Got My Eyes On A Model 38...Need Help!

[snubbiefan]

I am eying a model 38 (38-special shrouded-hammer AirLite). I believe it can be had for a tad less than $300, but I have some questions.

I am confused as to the cylinder and barrel. Was this model equipped with a coated stainless barrel and cylinder, or blued steel? I was looking at it while dealing on some other guns and should have taken more than mental notes, so I do not have the serial number to reference anything from. It does have rubber boot-grips, but they could have been added somewhere along the line, or this may be the grips that came with the gun in that particular model year.

I actually think the gun is butt-ugly, but $300 may be a pretty good price. There is absolutely hardly any center-pin trail in the recoil shield, which also intrigued me a bit. Either this gun was made from good stuff....or rarely opened.

Any help with some facts and pricing on this gun would be appreciated.

 

[Old cop]

Not much info here but I own a M38 from '62 and it still shoots great. These models are made with an blued aluminum frame and a steel barrel & cylinder. They are great concealment guns - I carried mine as a b/u weapon during my LEO days.

 

[hawgleg]

But after you buy it for that great price it will be plum purdy looking to you. Great pocket carry gun.

 

[snubbiefan]

Well...hawg....I will just have to carry it side-by-side with my 640 I guess.

I have ran across something somewhere that indicated some of these things actually had SS cylinders (may be the new models only). If it's just an old run-of-the-mill AirLite...no thanks. I have had my fill of "recent" AirLites. This one is just simply an older model and I was curious.....and still am. I could likely get it for $275.

 

[photoman]

The Model 38 is an Airweight, not an AirLite, and is well worth $275 if in good condition.

 

[hawgleg]

snubbiefan Well...hawg....I will just have to carry it side-by-side with my 640 I guess.

But that's why you have two front pockets.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

Snubbiefan:

I finally decided on a Model 38 and let 3 get by me before I bought a pristine Model 38 (no dash) off of Gunbroker for $299.00 ($35.00 ship/handling). Gee, the front sight is awfully narrow, as is the rear sight notch - S&W finally fixed this in the 38-2 edition. I've already mounted a set of CT 405 Lasergrips and am waiting to get to the range.

Best of luck,

Dave

 

[cjtraining]

A photo of my M38's beauties. My wife carries the pearl handle one. I carry the M38-2.

 

[snubbiefan]

Nice family there cj. I can tell you are a Model 38 fan. I just think it would be handy to have one that could be single-fired if I wanted to. I love my new-to-me model 640.....but I just can't cock the darn thing.

This one I am looking at has a TP that is even much smoother than my 640. It's very obvious the little gun has been mistreated over the years. I was on the scene when it was bought out of the hands of a passer-by at a gun show and I don't think it had ever been cleaned or saw a drop of oil. The guy that bought it before I got to it has cleaned it up and I have (sort of) fell for it. Either this gun is much stronger than current AirLites or it was rarely opened. There is absolutely no pin-trail across the recoil shield. I am rather hung-up on this point. I have two AirLites that have exhibited very early center-pin trail wear. I suppose I just wonder if Smith changed alloy's in recent production runs. The question may be...."are the Airweights stronger than the AirLites"? Do we see as much frame cracking in the early alloy guns as we seem to be seeing in the recent production runs?

 

[snubbiefan]

Man....you got a lot of pockets. Obviously....a Model 38 FAN!

 

[ACP230]

I have an M38 with stainless cylinder. It is in my pocket as I write this.

Info I have says they were made in the 1970s for the Michigan State Police. The regular steel cylinders evidently had a tendency to rust when carried concealed as the States carried them.

KY Imports sold these guns for several years through ads in Shotgun News. They would appear and disappear in the ads. Finally, 10 years ago, or more, I decided to buy one the next time they showed up in the ad. A local dealer brought it to Michigan for me. I made some calls and was told that about 125 were still in service with MI State Police officers. As they retired some were likely to buy them from the agency. Ones not disposed of that way would probably be surplussed like the one I got.
I wonder if any are still in service now.

