I am new to this forum so thanks in advance for any help. I been reading a lot of the posts trying to figure out what I have. It is a nickle plated 4 inch barrel regulation police in 38 s&w. It has a fair amount of wear on the nickle but the bore is pristine so I surmise it was carried a long time but not fired a lot. It has the number 7584 on the front tang of the grip (?) and on the cylinder. also has 338 stamped on the frame in front of the cylinder where I believe the model numbers are. I am curious to the age and value. Was also interested if the general opinion is leave as is or refininish? It does have different grips so it is not totally original. I will attempt to add some pics. Thanks again.S&W 001.jpg

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I'm having a hard time due to the glare telling much about the finish. If the hammer and trigger are plated, it is definitely refinished, but of course it could be refinished with them left as the proper color case hardened finish. The "extra" number is an assembly number and has no real meaning after the gun left the factory (unless the assembly numbers on the gun don't match! Look at the sharpness of the roll marks to determine whether repolishing has occurred. This is another sign of a rework. Your four digit serial number is an early one, and although I don't have my books with me now, I would guess sometime in the late teens. You are correct that it should have other grips... the profile is right, but they should be checkered walnut instead of plastic. I think what you have came from an outfit called Franzite as there is a set that looks pretty much just like them on fleaBay now. BTW, welcome to the Board!

Froggie

Both the .32 and .38 Regulation Police models were introduced in April or May of 1917. A few thousand were made, and then production stalled when the company dedicated itself to making the Model 1917 for the US Army after the country declared War. The 1917 monopolized production through 1918, and then in 1919 commercial production of other models resumed. I would think your RP is probably from 1919, but it might have been shipped two years earlier if it actually came off the factory floor before the factory converted to 1917 production.

The .38 RP had its own serial number sequence, which is why your number is so low. The .32 RP was numbered with the .32 Hand Ejector revolvers, and the lowest .32 RP is numbered in the 258xxx range.

Value depends on condition. If the gun is refinished, it has no collector value and would be considered shooter grade if it is mechanically sound -- say $200-250. But if that is the original finish, and discounting for the wrong stocks, I'd say that might be a $350-400 gun. If you wanted the correct stocks, they might set you back another $150-200. You would want Regulation Police stocks with dished gold medallions in the round zone at the top.

If the gun is refinished, putting the right stocks on it would not be a sound investment.

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David Wilson

Thanks, I clearly need to invest in a better camera. I am confident it is not refinished as the wear is pretty significant where the thumb and trigger finger rest. I find this interesting due to the bore looking very good with sharp grooves and a nice mirror finish. I would classify it as a nice shooter but was unsure of collector value due to low serial. I was wondering if I should have it refinished but I lean towards original and just enjoy firing it. I tried a few more pics, lets see how they look online

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