2" 1947-48 M&P .38

Mostly Good · Monday at 4:49 PM

Went to look at a 1947-48 4" M&P 38 (pre 10) ended up passing on the 4" but brought home this 2" from the same time frame. serial S963xxx .
Serial numbers including stocks all match. Tight gun.
Always see 4" guns, never noticed 2", or 3" for that matter. Anyone have any Idea of the barrel length build percentage?

bigggbbruce · Monday at 5:10 PM

0% 3 inch
I have all the Postwar S serial number barrel lenghts offered. All matching numbers
My 2" S963342 Late December '47

4" from March '46 wearing prewar magnas. Matching numbers. Victory frame.

5" from April '46 early post war frame

6" from '48 one of the last long action before short action introduced.

Mostly Good · Monday at 5:34 PM

I'm 30ish numbers before.

bigggbbruce · Monday at 5:37 PM

Mostly Good said:
I'm 30ish numbers before.

Yours was on the table the same time as mine. Late December '47

JP@AK · Monday at 8:32 PM

Mostly Good said:
S963xxx

Always see 4" guns, never noticed 2". Anyone have any Idea of the barrel length build percentage?

There was a very large run of 2" square butt units produced from S962000 to S971000, with some 4" and 5" units mixed in with them in that range. The majority of them shipped in December 1947, but a goodly number of them shipped in January and February 1948.

As for how many 2" square butt units were made, I am in the process of doing a statistical analysis of the approximately 15,000 S prefix units in my database. When that's complete, I can supply the estimated percentages. For now, I can tell you that the order of most to least goes like this:
4", 5", 2" square butt, 6", 2" round butt.

jeffrefrig · Monday at 9:32 PM

This is fairly cool: I have a M&P 38 that lettered shipped 1-3-1949. I was curious reading your posts and I wondered when they started the C prefix. That was 1948. 1949 started at #C37441, and no lies, that’s my gun’s serial number. I never noticed that, but I probably never looked since I bought a letter for it. I threw these target stocks on it. Probably worth more than the gun!

JP@AK · Monday at 10:22 PM

jeffrefrig said:
I have a M&P 38 that lettered shipped 1-3-1949.1949 started at #C37441, and no lies, that’s my gun’s serial number.

Keep in mind that if it shipped on the third day of January 1949, it almost certainly was assembled in 1948.

I was curious reading your posts and I wondered when they started the C prefix. That was 1948.

March 1948, to be more specific. The M&P with serial number C1 was assembled on March 22, 1948.

I threw these target stocks on it. Probably worth more than the gun!

I would not be too sure about that. Those target stocks are late - no earlier than 1978. They are not exactly scarce on the market.

On the other hand, your revolver appears to have been refinished, so its price would not be particularly high.

doublesharp · Monday at 10:59 PM

I've got one.

Mostly Good · Tuesday at 7:20 AM

Gentlemen, thanks for the info, this is only my 3rd "pre model #" revolver. After reading the above, here's why I passed on the 4".
It was an S865xxx all matching # including the stocks. Gun was tight, minimal wear, color looked good, crisp edges and no overly polished areas but, the barrel stamps were off. On the left "Wesson" was very faint vs a std deep looking "Smith". On the right side the cartridge line was also uneven ranging from normal to faint but not directly across from the Wesson area.
So either light strikes from the factory or a good older re-blue. In any case the flaw put a doubt in my mind and even at best, if it was from the factory it was enough for me to pass on the gun.

Truckman · Tuesday at 8:52 AM

jeffrefrig said:
I have a M&P 38 that lettered shipped 1-3-1949.

Apparently the shipping department did not observe many traditional holidays at S&W...My M&P .32-20 shipped New Years Day in 1915...Or maybe Hizzoner had some pull even back then, and got somebody to give up a day off just to get his gun on the way...

...Ben

Legendarylawman · Tuesday at 9:13 AM

Mine,

Carl

jeffrefrig · Tuesday at 9:40 AM

I thought about the manufacture date and shipping being that tight, but I'm just going by the 5th edition.

958958.......pretty cool!

