FiremanRon
Member
I have a really clean 6 inch 1902 S&W 4 screw. I would like to know when she was made. I will try for pics this eve. Thanks
1902 38 spc question
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FiremanRon
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Forgot to add serial #. 30301
The 38 Hand Ejector, Model 1902 serial numbers ran from 20,976 to 33,803. All this model had a straight barrel without the barrel swell at the frame. They were only manufactured for 2 years, 1902 - 1903. One in nice shape is not only a scarce gun, but should be valued above the 1st Change or similar condition early Model 1905s. Post a picture if you can.
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FiremanRon
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If the trigger and hammer are blued like I think I see, the gun has been refinished. Hope that is not the case as it destroys collector value. Secondly, that gun has a barrel swell, like the 1902, 1st Change. Please check the serial number on the butt again and look for a number on the flat on the bottom of the barrel.
Muley Gil
US Veteran
Looks like a good shooter.
It appears the ejector rod has been changed and the front sight has been modified from a half moon into a serrated ramp.
It appears the ejector rod has been changed and the front sight has been modified from a half moon into a serrated ramp.
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FiremanRon
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Thank you all for your willingness to share your knowledge. The hammer and trigger are blued and there is no # on the underside of the barrel. There are serrations on the front sight. Replacement barrel? Thought she looked too good to be true.
DWalt
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I think you have a good idea now as to what it is. It probably does have a replacement barrel. I show three SNs on my list which bracket your #30301 fairly closely, all of them shipped in 1903.
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You got me thinking. I blew up the image and it appears that the gun had lost its mushroom shaped ejector rod knob and the threads were scrubbed off before the re-blue or a homemade cap was installed. The ejector rod knob on early M&Ps were given a case hardened finish for blued and nickeled finish for nickel guns and they were a separate piece and screwed into the rod. With the 1905-3rd Change, around #146,900, the rod and knob became one piece which was around 1909. No more lost knobs.
Upon further thought, I believe the barrel may be from the 1950s with an original serrated front sight from the era. The reason why the ejector rod knob was removed was because the barrel had no slots cut into the bottom to accommodate the knob.
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Gary, and others
If the barrel was really replaced, with one having a shoulder, then someone would have had to turn down and rethread the barrel itself. I've seen this movie before, and that is what has to be done. The shoulder on the barrel is, at least, the first change to the barrel, to accommodate the larger threaded diameter of 0.540, whereas the 1902, like the 1899, has a barrel thread diameter of 0.500 .
That serial number of 30301 should have been a 1902 no-change. As you noted, the barrel seems to have no notch for the ejector rod nob, so that same someone had to do something about that, to get the cylinder to close. Looks like they made up a new cap for the ejector rod. The gun does have the early lockwork, and it is a round butt.
All of this is too bad, because an original 1902 is a rare bird. If this were my gun, I'd take several steps, to confirm how much damage actually has been done. I'd swing the cylinder open, and measure the OD of the barrel where it projects into the cylinder window. If its anything less that 0.500, then its probably been rethreaded, as I suspect. If that is the case, then I'd remove the barrel to confirm the barrel OD.
If it's 0.500, then I'd remove the barrel, and set about finding a correct 1902 barrel, and also finding a proper nob. If I couldn't find one, I'd have one made. Not too difficult. I'd also try to remove that cap on the end of the extractor rod, to see if the upper half could be salvaged. If not, set about finding another one, or have one made.
Once I'd lined up all the necessary parts, I'd disassemble the gun, and soak the hammer and trigger in Naval Jelly, or something siimilar, to get the blue off.
When its all put back together, it'd be a decent example of a 1902.
Regards, Mike Priwer
If the barrel was really replaced, with one having a shoulder, then someone would have had to turn down and rethread the barrel itself. I've seen this movie before, and that is what has to be done. The shoulder on the barrel is, at least, the first change to the barrel, to accommodate the larger threaded diameter of 0.540, whereas the 1902, like the 1899, has a barrel thread diameter of 0.500 .
That serial number of 30301 should have been a 1902 no-change. As you noted, the barrel seems to have no notch for the ejector rod nob, so that same someone had to do something about that, to get the cylinder to close. Looks like they made up a new cap for the ejector rod. The gun does have the early lockwork, and it is a round butt.
All of this is too bad, because an original 1902 is a rare bird. If this were my gun, I'd take several steps, to confirm how much damage actually has been done. I'd swing the cylinder open, and measure the OD of the barrel where it projects into the cylinder window. If its anything less that 0.500, then its probably been rethreaded, as I suspect. If that is the case, then I'd remove the barrel to confirm the barrel OD.
If it's 0.500, then I'd remove the barrel, and set about finding a correct 1902 barrel, and also finding a proper nob. If I couldn't find one, I'd have one made. Not too difficult. I'd also try to remove that cap on the end of the extractor rod, to see if the upper half could be salvaged. If not, set about finding another one, or have one made.
Once I'd lined up all the necessary parts, I'd disassemble the gun, and soak the hammer and trigger in Naval Jelly, or something siimilar, to get the blue off.
When its all put back together, it'd be a decent example of a 1902.
Regards, Mike Priwer
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Mike, I think someone re-bored and threaded the frame to accept a post-WWII barrel. I blew up the cylinder window and see a barrel breech section inside the cylinder window is without threads and somehow looks too big for a 1/2" bore. I assume it is possible to re-thread the frame for a .560" barrel?? The front sight also looks totally factory with the serrations like Muley Gil pointed out.
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Gary
Yes - that would be the other way, but that weakens the web of the frame, which is the weakest part of the frame. It's easy enough to measure the OD of the breech end of the barrel, simply by wrapping a micrometer around the top strap of the frame with the cylinder open.
Mike Priwer
Yes - that would be the other way, but that weakens the web of the frame, which is the weakest part of the frame. It's easy enough to measure the OD of the breech end of the barrel, simply by wrapping a micrometer around the top strap of the frame with the cylinder open.
Mike Priwer
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