M2, I hope it's still there for you. With your clarification, it falls late into the SN range for the 991 guns Hondo44 mentioned in the other thread. The SCSW4th says fewer than 1000 were made and the shop has it priced below the $900 the SCSW is giving for a Good condition gun. Even with the wrong grips, I think that is a pretty decent deal. Decent period correct grips are gonna be pricey but they are still floating around. While it is hard to tell from the one picture, I don't think it has been refinished. Maybe someone else has better eyes. After the war, S&W was putting a matte or brush finish on all its guns until 1956. Compared to a bright blue that would appear darker although the same process was used.
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and some strange marking that I could not discern.
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Could be an eagles head inspection stamp if the frame used was originally made for the military.