Greetings all,

I am trying to help my dad identify his great grandfather's hand ejector Smith and Wesson .38 Special Revolver. He lived 1875 to 1960. The weapon is a bit rusty, but is still functional. I fired a few rounds through it a couple of years ago.

My guess is that it is an 1899 Model 10, but I don't know for sure, so I came to the experts.

Here is what I know (items from your "to identify your gun" sticky link):
1. Type: Hand Ejector
2. Serial Number: 284709
3. CTG: .38 Special
4. Barrel Length: About 5 inches. I didn't measure it when I took the pictures. I have since returned it to my dad.
5. Sights: fixed. There really isn't much of a rear sight. Just a small notch.

The barrel is stamped with " 38 S. & W. SPECIAL CTG"

There is no model number on the yoke. The serial number from the butt is 284709. There are no other letters or numbers.

My grandfather remembers firing the pistol in the 1930s and it had dark wood grips. One of my grandfather's brothers changed the grips to the current plastic ones.

I've attached some pictures. Any insights to this weapons history and specifications would be greatly appreciated.

Attached Images

	serial.jpg (72.0 KB, 228 views)
	right side.jpg (190.2 KB, 336 views)
	left side.jpg (204.5 KB, 246 views)
	38 spec ctg.jpg (212.3 KB, 210 views)

Yours is from 1917-18, probably the former. It's called a .38 Model of 1905, 4th Change M&P. There were no Model 10 M&Ps until 1957.

Welcome to the forum. Nice heirloom S&W!

Looks like a round butt with after-market square conversion grips, correct? You don't have the original grips by any chance? You can find some replacements on ebay and various other places. Pretty much any K-Frame round butt (or round to square butt) grips will fit. A lot of people like the rubber grips from Hogue or others for the range. I would say that looks more like a 6" barrel.

I rarely ever disagree with Dwalt on dates, but I think early 1919 is a possibility. Only a S&W factory letter will tell for sure. From what I understand, commercial production in 1917-18, and certainly after the Government take-over in 1918, was almost non-existent except for the Model 1917's. The lack of the S&W logo usually indicates an early post-war gun.

This was before heat treatment of the cylinders, but most regular .38 special factory loads would be safe to shoot if the gun is mechanically sound otherwise. I stick with mild loads and lead bullets.

I show one with a VERY close SN as shipping in 1918, and one with a slightly higher SN shipping in 1917. Therefore, 1917-18 is very probable. If yours has a round butt, some collectors would call it a Model of 1902. There's no real difference between a 1902 and a 1905 other than the grip shape, and by that date, the factory would probably have called a round-butt a Model of 1905 anyway. Just a collector thing.

By the way, the U. S.. Government did not take over the S&W factory until about 2 months before the armistice ending WWI, so I imagine there were considerable quantities of civilian guns in inventory shipped earlier in 1918.

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. Gordonrick, you are correct the grips are after market. i am looking into finding some new ones. That was the primary reason I came looking for the specific model information. I have a friend that is an amazing woodworker that makes custom grips if I can't find ones that fit online someplace.

Correct grips are out there, but you have to look for them, and a pair of good ones will not be cheap. Keep looking on eBay, etc. Were it me, I'd not worry too much about getting correct period grips, just find a pair you like that doesn't cost a fortune. Just look for K-frame grips on eBay.

The grips on your gun now are called Franzite grips. They were ornamental molded grips that were designed in imitation of the surfaces of wooden grips. Different mottled patterns were available. I can't recall if they were available before WWII, but they were being distributed in the late '40s and '50s, maybe the '60s too.. When wood was cheap, Franzite grips were considered by some to be a stylish upgrade. They were marketed by Sports Inc. of Chicago, whose name is often found on the inner surface. The markings on that pair (sharp corners to the checking field) show that they were modeled on prewar magna stocks, but without the medallions.

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David Wilson

I remember Franzite plastic grips being popular in the 50s and 60s, and I bought several pairs myself back then. You used to see lots of guns with Franzite faux-staghorn plastic grips. They tended to warp after awhile. I sold a new-in-the-box pair of 1950s-era Franzite staghorn grips for a M1911 .45 maybe 2 years ago on eBay. I don't remember how much they sold for, but it was considerably more than I expected to get, so yours may also be worth something.

Boy, some of you guys make me feel old! My great great grandfather was in the war of 1812. Even my great grandfather died before this gun was made.

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Tom
1560

Skeetr - that's exactly what I was thinking!

Welcome to the Forum. Great gun to have been passed down. The gun is almost certainly earlier than 1919. The earliest 1919 serial number in the SWCA database is 298XXX. There are 3 guns in the serial number range 284XXX. One that is only 5 numbers away from yours shipped in June 1918, while the other 2 shipped in 1917. The factory did not strictly follow serial numbers when it came to shipping, but this was a popular model and did not set in inventory for long after being manufactured.

Also, I would call you 38 M&P a Model 1902, since it has a round butt. S&W Catalogs listed 2 seperate 38 M&Ps until the early 1920s. The Model 1905 was a square butt revolver and the Model 1902 was a round butt.

As for a proper set of round butt diamond walnut stocks, look for a set with large gold S&W medallions in the round top. They do come up for sale from time to time on ebay, so just keep checking. This revolver is definately worth spending some money to get a proper set of stocks.

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Gary
SWCA 2515