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Hard for me to say judging by these pics, but the frame markings do look crisp, and I don't see any dished screw holes... I take it there are no refinish stamps on the gun?

Larry

Looks legit to me. But then again I am not an expert in such things.

All looks good and original to me.

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There are no marking indicating return to s&w that I see. Someone used an electric pencil? to write a FS-1073 on the grip frame under the grips

The wear on the grips just does not seem to match the wear on the rest of the gun at least to my eyes. But I am far from being an expert. Opinions appreciated

Thanks

Mike

Responses are very fast!
Or I am very slow on the computer

And my apologies for the pictures. I am having to use my cell phone

Thanks

I'm resisting the temptation to write that it absolutely is not a refinished revolver.

Feel all the corners and compare them to your S&Ws that you know have original finish. Also look under the left grip for factory refinish and or rework date stamps. The factory can, or at least used to be able to duplicate their own finish on a revolver that had minimal wear before being reblued. With that disclaimer I'll write it was not refinished.

Edit to add: Now I see there are no factory refinish stamps. I'll also add consider that a refinish is much easier to spot on the brushed finish S&W revolvers that were made during roughly the first 10 years after WWII. Preparation before rebluing polishes them closer to a bright blue and usually unevenly. That can be reduced by making it clear to the refinisher you want a restoration rather than a just reblue.

When a gun is not carried in a holster, but shot some, the blue finish can hold up amazingly well. The turn line and finish wear on the ejector rod and thumb piece indicate some use, so a little finish loss on the grip varnish looks to fit in well. Just my opinion, of course.

Larry

I have to agree that it doesn't appear to be refinished.

Thanks very much for the comments so far. The edges do feel sharp. I just wanted some expert opinions...

And my apologies to mods. I may be in the wrong section. Please move if necessary

I'm going to be the odd man here & say yes, it appears to have been refinished, and a excellent job too...

My reason why is because when metal is stamped, it gets pushed around, not cut so when a serial number for example is stamped there should be a slight ridge around the stamping, a slight buildup of metal around the numbers or letters. When a pistol gets refinished that ridge or slight buildup of metal gets removed.... I dont see that on this pistol anywhere... At least from what I can see in the pics. it is smooth inside & out, pristine..

My .02 cents is that it is probably original.

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USAF AMMO

Regarding CaptRon956's "odd man here" post, S&W did stamp their revolvers after they were polished so the edges of stampings should feel sharp. I think the O.P. has to test that with his fingers. You've got better eyes than me if you can see the effects of polishing on this revolver's stamps.

First thought is the stock wear does not match the overall condition of the gun.



Made in USA is not polished down. Letters appear raised which is good.

Hammer and trigger are still case hardened.

Edges all appear sharp so perhaps it is a most well done refinish most notably because the stock wear shows a lot of handling.

BLM

Never mind about the extra groove I just had the picture too big.

The complete lack of muzzle wear plus the color seems to be light blue.

Can you post a partial serial so we can determine the DOM?

EX: K 1234XX

BLM

s 86686






Serial is:
s 86676

Thanks Bruce
I have to agree
The dings and dents in the stock just don't seem to go along with the rest of the guns finish

Is that the number from the butt or from the inside of the crane?

Need the one from the bottom of the handle. Either a number or a number proceeded by a C or S.

Is that all the digits? Need six to be an serial S86676X If it is an S it is 1945-48 production.

BLM

I'm still learning. Oh boy it is a N frame not a K frame DOH!

Looks to be an original finish 1952 5" .38/44 Heavy Duty to me. Wood is softer than steel (and oil than bluing), so the stocks just picked up a few dings along the way.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

