Crucelegui Hermanos .38 S&W copy

[obteene]

hello gents, new here. I recently had a freind offer to sell me his Smith and Wesson spanish made .38 copy from the turn of the 20th century for a hundred buckaroos. Its in pretty solid condition, however the only drawback is that I don't really know jack about these Crucelegui Bro's other than the fact that they now produce bench tools and whatnot. Does anyone here have any eye-opening info on these spanish made copies and if the revolver is worth the $100?

btw, apparently it fires .38 specials....go figure

 

[obteene]

bump. anyone think its worth the benjamin price tag? I hear they're unique/ possible collector

 

[A10]

Not much of a collector value on this forum, and I can't say as I've seen a S&WCopies forum yet! I'd say a hunnerd is about top dollar, this one looks like she's been rode hard. I sure would love to hear the stories the old gal could tell!

A local pawn shop has a spanish copy for 130 or so, and it's in pretty nice shape. I thought about picking it up just for a conversation piece.

Best of luck to you on whatever you decide!

 

[opoefc]

99.9 % of Spanish made S&W copies are, at the best, wall hangers. The materials in the guns are poor quality, parts are unobtainable, mechanical operation is questionable, etc. Save your $100 for a down payment on a real S&W ! Ed.

 

[obteene]

it is steel framed btw. Also, how far off, in appearance, is this piece compared to a real model 10?

 

[Iggy]

Looks like it held up long enough to git used some.

 

[A10]

it is steel framed btw. Also, how far off, in appearance, is this piece compared to a real model 10?

It's close enough to fool a casual observer. It looks to be based on a prewar M&P.

 

[Texas Star]

it is steel framed btw. Also, how far off, in appearance, is this piece compared to a real model 10?

Go up to the correct forum here and compare them. Bear in mind that slight cosmetic details have varied over the years, so look at the 1920's era posts and photos. Or those from the WWII era. I know we have some current photos there of the British .38-200 guns. Other than caliber, those are normal M&P's.

Model numbers did not appear until 1957.

Of course your frame is iron or steel! Light alloys weren't used yet, nor was stainless steel. (In firearms.)

The best Spanish copies look VERY like an S&W M&P. They have really good machining and are sometimes finished well. But the lettering is different, unless the gun is an outright fake, rather than just a copy.

I'd offer a maximum of $25 for this gun, as a wall hanger. It isn't even in very good condition. You can buy a real M&P .38 for about $250-300, in nice condition. If you want it for outdoors use, buy the stainless version, M-64. Just maintain it well; stainless isn't totally rust resistant and you need to lube the gun right and clean it after firing, wipe off fingerprints, etc. But stainless steel is much more forgiving of damp or salty climates.

 

[Sebago Son]

Would make a great brother-in-law-loaner.

Other than that, I'd pass at any price.

 

[GatorFarmer]

I would shoot it. The 38 SW -not special - is loaded pretty mild. I have seen copies sell for more. I am not sure why there is such a negative reaction currently. Many forum members have shown off their copies in the past. If you are worried about it pull the trigger with a string the first few times.

 

[obteene]

Bit the bullet and picked 'er up. It has a nice, heavy feel to it, definately stainless steel by the shine, feel, weight, and its resistance to 90 years of corrosion.

Had it inspected by a gunsmith, we even shot a couple rounds off out back following a nice clean. Double action mech worked like a dream. Accuracy was iffy past 25 yards but it shot every time. cylinder rotated without resistance.

Looking forward to shooting it more thoroughly later today, will let you guys know more then.

 

[haggis]

Good that you got what you wanted, and I hope it works well for you. Just don't push it too hard. Assuming that it is .38 Special, target wadcutters will be fairly mild.

Just so you know, there were no stainless firearms available anywhere in that time frame. It is either a nickel plate or aftermarket chrome plating. I can't see the pics well enough to judge. I'm leaning toward nickel.

Buck

 

[feralmerril]

I doubt it`s stainless steel though.

 

[Texas Star]

I doubt it`s stainless steel though.

Merrill-

Stainless was first used in handguns by S&W, in 1965. It was a big deal at the time.

 

[walnutred]

Congratulations on your purchase but I think you'll find that you have bought what we call a "gateway gun". In other words, a cheap introduction to shooting and possibly worst addictions. You mentioned that the pistol functioned well but did not shoot accurately at 25 yards. Next time you look at any handgun you'll be asking yourself, "I wonder if THAT handgun shoots better at 25 yards?". Or "I wonder if a REAL S&W would shoot better than this Spanish copy." That's how the addiction that led many of us here started.

Next you might find yourself thinking "There has to be a cheaper way to get ammo or a way to get more accurate ammo." There is, it's called reloading. We have a forum here for those of us with that affliction as well.

So welcome to the forum, and enjoy your new purchase. If the mechanics are as good ar you gunsmith says I'd probably have dropped a C note on it as well. Based on previous posts I expect ther are others here who would have done the same.

 

[linde]

I would shoot it. The 38 SW -not special - is loaded pretty mild. . .

Assuming that it is .38 Special, target wadcutters will be fairly mild. . .

If it's like my ALFA Spanish copy, it's chambered for .38 Long . . . which is also know an .38 Long Colt and (in S&Ws) U.S. Service Cartridge. And, if like mine, it'll chamber a .38 Special. Mine won't chamber the "fatter" .38 S&W (.38/200).

Like others, I would stay with the very lightly-loaded variety of whatever it's chambered for . . . see side of barrel.

Russ

 

[mkk41]

Spanish counterfiets run the line from fairly decent to absolute junk. These are definately a revolver I would NOT use +P ammo in. GUNS magazine just did an article on a Spanish copy of a Triple Lock that showed very high quality.

 

[feralmerril]

I am well aware smith didnt build stainless guns until the model 60 until 1965. I bought the first one I saw. That why I said I doubted the spanish copy that is a antique could be stainless steel. In fact far as I know smith was the very first to build a all stainless gun.
I was answering obteens statement on post 11: "definately stainless steel by the shine, feel, weight, and its resistance to 90 years of corrosion."