I found a 5-screw snub nose S&W on-line at a local Pawn Shop for $419. I don't think the person I spoke to was real familiar with guns but he said there wasn't any model number on the frame inside the yoke.

The serial number on the butt is 59325 and he found various other numbers, i.e., 984134, 9478, 963929, 8478 inside and outside the cylinder area.

Since I'm no expert on old S&Ws I thought I'd ask the one's who are. It's on a one-day hold for me so I have until tomorrow (12/21) to decide if it's a good buy. I love J-frames & own a few but this one appears to be in good shape & $400 doesn't sound like a lot of money for it.

I appreciate your expertise - thanks.

Attached Images

S & W Snub.jpg (36.7 KB, 322 views)

This is likely a .38/200 (.38 S & W) British Service Revolver that has had its barrel shortened from 5 to about 2.5", and it may have been altered to fire .38 Special by boring out the charge holes longer. These were re-imported after WW II in the hundreds of thousands and modified to be more salable here.

The serial number (from the bottom of the grip frame, most likely 984134) puts it from early 1942. If so, as modified it is a $200-250 gun at best.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Run the other way....

Hold out for either a model 10 or J frame

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The American dream is alive

Thanks, and that's why I asked knowledgeable folks like you about these things. You know the saying, "If it looks to good to be true....." I'll go look at it but with a more educated eye.

Pawn Shops in my area ask atrocious prices for their firearms and I can usually buy one on-line for less. I use Tigard Pawn as my FFL (shameless plug) because he only charges $25 & that includes the $10 State Police fee. Add'l guns at the same time are $15 each. They call within an hour of the gun arriving and between myself & my brother-in-law we've purchased over a dozen guns thru him just this year. But his prices on guns are still too high.

Yup & thanks. Previous answer pretty well assured that.

Cabela's just opened a new store about a mile from me & I bought a minty 1982 2" Mdl 34 RB for $520. They had a mint SB as well for only a few dollars more & I should have bought both of them but I told myself on Nov.1st I wasn't going to buy any guns that month but I ended up with four new items for the safe. I opened a Cabela's Visa card & got a $50 credit so that was a plus. I PROMISE not to buy any this month - probably. I've bought 22 guns in the last 18 mo. so maybe I should slow down & complete some projects before I go looking again. Naw......!

22 in 18 months? That is not even 3 every 2 months! You have some serious catching up to do .

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

That looks real familiar. Read this article before you go look at that gun. That's way out of sight for the gun you are looking at.

Bad Guns: The Chopped S&W Model K-200 | Training for Life LLC's Official Weblog

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Eccentric old coot

Thanks. I've learned a lot today and it was all good.

I may have found an alternative to the thrill of hunting for myself. My cousin is relatively well off but owns a company that keeps him so busy he doesn't have time to look for what he wants. He gives me a list, I find them & tell him what they'll cost & he usually buys them. He's not REAL rich but he did just sell one of his two Piper Cubs to a guy in Quatar. He's down to a Piper & a Cessna - poor guy. I get the thrill of the hunt and he foots the bill - not a bad deal for me.

We're talking about setting up an NFA Trust & building a bunch of Form 1 stuff because he owns a multi-million dollar machine shop and sometimes a machine is idle. I'm a retired mechanical engineer and extremely bored so it's probably a good fit.

I read the article & looked at the gun yesterday. It was a twin to the one pictured in the article & while it looked sort of neat I certainly didn't buy it. I told the nice woman at the pawn shop a little about the history & suggested that she put a note on it informing a future buyer to NEVER fire +P loads in it. I also told her it was worth $250 max as a collector's item but I doubt they dropped the price.

Good education for me - thanks!