I found this S&W Model 638 (No Dash) at a gun shop in Concord, NC a few weeks ago and passed on it…luckily it was still there this afternoon . It came with no box or papers and a hideous large rubber Pachmayr grip which I immediately replaced with classic stocks and a Tyler T-Grip.

According to the S&W book, this gun was only made for a brief time in 1989 before replacement by the 638-1 (wider sight ramp). It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but it has a clear anodized aluminum frame and not the frosted / matte finish of the later 638-2 and forward.

I read another post stating that approximately 500 Model 638 (no dash) were made. I do not know if this is accurate. Does anybody have information about this first run of 638s? I ran 70 rounds through it this afternoon and it works great. It will assume its place in the pocket rotation.