Found Grandfather's Old Revolver

[TheRevBeefE]

Sorry about not having any pictures, it is quite late here and the lighting is bad. I found my grandfather's old revolver which he said was his uncle's who was a police officer in the 20's and 30's in Chicago.

It says 38 S. & W. Special CTG along the barrel, the barrel itself is 6 inches I believe if I measured it right. And the serial number is 3908xx. I'm not much of a gun guy but I tried to follow the instructions of the forum as best I can. I just want to know what the model is and if it has any value as a collectible.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[DWalt]

It's a Military and Police (M&P) model which shipped in the late 1921-early 1922 period. Most will have a square butt, some will have a rounded butt. It's value would depend greatly upon condition, but without a few good pictures, it's not possible to make an assessment of condition. Typical range $250-$400.

 

[P&R Fan]

Welcome to the Forum.
The Catalog says # 241,704 is from 1915. # 700,000 is from 1945, so it's somewhere in there.
I would imagine it is a Military and Police model. They didn't get model numbers until 1957. It then became the Model 10.
Jim

 

[Art Doc]

My guess would be a Military & Police Model from around 1920 +/-. S&W made millions of these, so while they are classic revolvers and great fun to shoot unless it's in absolutely pristine condition the monetary value is pretty low because they are so common. Like a few hundred dollars. As a keepsake it's priceless.

 

[TheRevBeefE]

Alright, I really appreciate the help, I'll probably just hold onto it for sentimental value as he just passed away, maybe something to give to my kids someday.

 

[pmhayden]

A priceless piece of family history from a unique historic period and place.

 

[opoefc]

If you really want to do the family a favor and make the gun a priceless heirloom, get in touch with the Chicago Police Dep't ( or what ever city police dept. your Great Great Uncle worked for ) and get all the info. on his service history.Did he get any awards? Did he have a shoot out with Al Capone? Get his picture in the papers? etc. etc. Maybe a picture of him in uniform with the gun, his badge number, etc. Get a S&W factory Historical letter telling when, where and to whom the gun was shipped, etc. Your descendants will honor you! Ed.

 

[Green Frog]

I'm with Ed on this... it would be a good thing (and probably interesting as well) to gather as much history right now as possible on your ancestor as well as the gun itself, and store it along with the gun to be passed on to future generations. As each generation passes on, the most interesting parts of their life can either be recorded, or lost... I much prefer recorded so future generations can enjoy and feel a connection with the family history. BTW, since you are "not a gun guy" it might be a good idea to have someone familiar with guns clean and oil the gun, at least on the outside, to preserve the current condition for those coming descendants. Oh yeah, welcome to the forum as well!

Froggie

 

[Rick_A]

Too many vintage guns get sold off to the first to bite and end up losing the real value which us the history and lineage behind it.

 

[Voyager28]

Totally agree with what was said above. Get all the history you can and honor both the gun and the man. Behind every LE gun was a real flesh and blood man who walked a beat, drove a patrol car and served his community.

I, for one, would really love to see pictures of it when you get the chance.

Bob

 

[Watchdog]

I'll probably just hold onto it for sentimental value as he just passed away, maybe something to give to my kids someday.

By all means, don't sell or trade the gun. If it had been in my family since the early part of the 20th Century, the word "probably" wouldn't even enter into the equation.

 

[TheRevBeefE]

I went ahead and took some pictures of the gun. I definitely like the idea of finding out about who my Great-Great Uncle was and where the gun came from and all of that. I have never really taken a liking to guns before but finding this is really cool and it may have sparked an interest in something I didn't know I had an interest in before. I want to thank you all for the information and your help. It's really appreciated

-Eric

 

[alde]

That's a nice old M&P. It may not be worth a lot of money but it's priceless as a family keepsake. It should be a good shooter too.

 

[DWalt]

It looks completely correct, and the wood grips are correct for that period. It is important that you keep the grips to preserve value of the revolver. It's still as good a .38 Special revolver as you can get today.

 

[NMPinNYC]

I went ahead and took some pictures of the gun. I definitely like the idea of finding out about who my Great-Great Uncle was and where the gun came from and all of that. I have never really taken a liking to guns before but finding this is really cool and it may have sparked an interest in something I didn't know I had an interest in before. I want to thank you all for the information and your help. It's really appreciated

-Eric

Also be sure to NOT store it in the holster. I suggest a wipe with a silicone cloth after handling the revolver, and store it in a silicone sock. Keep the holster separate so it does not adversely effect the finish on that handsome revolver.Keep safe with it, too.

 

[Voyager28]

I went ahead and took some pictures of the gun. I definitely like the idea of finding out about who my Great-Great Uncle was and where the gun came from and all of that. I have never really taken a liking to guns before but finding this is really cool and it may have sparked an interest in something I didn't know I had an interest in before. I want to thank you all for the information and your help. It's really appreciated

-Eric

You know, knowing where it came from and a little bit of the back story makes that one of the most beautiful revolvers I've ever laid eyes on. It just reeks of character.

If only it could talk.

Bob

 

[TNDave]

That is a very nice old gun. Very interesting too.

 

[DWalt]

You might also want to wax it occasionally. Johnson's paste wax works fine, or you can even use shoe polish or Turtle Wax.

 

[TheRevBeefE]

That was my next question in terms of polishing it up, good that got answered, I also think it's cool he got his initials on the side of the gun. J.J.O., definitely gives it some character. And I'll be sure to keep it out of the holster.

 

[mojave30cal]

Wow, he even has a nice pre-war H.H. Heiser holster too!