982839 is likely to have shipped around May 1942, and was likely to have been a Defense Services Corporation (DSC) revolver, or much less likely, one shipped to the U.S. Maritime Commission (Merchant Marine). DSC was a government agency which handled distribution of handguns to essential civilian agencies during WWII, such as police, defense plant guards, etc. At that time, an ordinary citizen could not walk into a gun store and buy a new gun. That "3" stamped on the butt was probably an inventory or rack number for some civilian organization, such as a police department or defense plant contractor.