EARLY TRANSITION 38/44 HEAVY DUTY

[1Aspenhill]

I RECENTLY ACQUIRED THIS VERY EARLY 4 INCH BLUE 38/44 TRANSITION HEAVY DUTY. SERIAL NUMBER S62825 WAS SHIPPED ON 8 JULY 1946 TO SUTCLIFFE HARDWARE CO. LOUISVILLE, KY. THIS IS THE EARLIEST SHIP DATE THAT I KNOW OF FOR HEAVY DUTIES. THE GENTLEMAN THAT I PURCHASED IF FROM STATED THAT HIS FATHER HAD BOUGHT IT NEW. THE GUN IS ALL MATCHING AND IS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE FOR A 66 YEAR OLD! IT DOES HAVE SOME BLUE WEAR IN THE NORMAL SPOTS AND SHOWS STORAGE WEAR ALSO. WHEN I TOOK THE SIDEPLATE OFF, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT IT HAD NOT BEEN OFF SINCE THE FACTORY PUT IT ON AND WAS PRETTY CLEAN. I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT, I AM!

 

[DAinTX]

That's REALLY nice! Congrats.

 

[DCWilson]

Very nice! July 8 was a Monday in 1946. I see the date July 11 for a couple of other Transitional HDs in the data base, and I have one that shipped to Chicago on July 18. It looks as though dozens if not hundreds of others might have shipped that month as well. There must have been quite an order backlog by the time the first ones went to the shipping dock.

I wonder if we will ever find a HD that shipped in the four business days of the first week of July 1946. If one turns up, I bet Bill will find it first!

 

[dewey]

I like the look and feel of the smooth backstrap, Bill.

 

[bettis1]

David and Bill,

Transition HD number S 63637 (already in your DB I think, Bill) shipped on July 19, 1926 to Edward Tryon Co., Philadelphia, PA.

David, it looks like your assumption of lots of them going out that month is correct.

Interestingly, I have a .44 Third Model (1926) post war (6.5"bbl !) just a couple of hundred numbers earlier that shipped July 18, 1946 to Chicago. More evidence that the .38's and .44's were both on the production lines at the same time.

Bob

 

[ringo1597]

Bill, very nice find.

Larry R. SWCA 2494

 

[PH-2]

I opine that it's just right.

Thank-You for sharing your treasure,
Mike

 

[Checkman]

Very nice find. Congratulations and thanks.

 

[SDH]

Kinda a bull dog look, eh?
I like it!

 

[oksws]

Outstanding! I'll take two....PLEASE!

 

[dacoontz]

Great gun Bill. I like those medallions in the early style grips. I recently found a set that are in the 60,000 range and have those same type of medallions. The S&W is a tad fancier in these earlier magnas, as you probably noticed.

 

[The Gila Bender]

Nice early HD Bill. I'm on the hunt for post-war S61xxx and S62xxx serial numbers. My earliest post-war N frame is S63104, a 5" 44 HE 3rd model shipped July 19, 1946 to JS Oshman Sporting Goods in Houston, TX. Got it a couple years ago from Lee.

Now I am curious. Has there been a forum discussion and documentation of when S&W started shipping post war N frames to non-military customers?

 

[1Aspenhill]

Tom,
All the 61000 serial numbers were shipped pre war. Pre war cut off was in the 62335 range. Earliest post war serial number for HDs is S62496. N frame shipments began in early July 46.
Hope this helps.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[SDH]

3rd Mdl .44 #S68885 shipped August 1946. Sure do like these early N frames!

 

[Willeys]

Very nice find. Do you plan on shooting it or keeping it as is?
Enjoy.

 

[1Aspenhill]

I'm going to leave it like it is and shoot it!

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Very nice Bill. I am envious!

 

[1Aspenhill]

Pete
I'm sure you have one like this!
Bill

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Mine is nice, but not like yours!

You are really going in for those transitions. Change in focus or just a new avenue to explore?

 

[ar15ed]

great find! the 4-inchers must be pretty scarce, especially that early. beautiful gun!!!

ed

 

[1Aspenhill]

ar15ed,
Yes, it is the earliest shipped HD I've seen but it appears that the 4 inch HD was the most popular barrel length post war.
bill

 

[vilhelm]

Great find.

I wonder if your impressions as a 38/44 newbie are similar to mine.

I picked up one recently off of a gun auction. It was marked as a Model 10.

Never having held one it was a bit of a shock to pick up that beast!!!

What an amazing trigger!

BTW
yours is prettier than mine

Smith & Wesson Model 10 38 Special SPL 4" Barrel : Revolvers at GunBroker.com

 

[dacoontz]

Great find.

I wonder if your impressions as a 38/44 newbie are similar to mine.

I picked up one recently off of a gun auction. It was marked as a Model 10.

Never having held one it was a bit of a shock to pick up that beast!!!

What an amazing trigger!

BTW
yours is prettier than mine

Smith & Wesson Model 10 38 Special SPL 4" Barrel : Revolvers at GunBroker.com

Wow, what a steal. That guy had no clue what he was selling. You didn't realize this when you posted but AspenHill is the resident expert on 38/44's so he'll be excited to get the info on your pistol in his database. It appears to also be a very early transitional model.

 

[vilhelm]

Daniel,

I told him that he erred but it was a pawn shop. He acquired it a next to nothing and was happy to sell it at a huge profit.

The Catalog says 1946-47.

the serial # is S65704

 

[1Aspenhill]

Vilhelm,
I think yours is very nice! your gun was shipped in Jul 1946 most likely.
Thanks,
Bill

 

[dacoontz]

Daniel,

I told him that he erred but it was a pawn shop. He acquired it a next to nothing and was happy to sell it at a huge profit.

The Catalog says 1946-47.

the serial # is S65704

Well, even better. You are a good man to fill him in on that. The purchase was well deserved.

 

[DCWilson]

Vilhelm, welcome to the Heavy Duty fan club! I agree that with that serial number you are probably looking at another July 1946 gun. But we cannot be completely sure because S&W did not follow a policy of shipping in serial number order. Records show that HDs in the S62xxx through S68xxx range were shipped in July, but other guns in that range were known to have shipped in 1947 and even 1948. Only a letter will answer that question.

N-frame .38s are fascinating revolvers. If you think of them as .38s, they seem laughably huge. When you shoot them, even the hottest .38 special loads seem as tame as .32 Longs in a smaller gun. The fixed sight guns are very accurate. For the ultimate .38 Special range trip, get your hands on a .38/44 Outdoorsman -- same frame, but with target sights and a 6.5 inch barrel.

 

[vilhelm]

Aspenhill,

I looked at your site while waiting for my purchase to arrive. When an expert like you puts forth information it is a gift.

 

[vilhelm]

I am such a K-Frame fan it is a little hard for me to warm up to the N frame.

But the trigger is AMAZING

 

[Mr Pokeyman]

Was there a cartridge specifically made for the those guns or were they just a pre-38 + P, a hot load? Or were they just a N frame 38?