Help to ID pistol

[amwbaw]

This is my first post. Any help to ID my pistol's year and history would be great.

Box says Military-38-Police Blued 4" square butt.
SN# 489805 SN on cylinder and behind yolk.
No model #
Hand eject
Fixed sight
Strain screw
5 Screws
No butt swivel, but second number 15023 stamped next to S&W SN# on butt.
Thanks for any help.

 

[s&wchad]

Welcome aboard!

489805 would be a Military & Police revolver from the 1920's. The other number could be a police badge or inventory number. Some photos of the gun and box would be helpful.

Video Tutorials on Posting Pictures

This thread may also help: To IDENTIFY your Gun >

 

[JP@AK]

Welcome to the S&W Forum amwbaw.

You did a good job of describing your revolver. Having the original box is a big deal. I agree with Chad that it would be great to see some pictures.

Based on nearby serial numbers, your M&P probably shipped around 1925.

 

[22hipower]

Welcome to the Forum, great info here and folks willing and eager to help. And we do love pictures. . . . .

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! I don't think an M&P in the 1920's had the serial number stamped inside the yoke cut. Pictures would be best but, if you can't post them, give us the serial number from the bottom of the butt frame. Remove the grips if they cover that area. Make sure to include a letter prefix like V or C even if it is separated from the numbers. Does your box look like this one?

 

[RM Vivas]

This is my first post. Any help to ID my pistol's year and history would be great.

Box says Military-38-Police Blued 4" square butt.
SN# 489805 SN on cylinder and behind yolk.
No model #
Hand eject
Fixed sight
Strain screw
5 Screws
No butt swivel, but second number 15023 stamped next to S&W SN# on butt.
Thanks for any help.

Possible ex-NYPD gun. FL is a big destination for dinosaurs, they take their gun with them, then it gets sold down there when they die.

Can I see images of the number stamped on the butt as well as images of the gun?

Best,
RM VIvas

 

[MelvinWalker]

Possible ex-NYPD gun. FL is a big destination for dinosaurs, they take their gun with them, then it gets sold down there when they die.

RM VIvas

So true...You win the thread.

 

[RM Vivas]

As a general rule of thumb, an M&P in .38 Special --prior-- to 1926 won't be NYPD as the .38 Special wasn't adopted until then.

I show M&P 38 #'s 489007, 489691, 490278,490442 as June 1926 NYPD sales, so this one is certainly within the range.

A letter would really be the only sure-fire way to check but I'd still like to see what the stamping looks like. Should be uneven hand stamped.

Best,
RM Vivas

 

[amwbaw]

Some photos

Thank you all for your info. Sorry if I didn't post this correctly and I appreciate your patience.
I've attached a few photos. Is it possible to identify by SN#?
i.e. a certain group of numbers were sold to a specific police dept.?
Nevertheless, this is very interesting on the history.
Thank you

 

[s&wchad]

Yes, 1920's gun. It's well worn, but the box is a plus...

There should be a serial number written on the bottom of the box.
The other number on the butt was not put there by S&W.

 

[RM Vivas]

That sure looks like a shield stamp. My money says ex-NYPD gun that will letter to 'Iron Alley': Jovino, Greenblatt, Sile, etc.

If you want to part with it.....

Best,
RM Vivas