Mine had some carry wear but was no where near worn out. I have been using it, for the past year, or so, as my main carry gun.
I saw another one at Jay's Sporting Goods in Gaylord, MI a few years after I got mine. It was in much worse shape than mine so I didn't buy it.

 

[snubbiefan]

That starts to explain a couple of things. The model 438 has a coated stainless cylinder (I think). I was curious as to how far back they had taken this when I read some article form an individual that had said he once owned a Model 38 with a stainless cylinder, but like yours...this was previous to the introduction of the model 438. I was just trying to sort-out this stainless cylinder thing. Obviously....your ownership of one definitely demonstrates that I was not day-dreaming. Some actually were assembled with stainless cylinders.

Let me ask one more question. Do you detect any serious center-pin wear in your Model 38 inside the recoil shield? The reason I bear-down on this...the one I am looking at has hardly any noticeable trail at all while on the other hand, you can pick up about any 642, or even a 317 and find serious wear-marks as soon as the gun has been opened and closed only a few times. You can even detect this in new weapons.

I get back to this question....is the alloy used in these early Airweights better stuff than Smith is using to build current AirLites? Or, it could be they have used a stronger center-pin spring in recent years. The same center-pin spring is used in all J-Frames currently in production.

 

[webley green]

Another fan of the Model 38. Mine resides in Mika pocket holster these days. The original grips are in the box, I've got crimson trace grips on it now. An excellent carry piece.

 

[ACP230]

snubbiefan:
There is some wear. More than on either of my M649s.
I wouldn't call it serious wear.

 

[snubbiefan]

Thanks for the response AC. I may seem paranoid about this, but if you had seen some of the pin-trails left in some lightweights I have seen, you would understand my concern. I have two AirLites that are exhibiting what I determine to be excessive pin-wear at a very early age. It may be limited to the recent models. The older models just don't seem to have the same degree of wear. Smith made the decision to put the same center-pin spring in all the J-Frames, which is called the +p spring. The power of this +p spring forcing the pin against a bare aluminum recoil shield equals a gorge over time. I purchase good guns to keep and use....not to send back-n-forth to the manufacturer and the no-lock frames are no-more in all but one Smith model that I am aware of.

I am likely going to purchase this gun I am looking at. I really don't need it.....but since when did that stop a gun-nut from buying a gun!

 

[snubbiefan]

ACP....I decided that I would just build me one of those two-tones. I have a 640 ND and just swapped the yoke and cylinder to see if it was feasible. Either fit the other just like a glove as they were both pre j-mag frames and both had the new yoke retention system.

I have posted a picture here and have ordered a SS cylinder with all the guts intact and the right SS yoke as well. All I won't have is the SS barrel, but it will be fairly easy to keep rust free. All the parts that come into contact with those hot sweaty hands in the summer time will either be stainless or alloy. The cost of the (supposedly as new) parts was around $100. I still won't have a lot of money in the gun and it will be a one-of-a-kind. And, I will have a spare blued cylinder and yoke. I have found one of those ND two-tones on Gunbroker and nobody seems to want it for $475 and nobody has bid on it at the starting price of $359.99. I will have much less than that in my homemade gun and it is not nearly as beat-up as the one posted there.

 

[charlie sherrill]

My life was possibly saved by a mod 38 back in 1971. The perp was pulling a pistol from his pocket when my partner fired the mod 38 from behind me and over my head as I was drawing my 19 on the way to the ground. The perp was hit with a reverse wadcutter through the heart and was instantly put out of action. I bought that old mod 38 a few months later for $50.00 and still have it and occasionally still carry it. It's got a little finish wear but still shoots very good. It belongs to Jr. when I'm gone.

 

[Larry from Bend]

This is my Airweight Model 38 --- bought new maybe 15 years ago.

 

[snubbiefan]

NICE!

I had to have my wife lock me in the closet the other day to keep me away from my computer. One just like yours showed-up on GB and I almost had to have it. I hope some other lucky-dog out there had the money to find it a good home. It was almost brand-spanking new.

These are the ones you hold out for but rarely find.

 

[photoman]

This is my Airweight Model 38 --- bought new maybe 15 years ago.

Got lucky and found one of these a while back for a good price. One of my favorite Airweights!