Quote:
Originally Posted by JP@AK
I think that is generally true. But, it does not appear to be the case in the brief S prefix period (1946-1948). My research shows the 6" to be the least common among those M&Ps. The highest count is of 4" barrels (naturally), with 5" being the second most common.
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With the OP‘s gun being from the 1920s, I am not sure that this applies.
I have no data to back this up, just some years of observation. The 4“, 5“, and 6“ were always available, but it is my impression that the dominance of the 4“ barrel is a phenomenon of the post-WW II years. The longer barrels were at least as common, if not more so, prior to the four years of nobody manufacturing .38 Special revolvers with anything but a 4“ barrel (disregarding the minuscule number of 2“ models).
Obviously, that could be a misperception; one would need to collect some data to confirm it.