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Old 08-31-2010, 08:15 PM
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Goony Goony is offline
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Default Not State Police issue, but....

Here's an older one of this genre that I recently came across, a Military & Police .38 Special Model of 1905 4th Change, which from the serial number I estimate was made around 1928. Bore excellent, action smooth, lockup acceptably tight, although you can induce it to occasionally be that slight tick away from doing so if you repeatedly cock it very slowly.

It didn't have any stocks on it at all, the correct ones for that era being the no medallion type. However, it was evident from a faint demarcation line on the frame & also from the fact that the rearmost sideplate screw had been replaced with the flathead type, that at some point this revolver had been switched over to magna style stocks. All the stocks I had were way too good for this rough a gun, so an acquaintance brought me some nasty stocks (I wouldn't dignify them by calling them pairs) so I was able to select a left & a right that matched well enough, & are about the appropriate condition. Had to make the bottom locator hole on each just a bit oblong to get them to mount flush, & found a slightly boogered up screw to affix them with.

The large top sideplate screw was missing also, but I found one of those among my parts as well, looks to be from a Victory, but it fits & looks fine. The other absent component is the hammer nose, so it can't go bang just yet, but I've ordered up the parts to remedy that.

So why bother with this beater? Because on the backstrap it's marked "Atlanta Police Dept. No. 2xx" so it has more historical value than is typical, & of course, that service provides an excuse for its very used condition, as well as for the conversion to the later style stocks. I'm told that the previous owner had checked with S&W and was assured that if a letter was ordered, it would show that this revolver was in fact shipped directly to APD.
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File Type: jpg APD 2xx.jpg (48.3 KB, 118 views)
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