38 Special CTG??

[chhayah]

I have a 38 special CTG that I am having trouble determining exactly what it is. The serial number on the butt is 08_ _ _. The gun is nickel with pearl handles and has a 5in. barrel. The right side of the barrel has "38 S & W. Special CTG". The left side has "SMITH & WESSON". The patent and address information is on top of the barrel and dec 29.14 is the last date. The other serial number is the same but has what looks to be a 5 but I guess is a S??? The gun was evidently used in the Korean War, but that is about all I know about it. I have looked in the Blue Book and just can't find anything that matches the serial number range??? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Art Doc]

CTG means cartridge.

Info provided is very scant but the serial should not start with a zero. Very possible there's a letter S prefix.

My guess based on the extremely limited info provided is that it's a 1905 4th Model Hand Ejector Military & Police Model made between 1947-1948 (assuming the presence of the S prefix).

Could be blue or nickel with 4, 5 & 6" barrels most common.

Does it look something like this?

 

[chhayah]

Yea, sorry about the limited info. but I just recently got this pistol and have never researched guns this much. I have found a new interest for sure, but am just not sure how to determine what it is. The numbers on the butt of the gun match the numbers under the barrel but the numbers under the barrel appear to have a S or 5 in front of them. Too me it looks like 508_ _ _, where the butt of the gun lacks the first digit. The butt of the gun doesn't appear to have any markings showing an attempt to remove the number. I don't know, I will keep researching and hopefully find something. Thanks for the help.

 

[Art Doc]

S&W generally didn't use zero at the beginning. Serial 123 was not 0123 but just 123.

Still sounds like a M&P Model. Serial 508XXX would be from the late 1920s. The S prefix was added at the end of WWII but the numbers would be in the 900,000 range, not 500,000.

It's very possible the gun has been refinished (Are the hammer and trigger nickel plated? if so, sure sign of refinish as S&W never plated these) and the serial stamping partially buffed away.

 

[smith17]

ch:
You aren't reading the number upside down, are you? It has happened before.
Ed

 

[chhayah]

Just talked to Roy at Smith and Wesson. He said that the serial numbers including the 5 make it a 1925 model. He said that he didn't have an explanation for the missing number on the butt of the gun but that it did happen occasionally that one would be misstamped. The gun is original finish. the numbers are imbedded so to remove one would take some serious work that would be noticeable, I guess unless it had been refinished and the number filled in. The numbers on the underneath of the barrel match with the number on the back of the cyclinder so save to say probably that the number there is correct.

Saxon you were on the money. Thanks for the help.

 

[tukalagullah]

Hello All!

I have a S&W .38 Special CTG number on the bottom of the grip is V17649 number inside the loading area is G159207. Can someone tell me the year this gun was made? I believe it is nickel plated (looks like chrome) the handle is white with dark blueish markings on it. Fixed sights. Cannot remember patton dates. any help is appreciated!!

 

[Art Doc]

You should start a new thread.

The V serial makes it a Victory Model made around 1942-43. Two basic versions are a 4" model in 38 S&W Special for U.S. sales and a 5" model in 38 S&W (No Special) for Great Britain.

It's been refinished so it has no collector value. Assuming the gun works OK they bring $200-$300 as shooters. The 38 Special version is worth a bit more because the 38 S&W caliber is expensive to shoot if you don't load your own ammo.

 

[jallen26t]

& W 38 Special

We too have a gun like this. It has the dates on the top of the gun barrel. On the butt of the gun are stamped the numbers 283462. On the cylinder of the gun are the same numbers. The hand grips have a rounded top with the insignia of S&W on the grips at the top. We would like to know when this gun was manufactured.
S&W 38 Special CTG

 

[Stillmeellen]

I have a similar gun I'm having trouble with

It's a S&W .38 special ctg and on the neck it says w9 and then a4 digit serial number starting with a 4. Any insight. I can't register it without model #. It was my grandfathers.

