This was buried in a closet along with two other pistols. One pistol, RG 14LR, rusted all the way through. The other, a nickel finished Smith and Wesson with Gold accents, was also found. I imagine he placed it in a closet 60 years ago and possibly forgot it even existed as he was disgusted at the though of guns. Not sure what it is but i wonder if it will still go bang.
.38 found in Grandpa closet
- Thread starter TexasBoy832
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Unfortunately I can't read the serial # off the butt. If it matches the one under the barrel and the one on the rear of the cylinder that means the gun is pretty much original. A lot can be told from the general configuration but if you could post the serial number (or if somebody better than me can read it off the photos) somebody here will be able to tell you pretty closely to when it was made. If you get real curious you could order a letter from the S&W Historical Society and they can tell you to who it was shipped and when. It appears from what I can see to be in quite decent shape. Unless there is something wrong with it that is not obvious it should be safe to shoot with modern .38 special (not +P) ammunition.
This is the Military and Police model .38. It's been refinished and was possibly blue originally. If that's the case, it has no collector value. Before shooting I would have a local gunsmith look at it, but more than likely it's going to be fine to shoot.
That would date it to approximately 1945.
It's definitely been refinished, so no collector value in that one. If the cylinder play is within spec, the lock work functions correctly, and if the chambers and/or bore are not rusted, I expect it would be a good shooter. Given it's date of manufacture, as in it was made before S&W went the model number system, I would not shoot a lot of +P ammo through it.
Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! You have a WWII Pre-Victory Military & Police hand ejector. Made in 1942 just before the V series Victories were introduced. As others have noted, it has been refinished in nickel. These .38 M&P's are robust and are fully capable of handling any commercial pressure ammo, including +P because when this gun was made, +P was standard pressure.
DWalt
Member
It is highly unlikely to have been factory plated. The SN suggests it is from mid-1942.
Welcome to the Forum.
I don't see a "B" serial number prefix stamped under the barrel. The lack of a "B" on a pre WW II revolver generally indicates it shipped with a nickel finish, though could have changed this late in the early 1940s production.
I don't see a "B" serial number prefix stamped under the barrel. The lack of a "B" on a pre WW II revolver generally indicates it shipped with a nickel finish, though could have changed this late in the early 1940s production.
Gil, this gun was likely made as a military gun. It would not have been blued.
I don't see a filled lanyard loop hole. It may have been one of the last civilian market revolvers. Only a letter can confirm this.
I qualified my response about the "B" because of the wartime changes.
Welcome to the Forum, TexasBoy832! Although the wartime .38 M&P that you inherited from your Grandpa is not rare and may not have much collector value, it does have some value. Probably ~$300. It should be a reliable shooter if it's OK mechanically.
BTW: The RG 14 you also received is a German-made (Rohm) "Saturday Night Special". One of these revolvers was used by Hinckley to try to assassinate Pres. Ronald Reagan. These cheap little .22 revolvers were made in Germany prior to 1968, and later manufactured by Rohm in Miami, FL. We inherited a nickel 3" bbl. RG-14 (ca. 1978) years ago from my wife's grandfather and then passed it along to our young nephew. It was an OK shooter and a good beginner revolver. They have little value.
BTW: The RG 14 you also received is a German-made (Rohm) "Saturday Night Special". One of these revolvers was used by Hinckley to try to assassinate Pres. Ronald Reagan. These cheap little .22 revolvers were made in Germany prior to 1968, and later manufactured by Rohm in Miami, FL. We inherited a nickel 3" bbl. RG-14 (ca. 1978) years ago from my wife's grandfather and then passed it along to our young nephew. It was an OK shooter and a good beginner revolver. They have little value.
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