First things first. I am not offended by any honest opinions, in fact I welcome them. The purpose of this forum is to educate, and the experts here know a boat load more about the subject matter then I do. I value ALL input. Secondly, it may or may not have been referred to as a chopped gun. No big deal, but it appears this is a factory correct 1 1/2 inch SH. Detailed photos were sent to Roy Jinks and his response in a phone conversation was "although the factory letter was not definitive, I have no reason to believe this isn't a authentic gun". The chopped SH in the thread was my 2nd Model .38, not the re-finished 4th Model. FWIW.