Mod 37 with a lanyard ring, what's it worth

[Arkfarmer]

Hi Fellers, looking at a Mod 37 in pretty nice shape serial #703696 that's got a lanyard ring, haven't been able to handle it yet and can't find out much about it. going to look at it soon and wanted some idea of it's value.......thaanks John

 

[AJ]

Hi Fellers, looking at a Mod 37 in pretty nice shape serial #703696 that's got a lanyard ring, haven't been able to handle it yet and can't find out much about it. going to look at it soon and wanted some idea of it's value.......thaanks John

Just looked at Gunbroker's "Completed Sales". Anywhere from $400-$1200. Suggest you look there too.

 

[Hondo44]

We don’t see many of these with lanyard swivels. The factory did offer them but most we see are for foreign law enforcement departments.

A factory lanyard swivel for the J frame will have a roundish 'D' ring of about 3/4”+ wide as shown below. Some very early versions seen are round of 3/4" diameter.

 

[gmborkovic]

Main concern, is the hole drilled thru the Sn.?

 

[Hondo44]

If factory installed at time of assembly, should look like this with serial # under the grip, on left side of grip frame near the butt:

 

[two-bit cowboy]

I've documented two other Model 37s with lanyard rings within 6,000 numbers of that one. Ship dates are March '69 and June '70.

The answer to gmborkovic's question will offer an idea whether the lanyard ring was factory installed. S&W probably wouldn't have drilled through the s/n.

Value? Hard to say without knowing more.

 

[jpage]

Didn't the USN J frames have lanyards ?

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Yes, they were Model 36s, and as Jim said, the serial number is stamped on the frame in the yoke cut.

 

[Arkfarmer]

Thank you Fellers very much for the help, if I get it I will try and get someone to help me post a picture of it, thanks John

 

[majick47]

Can't think of who or where but a M-37 with a lanyard ring might be of use to military pilots as was the USAF S&W/Colt all alloy revolvers.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Dredging up this thread to provide new information.

The one the OP was looking at--and we don't know whether he
got it--is most likely part of a United States Navy contract. Mine
like it is s/n 707084, and it shipped on March 5, 1969, to Crane,
Indiana.

Crane is the home of Naval Sea Systems Command, which it
appears was started in 1941.

The Airweight does indeed have the lanyard mount drilled
through the butt's serial number, and it has the number
stamped on the frame in the yoke cut in the same style as the
late '70s Navy contract overruns.

Have to keep looking under the rocks. Never know what might
turn up.

 

[Erich]

I just wanted to compliment all of you who posted on this thread. I clicked on it just for idle curiosity, to see what I could learn. And I learned a lot! And all you who posted provided the information in a most genteel way - thanks so much!

 

[BAM-BAM]

Ditto on Erich's post

 

[AJ]

Didn't the USN J frames have lanyards ?

I was a firearms instructor at Naval Station Long Beach, Ca. many moons ago. The security department had a dozen or so M36's assigned for the civilian Police Chief and detectives. None had lanyards on them. Now other Naval Stations may have had them, but not Long Beach.

 

[Arkfarmer]

Lanyard chief

Dredging up this thread to provide new information.

The one the OP was looking at--and we don't know whether he
got it--is most likely part of a United States Navy contract. Mine
like it is s/n 707084, and it shipped on March 5, 1969, to Crane,
Indiana.

Crane is the home of Naval Sea Systems Command, which it
appears was started in 1941.

The Airweight does indeed have the lanyard mount drilled
through the butt's serial number, and it has the number
stamped on the frame in the yoke cut in the same style as the
late '70s Navy contract overruns.

Have to keep looking under the rocks. Never know what might
turn up.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
As it turns out Idid get it! Will post again when I get back from town......John

 

[Arkfarmer]

More info on the 37

Sorry to take so long getting back, been dealing with Drs and x-rays. After I asked you fokes about the lanyard and the conclusion was that it wasn't factory I just bid low on the 37. It was kind of a strange auction, feller had died with a lot of guns, over 300 long guns and probably that many short ones. My son's were with me at the gun store where everything was laid out on tables in the shipping area, one of my boys asked me if if was going to bid on the 37 and one of the shop owners was behind me and I didn't know it. I told my son no, I wasn't going to bid much because I had checked on the S&W web site and they said it was a counterfeit because of the hole being drilled through the serial number. Later I noticed that the owner was looking at the 37. Long story short it was a computer auction over a period of 5 days and some of the better pieces some how never got listed, lots of fussing about it but I ended up with the 37 and an really nice 513T Remington, I figured that reason it didn't "disappear" was my comment being overheard. But I have it and thought about getting a letter on it but don't know how to do it, I was born a little early for the computer world and have to rely on one of the grandkids to help me and none of them can figure out how to post the pictures of it that I took. It got a few dings at the sale from being handled but it's never been fired, it's pretty nice. I really appreciate all of you fellers help with all this and I'm learning a lot, have picked up a few pieces along but I mostly shoot what I have. Will try and post pictures if my daughter can figure it out, thanks again John

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Here's a shot of the left side of John's Model 37. Mighty clean.

I'll post more of his images after the big feast.

 

[Hondo44]

That’s nice! At first glance it looked like the trigger guard was Fitzed.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

More of John's photos.

As you'll see the lanyard retainer poked a hole through the last
number in the assembly number, too.

 

[Raybestos]

Hi everyone! I know this is an old thread but I thought I would provide some filler that may or may not be of help. Back in 76 I worked for the Sheriff's Dept in my home town. The Sheriff had obtained a (unknown) quantity of these M-37's with lanyard rings. As I understood it, they were military surplus and the department obtained them through something like what we know now as the "1033" program for next to nothing. Per gun prices I heard spoken varied from $25 to $38. I would have loved to have one for either price. Stories indicated the military/CIA handed them out to various pro-USA people in Vietnam. An infamous pic of a South Vietnamese policeman shooting a VC in the head was said to include this model gun, though I could not determine it for sure. The Sheriff issued these to our detectives in addition to their normal .38 or .357 revolvers. The specimens I saw were all new, in pristine condition. I do not recall the shape of the lanyard rings nor if the hole for the ring swivel went through the serial number or not.

Nosing around one midnight shift while on desk duty, I found where the Sheriff had issued some to county magistrates and a Family Court judge. All of these people have passed on. I have often wondered did subsequent Sheriffs ever collect these guns back, or does someone in their families have "this really unique little .38 that dad had which nobody remembers him buying".

As these guns were probably manufactured in the 1960's or early 70's, my guess is they would not stand up to much +P ammo. I recall sharing part of a box of Remington 125gr JHP +P ammo I had with our Chief Investigator. He had an old grungy M-36 he had carried for decades. He pulled out his new M-37 and began loading some into it. I cautioned him about +P in that aluminum framed gun. He said if they ruined it he would take it to the Sheriff and tell him he needed another one. I never found out if he fired any of the +P's or what results he had if he did.

Though I really have no need for a J-frame with a lanyard ring, I have always been intrigued by these guns. I wish S&W would bring these back, but with modern metallurgy.

I hope this has been interesting to someone.