would be worth no more than $250 and I think the owner wanted more. I have no idea how well these converted guns work and shoot.

I just noticed you said yours has a 6" barrel. I would not be surprised if some 6" M&Ps were sent to England at the start of the war as they took anything S&W had in inventory but the usual length was 5" for the Brit models. Also possible that the .22 liner extends past the original muzzle by 1"? Can you see evidence of this happening?
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Old 02-17-2008, 11:51 AM
Vfeldman Vfeldman is offline
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Measuring from the forcing cone to the end of the barrel shows 6". The liner defiantly does not extend beyond the barrel. It takes a very close look to even tell it's been sleeved (lined). I have only shot it twice and not from a good rest. At first I thought the gun was too tight. The cylinder was slow to turn. When I opened (swung out) the cylinder and spun it, it would stop with in one or two turns. Last week I got a wild hair and dug it out from the back of the safe and took it apart and cleaned all of the cosmolene from the inside of it. It looks new inside and the action is smooth as silk. I need to the range & see how it shoots. Maybe tomorrow, I need to go and try out my newly acquired K38 too!!

Any idea to its birth date? What about the numbers inside the yoke?

Thanks
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Old 02-17-2008, 09:09 PM
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The numbers on the Yoke & frame are assembly/work numbers, used to ke6p parts together before the serial numbers were stamped. the assembly/work numbers will also be on the grip frame and on the back side of the sideplate and should match if all the parts are original. I have several ads in my files from Parker-Hale & other Brit gun makers offering .22LR conversions of the Pre-Victory Model S&Ws bought by the Brits before WW2. Various techniques were used from lining cylinders & barrels to new barrels & cylinders. Sounds like your gun was one of the liners jobs. Your gun was most likely caliber .38S&W before the conversion. Ed.
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Old 02-18-2008, 08:13 AM
Vfeldman Vfeldman is offline
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Thanks Ed,

I'd sure like to see the Parker Hale ad from your files. I'm headed out to the range in a few to see how it shoots from a rest. Also gonna chack out my "new" K38 I got last Friday.

Thanks for all your input

Vic
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Old 02-18-2008, 04:36 PM
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Vic, Charlie Flick, who posts here and is our Guru on Victory Model questions, will probably see this, and he has copies of my ad info on Parker hale. He can post a copy here, as my computer smarts haven't caught up with my computer's capabilities yet. Ed.
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22lr, 610, k38, model 10, sideplate, victory, wwii

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