For a long while it seems to me that the 1937 Brazilian was the ugly 2nd cousin, but lately they have been rising in the desirability department. Has anyone else noticed this, or am I late to the party?

I've been noticing the same thing. I had the chance to pick up a couple over the past summer for under $500 each. Should have jumped on it when I could, a lot of them I'm seeing now are easily above $500 for rough condition guns

The Brazilian was the ugly 2nd cousin. Most that came in looked like they were shipped loose in a crate and were all dinged up. The ones that were not beat-up and still had good blue were worth 3 times what the dinged one were. I bought my semi-ugly when they first appeared for $185.00. I had to replace the hammer because the rivet holding the firing pin was not installed correctly, scraping the frame. The revolver was tight and the bore was excellent and shot well. I still have it.
SWCA 892

I think Brazilians have been real sleepers until recently.

In terms of condition, you need to realize that many, but not all, are rusted and dinged up.

There were two major groups, pre-WWII (1937+) and post-WWII (1946). The pre-war guns saw overseas service in Italy with the concomitant wear and tear of extremely harsh war-time conditions. The post-war guns may not have been babied, but at least they only saw peace-time service in Brazil. Not to mention entering service a decade later.

I had a 1937 vintage Brazilian but traded it away. Probably should have kept it but oh well. Its condition was very poor. When I took the stocks off, I didn't see pits, I saw craters. I let it go because at the time I did not want a gun in that condition.

I have a couple of post-war Brazilians that are in very good to excellent condition. I have seen posts on this site disparaging this group as "put together from scrounged / found WWI parts." Maybe they are, but mine are excellent shooters and I am glad to have them. See picture below.

Functionally, I think the post-war Brazilians are on a par with any WWI M1917. Of course, they do not have the same collector interest. But they are an N-Frame that fires a .45 caliber cartridge and as such will easily bring $500 to $1,000 from shooting enthusiasts, depending on condition of course.

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You're shy a few manners.

There are many, many Smiths that for years were treated like the red headed stepchild, not just the Brazilians.

It's the prices of the old favorite collectibles that has driven many Smith lovers to these formerly ignored models. In addition, there are more Smith enthusiasts appreciating the "old" Smiths plus the ranks are swelling with new Smith followers.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

My post war Brazilian, serial numbered in the 55K range is all World War 1 GI parts serialized to the gun and marked with Eagle acceptance marks included a proff P.

For some reason they were second class citizens, but now they are getting some respect...I love all the older N frames and Hand Ejectors, but prices have been increasing over the last year or so...

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Liberals made the USA

I recall when USGI M1917 S&W revolvers were sold through the mail for less than what a bottle of good whiskey costs today. They were regarded as nothing special and used as truck guns and platforms for barrel shortening and other modifications. Then there was a great epiphany...

I'm one of the guys that arrived at the party late. For some reason .45acp in a revolver just went right over my head. I was far too interested in .357 and .44 magnum besides .38 spec. and .44 special to really take any interest in messing around with half or full moon clips, let alone trying to find .45ar brass to make things easier. I fired a friends 1937 Brazilian and could not believe how accurately I could shoot it right from the get go. He had a buddy that was selling one and I jumped on the chance. It turned out being re-blued and showed very well, I shot it and immediately had a new favorite revolver. Now I'm reloading .45acp/ar almost exclusively and rarely shooting any other caliber. Of course I have added to the collection with a pre-model 25 and model 25 but still carry the Brazilian most of the time. I had a gunsmith shorten it to 4" and had him install a Baughman front sight with red ramp, it shoots to point of aim at 15yards and puts them all in a nice tight group.

These guns first and foremost are genuine S&W revolvers and we'll never see anything like this built again. I've got one of the very nice condition examples and I'm glad I bought it when I did.
Jim

It's too bad, too. When they had less "respect" they were S&W's and they were affordable. That's gonna change with demand. Dang.

