Pre-Model 10 Identification

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retcolusa

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I have a Pre-Model 10 with 2" barrel that is BNP proofmarked. It is in .38 S&W caliber. The serial number is 778506. I imported it from Canada several years ago. Can someone give me the DOM, and is it possible that this is a Lend-Lease gun?


SWPRE102_zpsyeizg8ag.jpg
 
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if the caliber is .38 S&W..the barrel has been cut down from a 5 inch...if the caliber is .38 special..the barrel has been cut down from a four inch.

if the serial number does not have a "V" in front of it is from 1941....if it does have a "V" then later 1943 - 1944...
 
Sorry, hope you didn't pay much for it. As above, it's a British .38/200 service revolver with a chopped barrel and probably re-bored chambers to accept .38 Special cartridges. The grips on it may be worth more than the revolver itself. These things were imported by the boatload in the 1950s-1960s and sold cheap by direct mail. Yours is too early to be a Lend-Lease, as those didn't start until around late 1941. Your SN (if without a SV prefix) will date it as shipping about June 1941. A Lend-Lease revolver will have "UNITED STATES PROPERTY" stamped on the topstrap.
 
Further Info

DWalt said:
Sorry, hope you didn't pay much for it. As above, it's a British .38/200 service revolver with a chopped barrel and probably re-bored chambers to accept .38 Special cartridges. The grips on it may be worth more than the revolver itself. These things were imported by the boatload in the 1950s-1960s and sold cheap by direct mail. Yours is too early to be a Lend-Lease, as those didn't start until around late 1941. Your SN (if without a SV prefix) will date it as shipping about June 1941. A Lend-Lease revolver will have "UNITED STATES PROPERTY" stamped on the topstrap.
Click to expand...

Every British one I've seen were all marked with the 38/380 caliber marking - this one is not marked with the 38/380 (I have another older one that is so marked.) Also, it has not been rebored, .38 Specials will not fit in the chambers (too long), it will only take .38 S&W loads.
 
Smiths were never stamped 38/380 from the factory. Sometimes proof stamps would say something like that. Also, it's not a pre-Model 10. If you are using that nomenclature, then it would be a pre-Model 11. A Model 10 is a .38 Special by definition.
That modification with the barrel cut so short that the underlug has been removed is not considered safe to shoot. If it was mine, I would put a correct barrel on it. They are pretty easy to find in new or good used shape.
 
vytoland said:
if the caliber is .38 S&W..the barrel has been cut down from a 5 inch...if the caliber is .38 special..the barrel has been cut down from a four inch.

if the serial number does not have a "V" in front of it is from 1941....if it does have a "V" then later 1943 - 1944...
Click to expand...

No "V" in front of serial number. It has not been converted to .38 Special, it is definitely .38 S&W.
 
retcolusa said:
No ramp on front sight; no lug; grips are very large/oversize, but appear original.
Click to expand...

Hi
I think you are misunderstanding some of the comments. Allow me to clarify for you.

The front sight is incorrect in that it is a ramp-type blade. The original sight on this gun was a half-round blade with no ramp.

The extractor rod does not have a front locking lug. When your revolver was made there was a locking lug under the barrel to support the extractor rod/yoke/cylinder by locking it at the front. The lug was eliminated when the barrel was shortened.

The stocks cannot be original. K frame target stocks did not come into existence until several years after the war, and the "football" style came along in about 1955. Moreover, those on your gun lack the smooth diamond around the screw hole and escutcheon, so they are no earlier than about 1968.

Overall, this revolver is not even close to its original configuration. It is a chopped .38/200 British Service Revolver. Current value is somewhere down in the $200 range.
 
retcolusa
If your revolver was in its original configuration, it would look a lot like this one, except for the stocks (and this one is chambered for the .38 Special):
jp-ak-albums-miscellaneous-revolvers-picture11920-postwar-m-p-box-800x512.jpg
 
From the factory, the only caliber marking would have been "38 S&W CTG" on the barrel. When the British sold these off as surplus in the 1950s and later, they were usually covered in various proof markings as you describe, as that was required under British proof laws. Without a letter prefix, my comments in #4 are completely correct. There is no collector interest in these revolvers due to the modifications made. Originality counts significantly regarding value.

.38 S&W ammunition is not the easiest to find and is fairly expensive even if you can find it.
 
retcolusa- Below is a photo of how your revolver started out. S&W sold hundreds of thousands of these to Great Britain, Canada and Australia during WW II. They are simply the Military & Police Model with a 5" barrel in 38 S&W or 38/200 as the Brits called it. Unfortunately after the war many of these fine guns were essentially ruined by being modified.

standard.jpg


The fact that yours is not reamed is good. But 38 S&W ammo can be pricey and hard to find. If you reload no sweat. I have several guns in this caliber and loading this cartridge is easy.

Having the barrel cut back and losing the locking lug is bad. I, personally, would not shoot such a gun although many owners do shoot these. Replacing the barrel would make it whole again but that might be cost prohibitive. I once replaced a Victory Model barrel myself and it turned OK but there are no guarantees. I paid so little for the gun and barrel ($60 & $5) I figured I had little to lose if I screwed up.

If you want a really good gun to shoot this probably isn't it. Restoring the barrel might not help given the ammo situation. No easy answers on this situation and we see the same problem as yours many, many times on the forum.

PS: The stocks are post 1968 target style and they make the whole gun worth about $150 IMO. Half of that being the stocks.
 
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