s 86676

From the bottom of the grip frame area

Serial Number.JPG

No expert buy any means but just made the mistake of buying a refinished M+P 5" with poor pictures that I questioned the finish on and got no response. MY BAD on that count. I put it up on the this site for post analysis/opinion and got a good lesson in what to look for as you are. The one thing that grabs my attention on yours not being a refinish is how high and pronounced the pins stand and the crisp lettering although mine to had the patent lettering on the top of the barrel which were as crisp as could be which is still a mystery to me how a gun could be refinished but retain those small letters. Bottom line for me is to never but another M+P online or get a 3 day inspection which in my case would still cost me the shipping coming and going. Perhaps a reputable seller with the knowledge would give you something in writing to the effect that the gun is of the original finish in the event you receive it and it is otherwise. Good Luck, I find these old M+P's very intriguing but not necessarily a good thing to pursue online which in my case is almost my only option. I would be willing to go to a gun show that specializes in guns from the first half of the 20 th century if I could find one or even a good site online where sellers stand behind their word unlike a high percentage of sellers on GB, then again that might open a whole new can of worms.
For $350 I got a cheap lesson and a very nice shooter. The 3rd photo of the poor prep work being all the scratches would have changed my mind about buying this if the photos I bought it based on had been better. This is usually what I experience when I go against my better intuition which was out to lunch when I bid on this SWEET SHOOTER. I have to keep reminding myself, at least the mechanics were good, Take Care

Attached Images

	S & W M+P .38 5 inch Pre M10 004.jpg (52.7 KB, 58 views)
	S & W M+P .38 5 inch Pre M10 007.jpg (78.4 KB, 66 views)
	S & W M+P .38 5 inch Pre M10 013.jpg (82.7 KB, 78 views)
	S & W M+P .38 5 inch Pre M10 010.jpg (58.1 KB, 57 views)
	S & W M+P .38 5 inch Pre M10 017.jpg (44.6 KB, 55 views)

I didn't even think of that possibility. Not one complete picture of the gun.

I thought it was a post war M & P Pre-Model 10.

Never know what might turn up so I can learn new things about old S&W's.

BLM

So it appears to be a .38/44 Heavy duty model of 1950.

Sorry for my confusion as I did not see it as an N-frame.


It should be a very nice shooter.

BLM

I knew I left something out
38/44 HD 5" barrel

I bought it on GB a couple years ago
I think I paid $525 or $575. Don't recall exactly. Plus shipping
I originally thought for sure it had been reblued so I was annoyed at myself for taking the chance on GB

Anyhow
Thanks for the observations and comments

Agree with the grips wearing faster than the finish. Maybe whoever owned and shot it wore a finger ring or two. Maybe they are not the original grips? Someone may have tossed the originals and put targets on it, the seller replacing the magnas when they decided to sell it? Anyway you slice it, a nice HD for the money.

Larry

Appreciate the comments
FWIW the grips do number to the gun

From the late 1970s well into the 1990s I routinely bought excellent condition targets for $5 to $15 for gun show souvenirs. Magnas were less expensive and at some shows substituted as souvenirs. The majority of the revolvers that I shot a lot did not wear their original grips during most of the time they were used. I did not discard the originals but they had very little value so it was not important if they were borrowed for use on other guns. Consequently I don't see stocks with more or less wear than the bl uing as a reliable indicator of whether or not the gun was reblued.

With 20/20 hind si ght it would have been better to remove and preserve all the original stocks but it would have made even better financial sense to spend more on acreage and less on gun ac cessories.

Yup, I say it's a very well done refinishing job.... A pistol that has been refinished, the stampings will be nice & sharp, again when a serial number is stamped, it is being punched into the metal and metal is displaced, it will create a slight bulge of raised metal around the numbers. when a pistol is refinished that bulge is removed... I dont see any of that in the pics.... I'm no expert but I've been around a lot of guns over the yrs and that is my educated guess.... I might be totally wrong here though...

I'll third that.

A guy at a show once tried to tell me the barrel of a savage 99 was not original because the finish looked so much better than the receiver & lever. The reason (which I think he damn well knew but was trying to bring me down) is the round-bottomed receiver was where the 99 was designed to be carried and naturally had more blue wear. The levers were case hardened.

I'm entering this game late and even with the advantage of reviewing the previous comments I end up torn between refinished or not. If I look at just the gun and not the grips I judge the finish most likely original but it could be an excellent refinish. When I consider the grips I start to doubt myself because they seem disproportionally worn. For the price you paid you shouldn't be overly annoyed at yourself.

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Scoundrel & Ne'er-Do-Well

Clearly a re-blue; not a gun any serious S&W fan would want to own. Don't want you to feel bad about the purchase though so will give you your purchase price back and pay shipping to my FFL if you want to offload it. Maybe I can trade it for a nice Taurus or Rossi.

Jeff
SWCA #1457