Help identifying revolver

[LOMBERA]

Hello. Dear experts, I need your help to know the history of this revolver, to know the model or the year. The number engraved on the handle is 48872. and .38 caliber, with 5-round drum. The handle grip (white), have been made new.
Sorry if I've done something wrong, my knowledge of the English language is very limited. Thank you in advance, and I apologize again for bothering you.

 

[glowe]

Welcome to the Forum. That revolver is not a Smith & Wesson, but rather a foreign copy, made somewhere likely in Europe. Belgium and Spain would be likely candidates. The company fought for many years trying to protect their many patents and had great success with those patent infringement cases in the US, but struggled defending their patents in other countries.

The United States joined the Paris Convention in 1887 and produced an international treaty that strengthened the protection of patent holders around the world, but took years before foreign copies of firearms were stopped.

 

[LOMBERA]

First of all THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I appreciate your support.
I was very surprised by your kind opinion. I write from Spain. I was "blocked" because I didn't expect it to not be original. If it is a copy, apparently, it is well made. Does not identify the manufacturer.
You are great, it is lucky that a place like this exists!

I understand that I cannot know, neither the copied model type, nor the manufacturing date, right?

 

[Jim Watson]

It is made to resemble a Smith and Wesson .38 Double Action.
It appears to have been reblued after becoming badly rusted.
The trademark is obscured, all I can tell is that it is intended to look like the Smith and Wesson trademark at a quick glance.
The Zhuk book and the site Littlegun.info shows several of the general type from various manufacturers in Eibar, but none exactly like yours.

 

[LOMBERA]

Dear Glowe, and Dear Jim Watson. Thanks so much again. I will follow your advice and watch. I'm still surprised at how even the names and logos could be copied, ?? I don't understand it.
If there is anything else you need, I am at your disposal, and above all, I am very grateful for your time and your expert knowledge.
A big hug from CANTABRIA, Spain

 

[BMur]

Copies

There were over 300 gun makers in Belgium alone. Some of them were “contracted” to make guns for the American market and clearly sold through Major Distributors here all over the U.S.

They are always listed as imitations in every catalog that I have in my collection and never listed as the real thing.

You can look at the grip frame for the manufacturer under the left grip on the metal there is sometimes a stamp with initials or even the entire name.

Please post a photo of any markings found if any.

Murph

 

[Alk8944]

The marking of the barrel rib is typical of the Spanish copies of S&W revolvers, not ones made in Belgium. Based on my own observances over the past 60+ years, I believe there were far more copies of Colt and S&W revolvers made in Spain than Belgium.

 

[glowe]

Since this is the Antique Section, I do not recall seeing many top-breaks from Spain?? Most top-breaks, large and small frame that I have found were from Belgium with the ELG mark, but apparently this one did not have that stamp or the OP did not find it to photograph? Solid frame copies are a different story, with most of them coming from Spain.