I have one from the first group with the flat top receiver. It has plenty
of scratches in the blue but the finish is original and overall the gun is
in better condition than most of the ones I see listed for sale. I have
always thought it was strange that the 1917 is so revered and the
Brazilian almost looked down on. I'm a shooter not a collector so I
value my Brazilian more than my 1917 as a shooter. Many of the 1937s
are in poor shape but still condition has to be a strong factor in value
and a decent 1937 is a pre war big bore S&W revolver. Here's mine
and I would be happy to own another one if a decent deal came along.

Attached Images

DSCN0055 - Copy.jpg (64.8 KB, 98 views)

I always thought it was that the 1917 was "ours." United States Property, in the hands of someone defending US and our rights...which made it more desirable than the Brazilian models.

Not that the Brazilian models were inferior in quality, but that they protected a country that most of us know very little about.

They remind me of the Model 28. No respect for them because the "real" one was the M1917. . .just like the real M28 was the M27. This creates a great window that has opportunity written all over it. Three years ago I got this Brazilian for $370. Last year I got this M28 for the same price which was nice because I got the 6 inch M28 the year before (again for the same price). I have this habit of stopping my offers at $400 OTD. With sales tax here that gets me a $370 plus tax gun. Of course, I replaced the grips on the Brazilian gun so I could shoot it. I wound up with $1200 OTD in all three guns, and probably can't double my money yet, but it's getting close.

Attached Images

	M1917 1937 Brazil After.jpg (109.0 KB, 97 views)
	M28-2 Pic 2.jpg (117.4 KB, 85 views)
	M28-2 6 Inch.jpg (100.8 KB, 83 views)

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Dr. B

I passed up many of them back in the '60's and '70's.
But did get this one for the wife because it is the only S&W that has her birth year stamped on it....

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

If it helps, there was a BEF (Brazilian Expeditionary Force) that fought with the US 5th Army in Italy. I'll bet they carried these revolvers!

Brazilian Involvement in WWII | The Classroom | Synonym

What jmace57 said! That is exactly why I prefer the first shipment of the 1937 stamped guns. . .good chance they were carried in WWII. One thing's for sure. . ."none" of the guns in the 1946 shipment served in WWII.

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Dr. B

I can remember when you could pick up an Outdoorsman and a Heavy Duty for a very reasonable price. And this state of affairs was approximately fifteen years ago. Then things changed. I picked up my pre-war Heavy Duty 5" for $450 nine years ago. If I was looking to buy it in 2016 I would probably be looking at a sale price somewhere past $750.00. Probably more like $800.00 and higher in certain markets. It was just a matter of time before the Brazilian models started commanding higher prices.

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I type. Therefore I am.

I regret not having bought a Brazilian when there first re-imported to the U.S. I remember that Navy Arms had ads in ShotGun News offering them in several grades, including refinished, I think Parkerized. The high grade guns were going for $200, if I remember. Kick, kick, kick. I finally bought one from Jim Supica's Old Town Station about 1996-1997, but didn't note what I paid. Well scratched, no rust, well worn and oiled checkered service stocks. Surprisingly good trigger pulls and shoots to the sights with factory hardball or equivalent handloads. I shoot it fairly often and how well it shoots surprises my friends with high-end 1911's.

People started hearing about Brazil's part in WWII...They declared war on the Axis, and Hitler mocked them, saying snakes would be smoking cigars before Brazillian troops fought in Europe. Well, they did, they did very well, and their shoulder patch was a Smoking Cobra.
They got some attitude, Adolf.

Brazilian Expeditionary Force - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Liberals made the USA

I was a 'back pocket FFL holder' in the 80's, and of course the 'bible' for that hobby was the weekly(?) issues of Shotgun News arriving in the mail (see, we somehow survived without the internet).
For a few of those years, there was constant ads for Brazilian M1937 revolvers for $150.
But, as mentioned, few wanted them. I sure didn't. For me and all acquaintances, it would've been a cheap old curiosity piece. We were into sinking money in 1911's and magnum revolvers.

Now, scan ahead a few decades, and we see that all of a sudden, they sorta fall into the 'sought after' column.
And for me, ever seeking justification for another S&W model, I ended up with one as a 'stand-in' shooter because I happened upon an absolutely pristine M1917. What could be better than a serviceable Brazilian for that?
Anyway, here's mine, parked at some point. Not much to look at, like alot of Brazilians, but a great shooter and field gun.

