This is my first time posting here and starting to get into collecting pistols. My grandfather gave me a glass handle 38 s pistol and I wanted to get some information on it. His story was that he bought from someone during WWII. The serial number on the side of the barrel is E 38 S W CTG. The serial number on the bottom of the handle is 818374. The gun has definitely been used and shows wear. There is some writing on the top of the barrel but is not legible. My question is how do I restore it or does it needs to be like it is? Is it worth anything? Any information would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

Welcome to the forum!

Are the grips glass or plexiglass? There are quite a few WWII vet bring back handguns with clear plexiglass grips.
From what I understand, they were made from aircraft plexiglass windows. I've seen a few made for the 1911A1 semi-autos, but not for a revolver.

From the serial number is sounds like the gun might be 1940 or 1941 pre-Victory. Is there a letter "V" in front of the serial number?

If there is no "special" stamped after the .38 S&W CTG, then the gun was originally chambered for .38 S&W or .38/200 and was probably a British purchase for WWII.
Is there anything stamped on the topstrap above the cylinder? (US PROPERTY)..

Post some pics if you can!

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

After looking over it, it does seem to be plexiglass. There is no "V" in front of the serial number. I can not see anything on the topstrap but there is another number than can be seen when you when you pull the cylinder out. (55577). Are those numbers useful for anything? Thank you for all the information. Never thought the handle would have been made out of old airplanes

S&W.jpg

The numbers you mention sound like assembly numbers. Are they stamped in the hinge (crane) area, when you open the cylinder?

If you want, you can post in the "S&W Hand Ejectors; 1896-1961" section (or ask to have this posting moved). You might get a little more information on your gun.

Hope this helps.

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

They used to put a picture of a loved one under the Plexiglas.

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Dom

As a kid during WW2, i sold newspapers at the San Diego Marine Corp base and at the adjacent Consolidated Vultee plant where B-24s, etc were assembled. I traded papers for surplus scraps of the clear plastic materials used to make the windows, etc. in the B24s and other aircraft, at the Consolidated-Vultee plant and then traded the clear plastic to the Marines for Hershey bars from the PX, as Hershey bars were unobtainable in civilian markets. The Marines made grips for their .45 autos & Victory models from the clear plastic. Non-regulation, of course, but in wartime that was overlooked. A pictureof a girlfriend ,or favorite dog etc., could be put under the plastic grips. The practice was not limited to the US military as I had several Japanese Nambus, obtained in trades with the Marines, with a lady's picture under the clear plastic grips, installed by a late, but not lamented, owner. I also used the plastic scraps to make jewelry for my girl friends, so I was a popular kid at high school. If any of you are Buck knife collectors, the early knives made by A.A.Buck, in San Diego, have handles made from rings of plastic materials I sold or traded him. Just a little trivia from the Good Old Days! Ed.

Ed, I wasn't born until the closing days of WW2, so this lore is new to me. Fascinating stuff! Thanks for fleshing out my knowledge of the decade in which I was born.

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David Wilson

Every time I see a gun with Plexiglas grips and no picture under them, I think that Grandma must have made him remove the picture of his previous girlfriend or that movie actress tramp.

My Dad replaced the leather grips on his K-Bar with Plexiglas washers. Attending flea markets together in the 60's it was not uncommon to see knives and occasional handguns with Plexiglas grips. Most of them were listed as having grips made from the "wind screen of a Jap Zero".

I asked Dad about those once and he just laughed. He said that Zero parts were extremely hard to find at least where he was. What didn't crash in the ocean burned on impact. His knife grips were made from the windscreen of a US TBM, as he was the gunner on that type of aircraft when he made them.

I'd love to see pictures of other guns with the plexiglass grips.

Isn't that stuff hard to carve or shape?

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Actually, that plastic (Plexiglas) is very easy to cut with a coping or jig saw to about any shape you wanted and then buffed to remove the saw blade marks. Gun grips can be.made in just a few minutes, if you have the old grips for a pattern. The plastic can be colored with dyes but still remain translucent. As mentioned above, many K-bar & Remington Pal GI issue knives had their leather washer handles changed to plastic ring handles to add a personal embellishment.

