Any Info?

[walk soft]

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I inherited this pistol recently.I was informed that it is a "terrier" probably made 1939-1941 by a regular on this forum.He suggested I check here for any additional info.The number on the bottom of the grip is 50197.Thanks for any replies.

 

[lowhog]

Hi,The gun was refinished.The grips are a poor fit. But on the up side,If it shoots good it will make you a nice little carry gun.

 

[opoefc]

Yes, the gun is a Terrier Model made just before WW2 in .38S&W caliber. It is built on the .32 Hand Ejector Regulation Police "I" frame, round butt, 5 screw, with a 2 in. barrel. Your gun has been refinished at least once and has after market plastic stag grips, however as a family heirloom it's sentimental value tops it's intrinsic value as a shooter. It's also a great night stand home protection gun. Ed.

 

[03Fatboy]

Just curious what you guys are seeing that tells us it has been refinished. Thanks

 

[DCWilson]

The full model name is .38/32 Terrier, and that is what you would have seen on the label on the box it came in. This model was introduced in 1936 and was numbered in the .38 Regulation Police series. In a sense, this model is just a .38 Regulation Police with a 2" barrel instead of 4", and a round butt instead of the larger Regulation Police square butt. It is the design precursor of the Chiefs Special that came along about 1950.

I'd think this gun might have shipped as early as 1938.

Nice early specimen. In the mid 1930s S&W decided there was a potential market for .38 snubbies, and they introduced a 6-shot version on the K frame and this 5-shot version on the I frame. The K-frame gun chambered .38 Special, and the I-frame chambered .38 S&W. After the war they tinkered with the design and dimensions of the small-frame gun to let it take .38 Special as well. In the 1950s the Terrier and the Chiefs Special lived side by side for a while, but the Chief's Special eventually won out -- a little more power in close to the same size package.

Leaving out the top-break models, some of which had similar dimensions, the Terrier was the most compact .38 that S&W ever made.

 

[DCWilson]

Just curious what you guys are seeing that tells us it has been refinished. Thanks

Slightly rounded corners on the frame; they should be sharper. Visible shadow line at the sideplate/frame boundary indicates edges have been polished down. And vertical striations on sideplate show the direction of polish. This could have been just a frame reblue; the cylinder looks as though it might be original to my eyes.

Because of the lighting I can't tell if the hammer and trigger were blued, but they sure don't show any evidence of case coloring, which would have been the factory finish

 

[Green Frog]

Slightly rounded corners on the frame; they should be sharper. Visible shadow line at the sideplate/frame boundary indicates edges have been polished down. And vertical striations on sideplate show the direction of polish. This could have been just a frame reblue; the cylinder looks as though it might be original to my eyes.

Because of the lighting I can't tell if the hammer and trigger were blued, but they sure don't show any evidence of case coloring, which would have been the factory finish

In addition, the upper edges of the S&W logo on the side plate have what I can only describe a slightly smeared look, which I have come to associate with repolishing, and the color, even though a photo, just doesn't look right. I wasn't going to mention it, but I noticed it too!

Froggie

PS All of that being said, I heartily agree with the poster who said it would make "a nice little carry gun," and I would be very happy to carry it myself. I'm guessing somebody had a rework done some time in the '50s or '60s with polish and reblue and a set of Jay Scott, Fitz, or other aftermarket grips. Collector value may have suffered, but utility is still there, just the way I like it!

 

[walk soft]

Thanks Guys!I don't care too much about it's value.None the less I'd like to find the original grips for it.

 

[bgrafsr]

I agree on it being refinished, but to my eyes, I can see what I think is color case hardening on the top of the trigger near the frame, and on the hammer too. Irregardless, it is what it is, and being an heirloom makes it special.

 

[DCWilson]

Thanks Guys!I don't care too much about it's value.None the less I'd like to find the original grips for it.

You are looking for round-butt I-frame checkered walnut service stocks with silver medallions. This isn't a Terrier, but these are the stocks you want. If you can find them with a five-digit serial number between about 44000 and 54000 pressed into the inner surface of the right panel, they are pretty certain to have started life on a .38/32 Terrier.