New guy here requesting help identifying a .38 S&W

[H.P.]

The one on the left is a Colt Cobra .38 SPL (not really relevant to the thread, but I figured I would share.)

I've been having a heck of a time identifying the smith & wesson

I looked at the screw diagrams from the FAQ thread, but mine does not match any of those. The closest is this one:



The difference is I do not have screw #4. Mine is smooth through the entire trigger guard.

The bottom of the butt is stamped 77270 with no letters in front of it (as is the cylinder). The yoke has 65277

The barrel is 2 inches from the cylinder.

I got this hand gun after my grandparents passed away. It was my great grandpa's service pistol. The Colt is actually from a guy he took it off of in a bar for being too rowdy and loud

Any assistance in identifying the S&W would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance

[DCWilson]

Looks like a Chief's Special. That serial number suggests mid-'50s vintage. In 1957 this model became known as the Model 36, and that designation was stamped on the frame under the crane.

If you don't have a "Mod 36" stamped there, that is further evidence of pre-1957 manufacture. But it's a '50s era gun and won't reach back to the '40s.

[H.P.]

I appreciate the help with that. Thanks a lot DCWilson!

[scha]

I think this is a Terrier (38 S & W). The cylinder appears to be too short for a 38 Special. Based on this, I suggest this appears to be a Pre Model 32 rather than a Pre Model 36.

What does the marking on the barrel say? Does is include the word "Special"?

I hope this helps. Steve

[H.P.]

Originally Posted by scha

I think this is a Terrier (38 S & W). The cylinder appears to be too short for a 38 Special. Based on this, I suggest this appears to be a Pre Model 32 rather than a Pre Model 36.

What does the marking on the barrel say? Does is include the word "Special"?

I hope this helps. Steve

No, just says .38 S&W CTG and then Smith & Wesson on the other side

[DCWilson]

Steve is right. I leaped to the assumption that it was a .38 Special gun and misidentified it.

It still dates to about 1955.

Not that you need to know this, but the Terrier model was introduced in 1935. Production was suspended during the war, then taken up again in the late 1940s. The Terrier was a round butt version of a square butt model called the .38 Regulation Police. The RPs came in different barrel lengths. The Terrier was a snubbie.

[scha]

With this marking, this identifies the revolver as a .38/32 Terrier (Postwar) also known as a "Pre-Model 32". The serial numbers for this model started in 1948 at 54474 and ended at 122678 when the model was discontinued in 1974. The Model 32 was stamped on the cylinder crane beginning in 1957. The "Pre" model number guns do not have any model number markings.

The 38 S & W is an old popular 38 caliber round. The cartridge case is slightly larger in diameter and shorter than the 38 Special. It is a low pressure round that was used in many top break revolvers and is significantly lower powered than the 38 Special.

Hope this helps, Steve.

[murphydog]

I agree with Steve's post, it appears to be a .38/32 Terrier (named because the I frame was originally considered to be only for the .32, but the .38 S & W also fit). By the serial number and the lack of the front trigger guard screw, it is a 4-screw and was built between 1953 and 1955, when the upper sideplate screw was eliminated. In 1957 it became the model 32. Enjoy!

[H.P.]

Thanks a lot guys! I appreciate the identifications