I have a 38 Special, hand ejection , 5 screw, 6 inch barrel, serial 221,6xx. I’ll attach a few photos. It appears to be mechanically sound except for during cleaning I noticed I could turn the barrel ever so slightly. The pin is in place and appears to be doing its job. The square grips do not match the serial number but the rest of the numbers match as does the assembly numbers on the yolk and frame. This revolver is new to me. My questions? Year made? Heat treatment? Safe to shoot? Load limitation?
1905?
- Thread starter nebraskan
- Start date
Looks like a nice shooter 38 Military & Police, 3rd Change, that would have likely shipped in 1913. These guns were made before hardened cylinders, but are plenty strong enough for any standard factory loads. Best to shoot lead since that was what the original M&P was designed for. Plated bullets tend to run higher pressures because copper has no lube properties unlike lead.
There is good and bad news about hardened cylinders and especially the early ones, prior to the 1930s. The hardened cylinders do have higher pressure ratings, but as the term implies, the steel also becomes more brittle and can suffer cracking with repeated high pressure loads. Good news is that I have never found any references to S&Ws blowing up with standard 17,000 psi max loads.
I would have the barrel tightened if you intend to shoot the gun much. If the barrel turns, so does the front sight and accuracy could suffer a great deal with even a small amount of play. A gunsmith can easily take care of the problem by either installing a barrel shim or turning the barrel and re-establishing the proper barrel/cylinder gap.
The stocks are from post--1980s and way too modern for this model revolver. Below is another 1913 shipped M&P Target with original factory stocks. These do show up on ebay regularly if you keep watching and are much more attractive option.
There is good and bad news about hardened cylinders and especially the early ones, prior to the 1930s. The hardened cylinders do have higher pressure ratings, but as the term implies, the steel also becomes more brittle and can suffer cracking with repeated high pressure loads. Good news is that I have never found any references to S&Ws blowing up with standard 17,000 psi max loads.
I would have the barrel tightened if you intend to shoot the gun much. If the barrel turns, so does the front sight and accuracy could suffer a great deal with even a small amount of play. A gunsmith can easily take care of the problem by either installing a barrel shim or turning the barrel and re-establishing the proper barrel/cylinder gap.
The stocks are from post--1980s and way too modern for this model revolver. Below is another 1913 shipped M&P Target with original factory stocks. These do show up on ebay regularly if you keep watching and are much more attractive option.
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Thank you Glowe, especially for detailing the barrel fix. I’m guessing this gun had been loved by someone before I got it in an auction. I saw the stocks were not right but they feel pretty good and I’m happy they were wood. They are stamped with a K in addition of a serial number.
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