Help with another identification please

[tro55]

Hello all,new here so thanks for having me.I had this 38 in my safe about five years and just started admiring it couple days ago.I'm sure you guys can help me from browsing so far. Would like to know model and year and all around info.Maybe an approx value.
Heres what I know. 38 s+w ctg, ser #688719, 4" barrel,matching #s on frame,barrel and cylinder. Did not check grips.Has a lanyard loop. Just inquisitive about it,as its pretty good shape.Thanks for looking. Tro.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Welcome to the forums from the cotton and peanut covered plains of the Wiregrass! That is a WWII .38 Military & Police British Service Revolver likely shipped in 1940. The grips are from the 1920's. It was originally chambered for .38 S&W but likely has been reamed for .38 Special. If you can chamber a .38 Special round, it has. If you don't have a cartridge to test with, post a picture looking into the cylinder from the rear with lighting in front so we can see into the chambers. We can usually tell if it has been modified.

BTW, it has a 5" barrel measured from front of cylinder to muzzle.

 

[Gun Relics]

Welcome to the forums from the cotton and peanut covered plains of the Wiregrass! That is a WWII .38 Military & Police British Service Revolver likely shipped in 1940. The grips are from the 1920's. It was originally chambered for .38 S&W but likely has been reamed for .38 Special. If you can chamber a .38 Special round, it has. If you don't have a cartridge to test with, post a picture looking into the cylinder from the rear with lighting in front so we can see into the chambers. We can usually tell if it has been modified.

BTW, it has a 5" barrel measured from front of cylinder to muzzle.

I'm, curious. What's the give away that it's a British service revolver? I am always amazed at how easily you can identify these sort of old revolvers.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

It is/was chambered for .38 S&W, a lanyard swivel and 5" barrel. US .38 M&P's were chambered for .38 S&W Special and 4" barrel.

 

[tro55]

from what I learned browsing here,the barrel is 4"( I did measure)and shows in a pic 38 s+w ctg,which means a 38 s+w cartridge w/matching serial.Both s+w38 and 38 special work in it.I fired it when I got it and have the ancient ammo with it.I will pull the grips if I must But I truly believe it to be original.

 

[robertrwalsh]

If it chambers BOTH cartridges it has been modified. I have heard that a small number of the BSRs were made with 4" barrels but I can't remember where I heard that from. Could be B.S. A fair number of them were cut down to 2" barrels but I have never heard of one being cut down from 5" to 4". The exact positioning of the markings on the barrel might tell the tale in that regard.

 

[MelvinWalker]

I'm, curious. What's the give away that it's a British service revolver? I am always amazed at how easily you can identify these sort of old revolvers.

Beat by Guy...Five inch barrel, .38 S&W, lanyard ring = Usually Commonwealth, (UK, NZ, Canada,etc).

 

[MelvinWalker]

from what I learned browsing here,the barrel is 4"( I did measure)and shows in a pic 38 s+w ctg,which means a 38 s+w cartridge w/matching serial.Both s+w38 and 38 special work in it.I fired it when I got it and have the ancient ammo with it.I will pull the grips if I must But I truly believe it to be original.

If it shoots .38 Special, it has been modified which is kinda sad, but common....It looks like it may have been refinished long ago. Look closely for import marks, but it probably came back across the pond in the 1950's/60's

 

[JP@AK]

Sorry guys. That is a 4" barrel, not a 5". And yes, some early BSRs were shipped with 4" barrels.

 

[DWalt]

The Brits were buying whatever they could get before the Lend-Lease act of 1941. It is very possible some with 4” barrels could have been shipped. Grips are definitely from the 1920s.

 

[tro55]

I could not get a true serial lookup,don't yall think this is just a US 38 s+w m+p from late 20's to 30's according serial. The group said the public could buy m+p anytime. What year does the serial suggest? And what model is it?

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Here are some KNOWN BSR's with serials around yours and ship dates. Note the first 2 are documented with 4" barrels.

Serial 686697 .38 M&P, 3rd Model (1905), 4th Change .38/200 S&W (200 gr. bullet) 4 Blue 5/3/1940 Only marks is ''BNP''
Serial 686718 .38/200 British Service (1905-4th) (K-200) .38/200 S&W (200 gr. bullet) 4 Blue 5/3/1940 Pre-Victory model; lanyard ring; British proof marks on frame, cylinder & barrel; checkered diamond silver medallion stocks
Serial 690876 .38/200 British Service (1905-4th) (K-200) .38 S&W (200 gr. bullet) 7/8/1940

 

[tro55]

You guy making me believe.Took grips off,very faint pencil marks that look like V1194 but its a stretch. But the frame by the bottom has a B stamped on it.Also under the trade mark r/s I see EG US Pat OFF. Interesting.

 

[JP@AK]

I could not get a true serial lookup, don't yall think this is just a US 38 s+w m+p from late 20's to 30's according serial.

Not with that cartridge stamp. The M&P wasn't produced for the .38 S&W until that move was necessitated by the needs of the UK.

Guy's serial information in Post #12 is icing on the cake.

 

[glowe]

They were just about at the end of commercial production by 1940, but I found a 38 M&P Target (below) that shipped in August 1940, #696317. Stocks are not matching, and from an early post-WWII gun. Your stocks are from another gun as well.

There were a few different calibers of the same K frame in that time period. The factory just started production of their first K22 Masterpiece revolvers in 1940, but it was a short production run. They were in serial number range 682420 to 696952. Only just over 1,000 were made.

 

[docbrazos]

Here is the example I own. It's now a true 38 Special. The Cylinder has been relined and the Sight is Parker Hale so I assume they did the work post WWII before the gun came back to the states.

 

[robertrwalsh]

There were a couple of outfits, Parker Hale being one of them, that did really good conversions of those revolvers, including sleeved cylinder bores. All of those I have seen photos of had ramped front sights like the one above.

 

[Truckman]

There were a couple of outfits, Parker Hale being one of them, that did really good conversions of those revolvers, including sleeved cylinder bores.

Cogswell & Harrison was another... ...Ben​

 

[tro55]

So in summary,according to the 688xxx serial this a BSR that was reworked before coming back to states? Someone put 20's stocks on it? What model and year can I say it is. Now in post #15 the serial is in range of that K22 masterpiece.Is it worth getting factory letter?

 

[Wiregrassguy]

.38/200 British Service Revolver (Model K200)
Caliber: 38 S&W with 200-grain bullet. Double-action revolver built on the square butt K-frame with 5-screws. It is identical to the .38 Hand Ejector 1905 4th Model and the Victory Model in a different caliber. It is available with 4”, 5”, or 6” pinned barrel lengths, and a six-shot fluted cylinder at a nominal length of 1.56”. It is available in bright blue, sandblast brush blue, or sandblast Black Magic finish. It has a 1/10” round-blade front sight and notch-cut rear service sights, with a square butt frame with checkered diamond walnut grips and S&W monograms for the commercial version, smooth walnut without monograms with lanyard ring for the military service version.

Supica, Jim; Nahas, Richard. Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, 5th Edition (p. 573). Gun Digest Media. Kindle Edition.

1940