Attached Images

M1937Brazilian2.jpg (203.4 KB, 89 views)

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

I have some 45 Auto Rim brass and I'd love to load some for mine but have had no luck in finding a caseholder. I was told by Lyman that they quit making them years ago.
Jim

Mine is a RCBS. Check with them.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Or try Lee.

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You're shy a few manners.

The correct Lyman # is 14A. I found a new-old-stock one on ebay within a month after I put in a search.

The 38-40/44-40 has a rim almost exactly the same diameter as the 45 AR which Lyman still makes a shellholder for, #14B.

It takes about 5 minutes to modify if you have a Dremel tool using a thin carbide cut off wheel to deepen the rim pocket. Just remove a slight amount of metal under the shellholder lip until the 45 AR case fits.

It will still work for the 38-40/44-40 as well.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

When I first heard about the Brazilian Contract S&W I had no idea that Brazil had fought in WWII, I was pleased to hear about their WWII involvement. I've been told that many of the Brazilian pistols were simply shipped to importers in metal drums, part of the reason so many of them look as if they had taken a couple of revolutions in a cement mixer with a load of aggregate thrown in for good measure.

I as well arrived at the party a bit late, but was lucky enough last year just about the time I thought I wanted one this little gem came up for sale. She might not win any beauty contests but she sure does shoot. Didn't care for the mismatched stocks that she came with so I installed a pair of Walrus Ivories I had laying around and a Tyler, after this photo was taken. Happy as a clam I am.

The RCBS shell holder for .45 Auto Rim is number 8. I like a roll crimp with Auto Rim brass and some bullets. RCBS makes a seating and roll crimp die for the Auto Rim.

While I won't do this for a 1917 or Brazilian, I often load the Auto Rim with cast or swaged 250-255 grain lead bullets and Unique to approximate the muzzle velocity of the .45 Colt in more modern revolvers, such as 1950, 1955, Model 25 and Model 625 guns.

The hottest I would shoot in any pre-1950 .45 ACP revolver is standard pressure 230 grain ball or equivalent handloads, or lighter target ammo with 185 or 200 grain bullets.

Kinman is correct. The Brazilian 1917's were shipped to the USA from Brazil "dropped" loosely into barrels. That's why you'll find many of them with pristine blue finishes with deep scuffs versus carry wear. A few came in NIB, others with commercial grips, some even had lanyards.

Yes!! In the late 80's in lots of a dozen I was buying them for 90 and change from Davidsons. Sold a bunch I practically gave away trying to attract police into my uniform business. Condition ran from pathetic to very good. Only returned one for replacement that had a bulged barrel. I can't recall any being out of time or anything wrong mechanically. Most showed neglect and poor finish. A few had minor barrel pitting

Saw plenty the buyers for the lack of a better term sporterized or customised as many did with WW2 Mausers. They came in store to show them off often accompanied with some tall tales about the accuracy. At the time Numrich was selling new 1917 barrels at a good price and a few I saw were re-barreled. A few had trigger jobs and nearly all of them had fancy, rubber or stock N-frame grips. Some had them high polished blued and looked brand new.

I spent a good deal of time on the phone before I was aware of the internet. Trying to locate original Brazilian holsters but never found one.

Kicking myself today I only cherry picked two for myself. Wish I had kept a dozen or more for myself.







Below is one I traded away a couple years ago for a 38/44. It was arsenal re-blued by the Brazilians according to Davidson's costing me about 5 bucks more if I'm remembering correctly. The re-blued 1917's I got had the original grips replaced with some cheezy Taiwanese rubber grips.

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Dave

According to Davidson's salesman. The grips on this were Brazilian made replacements.

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Dave

Qmark, have you checked for a serial number inside the right grip? Some of the 1946 Brazilians came with WW I smooth grips. Does this one have the flat top?

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

A friend gave me this one about 30 years ago. I've shot it ever since.

Attached Images

S&W Brazil Contract .45 ACP.jpg (59.7 KB, 23 views)