38 S&W Special 5 Digit Serial Number

[Wade16]

I got this revolver with sn 530XX. I would like to know when it was made please. It is in very good condition. What would the current value be?

 

[22hipower]

It's a pre-war 38/44 Outdoorsman probably made in 1937. Looks like it has its original magna stocks. Nice find. Can't really tell much about the condition from the one picture but probably in the $1k to $2k range. I paid $1200 a few months ago for this somewhat finish challenged one.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

https://flic.kr/p/2qoJpu7 https://www.flickr.com/photos/194934231@N03/

 

[paplinker]

Welcome to the forum Wade

Your gun is a 38-44 Outdoorsman
Shipped roughly between 1936-37

A bit hard to make out the condition by just that picture but for what I see I would guess somewhere in the $1000.00 to $1400.00 range for value. There are a few on GB that have been for sale for a while so you can see what prices are a bit too high.

You are going to love shooting that gun. I have a few of these I shoot.

 

[Wade16]

Thank you Sir for the great information. I paid $600 for it. It has some holster wear with very nice bore.

 

[rct269]

Mine (#59378) shipped on June 7, 1940----sold during the recent liquidation of my collection for $2175.

It was one of those big surprise guns when I got it---wearing very spiffy Roper thumb-rest targets, and I figured the price for the whole package was what the grips might fetch all by themselves. The grips got a new home dressing up a Registered Magnum, and looked right at home.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Thank you Sir for the great information. I paid $600 for it. It has some holster wear with very nice bore.

That was a fair rice. It should be a good shooter and welcome to the Forum.

 

[Wade16]

Thank you all for the nice comments and forum greetings!!

 

[Hawg Rider]

I'll also welcome you to the Forum! You made quite an entrance with that nice pre-war .38/44 Outdoorsman (ca. 1937). Yours appears to have been manufactured in about the middle of the production run (1931-1941), and only 4,761 pre-war Outdoorsman revolvers were manufactured (according to the "Standard Catalog of S&W, 5th Ed."). S&W paused civilian production in 1941 at s/n 62023 due to WWII, and didn't return to civilian production until 1946. The .38/44 is a target version (adjustable rear sight), and was designed by S&W to handle a more powerful hot-loaded .38 Special round in a larger and stronger N-frame. The S&W .38/44 round was also known as .38 Special High Velocity. Revolvers like yours are very popular with Forum members and highly sought after. I hope you take it out to the range and shoot some .38 Specials...it should be an extremely smooth and accurate revolver. Congratulations on a great find and you did very well on the price. Enjoy!

 

[H Richard]

Looks like you got a heck of a good deal. Some of these have had the chambers reamed out to accept a .357 Magnum. Actually, the revolver can handle the pressure of the .357, and it was a popular change with law enforcement personnel. Unfortunately doing so does lower the value of the collectable of them. Easy to check, just try and place a .357 in the chambers, (hopefully they don't fit).

 

[Wade16]

I will have to check that. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Wade16]

Would an S&W letter add much value to the pistol? I believe the letter costs $100.

 

[Truckman]

Would an S&W letter add much value to the pistol? I believe the letter costs $100.

Value is measured by many scales...I prefer the value of knowledge which is always increased when shared, and never diminishes...That $100 bill is gone forever as soon as you spend it, while the knowledge gained is yours forever...What's more important to you?......Ben

 

[Wade16]

I tried to load a .357 Mag cartridge and it would not enter the cylinder completely, so I assume the cylinder has not been reamed out. That is good news.

 

[22hipower]

I tried to load a .357 Mag cartridge and it would not enter the cylinder completely, so I assume the cylinder has not been reamed out. That is good news.

Yes, that confirms it is original. If you join the SWCA and the SWHF the letter cost is $75. If you plan to add more S&Ws and want to learn the history and help with expanding and preserving that historical record, membership in both is a good next step.

As to the value of a letter, some turn out to be more valuable than others but I've always felt that having one added at least the cost of the letter to the overall value of the gun. I don't letter them all but do letter the older ones like yours and any that have unusual features or configurations. Often all we learn is which hardware store or distributor it went to and when but that can be interesting too. My first year 4 inch 44 Magnum went to a hardware store in Amarillo, nothing earthshaking about that, but interesting to know that Texans were eager to get those first 44 Magnums.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[cadmike]

Would an S&W letter add much value to the pistol? I believe the letter costs $100.

For a gun like that, and the price you paid, a letter would add a nice touch to the overall package. I would do it.

Very cool gun!

 

[mchom]

Congratulations on your OD

I'd recommend a letter too.

It's funny I stumbled into a pre war OD back in 99. I had no clue what it was at the time. I'd been into S&W my whole life but I was not knowledgeable about the older more historical guns. The internet was a new thing still.

Perhaps you'll soon take interest in its older sibling, The Heavy Duty. And of course the ODs successor, the .357 Magnum. The OD was the platform the then new .357 was based on.

You'll definitely want to read up on these fascinating guns.

Welcome to the forum

 

[Wade16]

Thank all of you gents for the great advice and information.