i have an old pistol my dad bought probably back in the 20's or 30's for a night watchman to carry. serial no. is 910699 and pat dates on the barrel are from 1885 to 1889. i know nothing about the gun. i've never shot it and was told that modern .38 shells would be dangerous to shoot in the gun. is that true? the gun is in real good shape other than a few specks of the chrome off. action is tight and i doubt the gun has been shot much. any history and or value would be a plus along with whether it would be safe to shoot and with what shells if it is? and why would the serial no. on the cylinder be different than on the gun? thanks for any replies.


old

Recheck that serial number. It's way too high for any S&W revolvers made in the 20s or early 30s, or any variation of the "Lemon Squeezers"
Can you post a picture? Is it a top break frame? Yes, early .38 cal S&Ws may be unsafe to fire with today's smokeless powder ammo., however ammo. loaded to black powder pressures, especially for the older guns for Cowboy shooting, is available. Ed.

yes, it is a top break frame, 5 shot and no, i cannot post pictures. and he may have bought the gun used way back then. he never talked about the gun. i re-checked the serial no. and i got a magnifying glass this time and it is 210622 and that is the same no as on the cylinder. my old eyes aren't what they once were. and thanks for getting back to me on the gun.

That serial # would make it a 4th model Safety Hammerless probably manufactured sometime between 1905 and 1907. Value would depend on configuration and finish. A common barrel length of 3 1/4 or 4 inch that has a small amount of finish missing and no special order options would sell for between $200 and $300 dollars in my area. The serial number should also be between the ears on the under side of the barrel latch and on the inside of the right grip. You are very fortunate to have a "family" gun that was passed down to you from an earlier generation.

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Mark Connot

cf, you are right. the serial no. is where you said between the ears. and i measured the barrel and it is 3 1/4. i first measured with another rule that said 3 1/2 but that wasn't correct. it is chrome and has a couple of small specks, pin point size, gone. black grips that look maybe plastic? and checkered with the s&w symbol on the grip. where can i find safe ammo to shoot the gun. i doubt it's been shot but very few times. i've looked for some "cowboy" ammo for it but haven't found any .38 s&w ammo. and thanks about your information.

i may have found some "cowboy" ammo below. is that safe for the gun? 650 ft per sec may not even penatrate a can.




.38 S&W 96gr RN 650 $30.00 $295.00 N/A N/A $19.50 $190.00