38/200 British Service Revolver

[rdjohnson37064]

My Dad left me his revolver and in trying to find out a bit of history on it, I made an inquiry to S&W and received a response from Roy Jinks. Mr. Jinks tells me that this revolver is .38/200 British Service Model (S/N 729719) that was shipped from the factory on 1/20/1941 and delivered to the British Purchasing Commission Commission in NYC.

He also tells me that the gun was shipped with a 5 inch barrel, butt swivel, blue finish, and walnut grips. The gun now has a 3" barrel, nickel finish, cheap plastic grip, and no butt swivel. Also, it has been converted to .38 Special.

My question is would this be worth restoring? What would it cost me? I've been advised not to shoot the gun but I have in the past and seem to remember a lot of fire coming out around the cylinder.

 

[rdjohnson37064]

My Dad left me his revolver and in trying to find out a bit of history on it, I made an inquiry to S&W and received a response from Roy Jinks. Mr. Jinks tells me that this revolver is .38/200 British Service Model (S/N 729719) that was shipped from the factory on 1/20/1941 and delivered to the British Purchasing Commission Commission in NYC.

He also tells me that the gun was shipped with a 5 inch barrel, butt swivel, blue finish, and walnut grips. The gun now has a 3" barrel, nickel finish, cheap plastic grip, and no butt swivel. Also, it has been converted to .38 Special.

My question is would this be worth restoring? What would it cost me? I've been advised not to shoot the gun but I have in the past and seem to remember a lot of fire coming out around the cylinder.

 

[digi-shots]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm not sure about current value, but it does sound like an interesting & old early "war horse". Many have been converted since WWII.

I'm sure when the gun was refinished/nickled many of the original markings could have been removed. If you look closely you still might see some of them..... look along the frame topstrap (just above the cylinder) and also on the backstrap near the top of the grips and the butt of the gun.

Post some pics of it if you can!

 

[reddogge]

I'd say it's worth more as a family memento than a restorable piece.

 

[Bell Charter Oak Holsters]

RD;

First of all, welcome to the Forum!

Several of us have a particular interest in the British Service Revolvers, so I suspect in addition to the responses you have received thus far, others will offer their comments.

Many of these revolvers were unfortunately, "converted" by British firms, perhaps most notably, Cogswell & Harrison. At the time the prevailing wisdom was to do this in order to dispose of war surplus. For a variety of reasons, the "conversions" were ineffective, perhaps even unsafe in retrospect. It is regrettable but, at the time no one considered the future historical relevance of a revolver that was produced in enormous quantities, chambered in a cartridge (.38 S&W) which held little appeal to U.S. consumers.

That being said, the potential restoration in my opinion, would be far more expensive than it's value. As an aside, since your Dad left this revolver to you, why not leave it as it is, as he owned it? It's value is sentimental, that's all. Beyond cleaning it and perhaps finding a better quality pair of grips, a safety inspection by a qualified gunsmith is good advice if you intend to shoot it. Stick with low pressure loads and no +P ammunition.

You have what we refer to in good humour as, a BBQ or Pimp gun. Maybe a pair of pearl stocks would finish her off just right for the next round of brisket! The history is interesting, hang on to that and your Dad's memory!

Happy Holidays!

 

[rdjohnson37064]

Thanks for all the great replys to this question. I appreciate the advice and think my best bet is to appreciate the piece as my Dad left it. He was no collector and probably never fired the gun over a dozen times in his life. I can live with it that way.