50 target · Tuesday at 10:33 AM

I have a pre Model 15 with a shadow serial number. I always thought they were pretty cool. Nice M&P's.
Nice M&P's. Diod I detect some humpbacks amo

bigggbbruce · Tuesday at 10:40 AM

50 target said:
.
Nice M&P's. Did I detect some humpbacks amo

The m&ps have the standard long action hammers. This is a Humpback

CHARLIE699 · Tuesday at 10:54 AM

My earliest snub-nose for a lot of years,,, "C56769" . Never dated or lettered.
All numbers matched & tight action.

KenTheHunter · Tuesday at 11:13 AM

Mostly Good said:
Went to look at a 1947-48 4" M&P 38 (pre 10) ended up passing on the 4" but brought home this 2" from the same time frame. serial S963xxx .
Serial numbers including stocks all match. Tight gun.
Always see 4" guns, never noticed 2", or 3" for that matter. Anyone have any Idea of the barrel length build percentage?
View attachment 897634
View attachment 897636

A very nice piece. Does that have the “long action “? My 5”from the same period-see pictures. How’s the timing ?

Xfuzz · Tuesday at 11:39 AM

Seldom carried 1948-50 IIRC....
Old Lewis holster.

bigggbbruce · Tuesday at 11:55 AM

Xfuzz said:
Seldom carried 1948-50 IIRC....
Old Lewis holster.

Yours has the short action, so you are correct with the time frame.

Frailer · Tuesday at 12:43 PM

The early post-WWII period is—for me, at least—one of the most interesting chapters in S&W’s history. This fascination, combined with my obsession with 2”-barreled revolvers, made me “need” one of these in my modest little collection.

Here’s S973859 (Feb 1948):

45NUTT · Tuesday at 1:43 PM

Frailer! I need one just like that.

oldrookey617 · Tuesday at 2:45 PM

I will take one of those in a 1957.. my birth year.. I have a 1966 4-inch...

50 target · Tuesday at 3:32 PM

bigggbbruce said:
The m&ps have the standard long action hammers. This is a Humpback
View attachment 897846

The one that Doublesharp posted looked really high over the top strap but could have been the angle. The HB is really close. I don't have many of the early Smiths as I liked the 47-57 time frame with the better sights (adj) The early guns require 20-20 vision to use any of the sights. I just don't have it. Need big sights and lots of light.

Combat · Tuesday at 3:35 PM

I have S 843454. It has a 2" barrel and is the oldest S series gun that I have. I'm guessing it was made in 1947... maybe.

JP@AK · Tuesday at 4:01 PM

Combat said:
I have S 843454. It has a 2" barrel and is the oldest S series gun that I have. I'm guessing it was made in 1947

It very likely shipped in November 1946. There was a run of 2" square butt units made in the S843000 range. Most of them shipped in the last quarter of 1946.

moparsbob · Tuesday at 6:06 PM

Hi Frailer, I was born in February 1948, so if you should ever be ready to part with that one, I would be very interested! -Bob

RSinOR · Tuesday at 9:00 PM

This is the earliest M&P 2" I own. Really wasn't looking for this, kind of just fell into it. Everything is just the way I bought it. No box
or Docs. Bore is nice and bright , nice crisp action and those stags aint bad either. Got some holster wear. Visible wear on the usual high points. Overall bluing is quite nice.

Haven't lettered it but it left the factory in Nov of 1947 S956543

cgt4570 · Tuesday at 10:59 PM

bigggbbruce said:
The m&ps have the standard long action hammers. This is a Humpback
View attachment 897846

That's an N frame .38-44 Outdoorsman. Completely different animal.

cgt4570 · Tuesday at 11:04 PM

Here's my circa '47 snub round butt with the very short lived post-war non magna round stocks. No, they aren't cut off magnas!

bigggbbruce · Tuesday at 11:17 PM

cgt4570 said:
That's an N frame .38-44 Outdoorsman. Completely different animal.

Showing a Humpback Hammer. That's all.

JP@AK · Wednesday at 12:01 AM

cgt4570 said:
Here's my circa '47 snub round butt
View attachment 898061

Chris
Are you sure about the date? It has the High Speed hammer, so I don't think it could be earlier than the spring of 1948. Care to share the serial number?

It is a nice unit in any case, and you are right about those stocks. Very uncommon.

2" 1947-48 M&P .38

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