.38 S&W Special CTG ID help please

[DaveH911]

Serial# S 987846
Silver medallion
No model near yoke

I picked this up at a local pawnshop. Looks pretty good to me!

Thanks,
Dave

[FlyFish]

Looks to be a post-war .38 Military & Police (which became the Model 10 in 1957) from around 1947-48 - the serial number range was S811120 in 1945 to S999999 in 1948, at which point they changed to the C prefix.

[19leben]

Early post war M&P, AKA pre model 10 to collectors.

That's a nice one.
Have you removed the stocks, and checked the right grip for the stamped serial number? It should match the gun's serial.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[DaveH911]

I have not yet, but will do. Thank you all so much for your assistance!

Dave

[gmborkovic]

Hello Dave New guy, nice shooter and good condition. And welcome. If at a nice price, you got a gem. The epitome of the S&W craft. Best.

[DaveH911]

It does match indeed!

Thank you all!

[DaveH911]

Not counting the grip screw, I count 6 screws; 4 on right side, 1 front of trigger guard, and 1 in front of grip. Does the number of screws matter for anything?

Thanks,
Dave

[JP@AK]

Hi Dave
You have found a nice postwar .38 Military & Police model with a four inch barrel and original stocks. That's a good find. If you paid anything less than $500, you did well. I have more than a dozen of these in my collection and I've paid as much as $650 for them (that one was 98% and had its original box).

The ship date on yours will most likely be in 1948. Suggesting a month is problematic at that serial number. Up through the end of 1947, these were shipping pretty consistently by serial number (with some fliers, of course). But in the S986xxx to S992xxx range, things get goofy. I have ship dates in that group ranging from March, 1948 to August, 1948, in no particular order. The nearest I have to yours for which I have a ship date, left the factory in August, but you can't rely on that at all.

On the screw count:
It has four screws in the side plate and one in the front of the trigger guard (cylinder stop plunger retaining screw). Those make it a five screw frame. The mainspring tension screw in the front strap of the grip frame doesn't count, neither does the one holding the stocks in place.

Five screw K frame revolvers started in 1905. They lost the fifth screw in 1956 and the fourth screw in 1962, becoming the 3 screw models at that time.

[DaveH911]

Thanks! WOW! I got her for under $150!
So glad to be a part of this wonderful group!

Dave

[JP@AK]

Originally Posted by DaveH911

Thanks! WOW! I got her for under $150!

Now I don't like you . . .

[les.b]

Dave...welcome to the forum. You might want to put aside the money you saved on this purchase, cause it won't be long before you'll need it for the next one. Smith and Wessons are addicting, and you have fallen in with a bunch of enablers!!

Best Regards, Les

[lebomm]

You better go buy a Lotto ticket, Dave! Welcome and congratulations !

Larry

[DaveH911]

Can't be any worse than fishing or golf. I own more **** for those than I'll ever use! Thanks, folks!

[Morgan88]

Nice post Jack
Lots of info. Well written. I'll bet you answered a lot of new guy questions in your post.

Morgan88

[jsfricks]

Wow! You did pretty good! This one has the prewar long action but the post war extractor rod. Now why can't I find these deals?