K38 manufacture date

[jachd17]

A friend recently acquired an old 38, well used with some blue loss but of unknown age.

No photos yet but the serial # is SV 7763**. Seeking approximate date of manufacture and any other info that may be interesting.

Thank you in advance.

 

[robertrwalsh]

You might want to check those letters on the serial # again. Both an S and a V seem unlikely (as far as I know).

 

[Wiregrassguy]

SV serials were used at the end of WWII on the first commercial guns made after the war ended. Most have a plugged lanyard swivel hole and are in commercial blue instead of the Black Magic war finish. So, 1945/46.


BTW, it's not really a K38 which is a target model. It's a .38 Military & Police model.

 

[DARE]

S&W 4th says S prefix postwar guns began as early as Dec 27, 1944 at around s/n SV769000. Your number is about 7000 higher than that. Sept 1945 beginning s/n S811120 with the V being dropped. If that information is correct, would put your gun in 1945 before Sept.

 

[JP@AK]

Guy is right - it is a .38 Military & Police.

With the info we have, basically just the serial number, there is no way we can know if this is a late Victory Model shipped to the Navy or one that shipped to a civilian location after the war. We see them both ways in this serial range.

For example, SV775333 and SV779251 both shipped to the Navy, the latter in a 1200 unit shipment that left Springfield for the Oakland Navy Yard on February 23, 1945. On the other hand, I have SV776161 that shipped to a civilian location in March, 1946.

SV802722 is the highest numbered Navy gun (Norfolk on August 13, 1945), but there are lots of them with lower numbers that didn't ship until March, 1946.

jachd17
If your friend has a wartime Navy gun, it will have the U.S. Property stamp on the top strap. That would be one way of knowing for sure. When you can, post pictures showing as much of the gun as you can, and we can try to figure out what it is.

 

[jachd17]

I did have it in my hands and did not see any U.S. Property markings anywhere. It looks very similar to a K22 that I posted photo's of a while back but in better condition. The owner has very little knowledge of Smith & Wesson revolvers (very knowledgeable about other firearms) and acquired it because the previous owner wanted 300 bucks for it. I will take pics of it the next chance I get.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Well, please post pictures of the serial number on the butt because, if it looks like a K22, it can't have an SV prefix serial number. K frame target revolvers after WWII had serials beginning with K.

 

[jachd17]

That I can do, it's the only pic I have at this time.

 

[JP@AK]

As Guy told you, it isn't a K-38, it is a .38 M&P.

The swivel hole is plugged and the revolver has aftermarket stocks on it. The hole might have been plugged later, but if there is no property stamp on the top strap, I'm guessing this one shipped after the war.

We await further pictures.

 

[robertrwalsh]

I learn something new every day.

 

[Goony]

I'm sort of inclined at this juncture to think the OP's example is a commercial Victory, that is, one of the very first M&P's made up by S&W after the war utilizing leftover Victory frames and shipped in early 1946 (mostly in March of that year). Factory nickeled examples of these are atypical but not unheard of, but this one could well have been blued to begin with and refinished at a later date. A letter would likely settle the matter.

 

[JP@AK]

I'm sort of inclined at this juncture to think the OP's example is a commercial Victory . . . Factory nickeled examples of these are atypical but not unheard of, but this one could well have been blued to begin with and refinished at a later date. A letter would likely settle the matter.

I completely agree with this. Both the S and the last four digits of the serial number show the effects of polishing.

As stated, factory nickel is found on some postwar M&Ps but I've never seen it on one with this low a number. Also, they tend to run in specific number ranges. The lowest of them shown in the large database I've built up is in the SV811000 range.

 

[jachd17]

I'm sort of inclined at this juncture to think the OP's example is a commercial Victory, that is, one of the very first M&P's made up by S&W after the war utilizing leftover Victory frames and shipped in early 1946 (mostly in March of that year). Factory nickeled examples of these are atypical but not unheard of, but this one could well have been blued to begin with and refinished at a later date. A letter would likely settle the matter.

The gun is blued, not nickel The blue is worn in several areas. I have asked the owner to send me pics.

 

[JP@AK]

The gun is blued, not nickel

I wondered about that. In your picture, the butt looks like nickel. But one can just glimpse the front strap on the left and it appears to be blued. Thanks for clearing this up.

 

[jachd17]

Here are some pics.

 

[jachd17]

I also removed the grips. Whoever owned this used some type of adhesive under the grips and made a friggin mess. However, no date stamp on the left side. But there is a large X stamped into the lower right corner.

 

[Goony]

My apologies, that one shot really did look like nickel to me. But I've been making a fool of myself all day on this forum.

Is the barrel numbered to the gun?

 

[jachd17]

My apologies, that one shot really did look like nickel to me. But I've been making a fool of myself all day on this forum.

Is the barrel numbered to the gun?

Thankfully my buddy dropped it off at my house so I could take the photos. The only numbers I see are on the underside of the barrel, ejector rod area and do NOT match the butt serial number. The cylinder does match the butt. The owner thinks someone may have cobbled it together from misc parts but that is a guess on his part.