 

[DCWilson]

We too have a gun like this. It has the dates on the top of the gun barrel. On the butt of the gun are stamped the numbers 283462. On the cylinder of the gun are the same numbers. The hand grips have a rounded top with the insignia of S&W on the grips at the top. We would like to know when this gun was manufactured.
S&W 38 Special CTG

Sorry I didn't see this post at the time it appeared. You have a Model of 1905 .38 Military & Police. It was probably shipped in late 1917, but could have sat on the shelf in inventory for a couple of years more. In late 1917 and through 1918 the company was almost completely given over to producing the .45 caliber Model of 1917 under military contract.

 

[DCWilson]

It's a S&W .38 special ctg and on the neck it says w9 and then a4 digit serial number starting with a 4. Any insight. I can't register it without model #. It was my grandfathers.

Welcome to the forum. What you are describing are process control numbers. Look on the butt of the gun for a longer number, perhaps with a letter prefix, and tell us what that is. You may see the same number on the flat underside of the barrel and on the rear face of the cylinder.

S&W revolvers did not have Model numbers until 1957, but earlier guns had distinctive model names. With the right serial number we can probably tell you what you have.

A photo would help too, but in the absence of one, tell us if this is a five-shot or six-shot revolver, and how long the barrel is; measure from the muzzle to front of cylinder. And does it have sights that are screw adjustable for windage and elevations, or is the rear sight just a groove in the frame?

 

[Stillmeellen]

Can you look at my post and tell me about my pistol. I think it's a pre model 19 kframe 4 digit serial number starting with a 4 and also stamped w9 above it. The rest of the markings are the same as his

 

[DCWilson]

Can you look at my post and tell me about my pistol. I think it's a pre model 19 kframe 4 digit serial number starting with a 4 and also stamped w9 above it. The rest of the markings are the same as his

Check my post no. 12, directly above your last post.

It won't be a pre-19 because the 19 was issued in .357 Magnum, not .38 Special. We can figure out what you have, but see if you can answer some of the questions I posed.

 

[murphydog]

We too have a gun like this. It has the dates on the top of the gun barrel. On the butt of the gun are stamped the numbers 283462. On the cylinder of the gun are the same numbers. The hand grips have a rounded top with the insignia of S&W on the grips at the top. We would like to know when this gun was manufactured.
S&W 38 Special CTG

More than likely in the mid-1920s, assuming there is no letter prefix...

 

[Stillmeellen]

David

I see now. 5 digit. K which I assume is K Frame. 84433. Sights have screws. Barrel is 5 inches.

 

[DCWilson]

I see now. 5 digit. K which I assume is K Frame. 84433. Sights have screws. Barrel is 5 inches.

OK, that's a K-38 Masterpiece that probably shipped in 1950. Most of these at that time had 6" barrels, but a model called the Combat Masterpiece had just been introduced that had a 4" barrel.

Did you measure the barrel from the muzzle to the face of the cylinder? That's the proper length of the barrel, which includes the threaded part that goes through the frame. There were a very few 5" K-38s manufactured in the mid-1950s, but I suspect you have a six-inch barrel.

This model was introduced in early 1948. It became known as the Model 14 when S&W adopted model numbers in 1958.

 

[bpseal]

Smith and Wesson CTC .38 Special Pete Palmer

David, from seeing your many posts about S&W .38 specials, I recently inherited my great-grandfathers police issue(we believe) .38 special. It has a serial of C 219240 on the butt and the same can be said for the cartridge holder. Can you tell me more about my gun? Thank you!

 

[murphydog]

Welcome to the Forum. C 219240 would be a .38 Military & Police, later named the model 10, probably shipped in 1951. These came with a 2, 4, 5 or 6" barrel, measured from the muzzle to the cylinder face. Hope this is helpful.

 

[glowe]

Jallen26t

More than likely in the mid-1920s, assuming there is no letter prefix...

Originally Posted by jallen26t
We too have a gun like this. It has the dates on the top of the gun barrel. On the butt of the gun are stamped the numbers 283462.

According to the database, 284xxx was shipped in 1918 and a 279xxx was shipped in 1917, so I agree with David that yours was made during WWI.