Interesting and timely thread. I had a fellow walk into the store last night with a war capture Hi Power with clear plastic grips, having read this thread I had an idea what it was. He related the story that his father captured the gun and made the grips from bomber window material. He was interested in selling the gun but his son was with him who expressed an interest in owning the gun and I encouraged him to give the gun to his son with a written provenance and keep it in the family. He was worried about security so I gave him a cable lock for the gun. It was a neat gun and was glad the father took my suggestion, although we could have resold the gun easily I think it is nice to see it remain a part of family history.

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John. SWCA #1586

Group, My hat's off the hsguy ( John ) above for his good deed of the day. Hsguy works in a Cabelas in Illinois, which is probably the only Cabelas in the world that is lucky enough to have hsguy and his fellow gun library staff working their gun dep't. As most of you may know, one of my pet peeves is the poor quality of gun knowledge by people behind the counter at Cabela's stores. I'll bet the man with the WW2 HiPower would have never gotten that response at any other Cabelas! Ed.

my dad gave a gun just like the glass handle 38 but it has wood grips the only # is on the but 121132 and a * in front of the triger gard and its in a u.s.m holster dose any one know any thing about this one

leebert, welcome to the forum.. Ed, I find your posts filled with so much knowledge and history. i have seen these type of grips on handguns for years and never got a satisfactory answer as to their origin. Cool stuff folks. Thanks everyone, Kyle

Went to a gun show years ago, saw a 30 Cal. Luger with clear plastic grips. Didn't buy it because the guy wanted 50 bucks. I'd just bought my Luger for 37.50. Still have it. It's a black widow 42.

i got a 38 just like this from dad but it has wood grips the only # is on the but 121132 and a * infront of treger gard dose any one know about this one

Had these on my 45 auto.
Dick

Another reason for the plastic grips on the .45, 1911 was you could see how many rounds were left in the clip without kicking it out. That was important to survival.

How can you count rounds when the 1911 mag has no windows in the body? I can't imagine pausing in a gunfight to peer at the magazine.

Those Smith grips probably had something like these under them. At some point they had to be "cleaned up".

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Go West young man..

Ahh but he did said clip...there is a difference

You can look through the clear plastic grips and see the loaded rounds thru the seven holes in the side of the clip. Been doing that for years. Sometimes in a firefight you loose count, and by looking quickly, you know if you need to change clips. It works.

Pardon my incomplete post. My Colt 1911 with the clear plastic grips has both sides of the magazine well milled out to expose the clip. You can see the site holes in the clip very clearly and count the rounds with out kicking the clip out.

Here is a theater knife with plexiglass handles and a Japanese Knee mortar fuze as the pommel. These type of grips are pretty common on theater made knives and I see a lot of them on pistols as well.

leebart,

Welcome to the Forum.

I suggest you start a new thread about your revolver. Include pictures if you have them. At the very least, please post all of the markings on your gun.

Is there a letter, such as a "V", in front of the serial number on the butt? It might be off to the side a bit.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I don't know why you're having such a hard time getting an answer after posting that photo. The gun is clearly a Smith & Wesson Military & Police Model .38 with a five-inch barrel. (Or a foreign copy; post a larger photo and all lettering and marks.)

It will probably be in .38 Special or the shorter .38 S&W caliber, used by the British Commonwealth. It might be in .32/20 caliber, but this is less likely, and you will be able to tell by looking at the chambers and the size of the hole in the barrel (muzzle) whether it's a .32 or .38.

You need to read the letters on the right side of the barrel. They will say .38 S&W Ctg. or .38 Special Ctg. If a crude refinish has eliminated the letttering, even with a magnifying glass, see if a .38 special cartridge will drop all the way into the cylinder. But it could be a .38 S&W re-chambered for the longer .38 Special!

I hope that you can see some British proofmarks or property stamps. That will tell us what it is.

Because some .38 Specials were taken privately to war with five-inch barrels, you may have one. But a five-inch .38 of that period is more likely the British-issued version with .38/200 chambering.

Or, the gun may never have left the USA and been fitted with those grips after the war.

Because the lettering is so worn, I suspect a poor refinish job. I wouldn't shoot it, given its condition, especially not with Plus P ammo. But you now know basically what it is.

T-Star