I just picked this up at a gun show recently. A Smith & Wesson .38 M&P revolver Model 1905 4th change chambered for the .38 Special. This is one of the earlier guns produced just before they started heat treating the cylinders.
Serial number is 2902xx and all the numbers match. This gun still has it's original checkered walnut medallion grips (in excellent condition) and are numbered to the gun. The grips would put the date of the gun sometime between 1915-1920.
This gun is a six-shot revolver, has a six-inch barrel, and fixed sights. It is a five-screw square-butt K-frame. The blued finish appears to be all original with no signs of rebluing. Just a few rust specks peeking through the bluing in a few places. One side of the cylinder has some minor pitting. The barrel does have some holster wear on the bluing and the 'brushed' appearance is evident. The chambers and bore are pristine and sharp! Doesn't look like this gun was used a whole lot. Probably spent a lot of time in a leather holster.
This is an earlier gun that has a couple of unusual features not seen on the later models. The ejector rod has the large mushroom knob on it and the underside of the barrel is cut deeper to allow clearance for it. The other feature is the 'hold open device' found inside the crane arm. There is a ball and spring inside the crane arm that locks into a small detent in the frame to hold the cylinder open. My very last photo shows this as I am holding the gun upside with the cylinder open. The 'hold open device' is what prevents the cylinder from falling back into the frame of the gun. I'm not sure when this was elimated but later production guns do not have it.
The markings on my gun are as follows:
- The underside of the barrel in front of the serial number by itself is the letter B, but that probably means a blued finish.
- Left side of the barrel is marked SMITH & WESSON
- Right side of the barrel is marked 38 S.&W. SPECIAL CTG
- Top of the barrel is marked SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS. U.S.A. PATENTED OCT.8.01.DEC.17.01.FEB.6.06.SEPT.14.09.DEC.29.14
There are no other markings anywhere on this gun. What is unusual the S&W trademark is not there along with the MADE IN U.S.A. I examined every part of this gun and there are no factory rework or rebluing markings anywhere. According to the SCSW3, it is not uncommon to find guns missing some of those markings.
The SCSW3 states that the square-butt frame for the 4th change is scarce and is worth about two times the value. Can anyone out there elaborate on this. I have seen a lot of square-butt K-frames out there. Personally, I don't think they are scarce at all. The prices out there don't seem to reflect on this.
There were over 750,000 of these revolvers made in the 4th change and finding one is not hard at all. Mine is an earlier one with checkered walnut gold medallions. You normally don't find these early ones very often. My gun is in almost excellent condition. Just that minor pitting on one side of the cylinder and some holster wear on the barrel are the only real detractments. I paid $440 for it from a gun dealer at a show.
Any comments out there!
jsmith
I am holding the gun upside down allowing the 'hold open device' to hold the cylinder in place.