Mod. 44 38 spl?

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Yesterday I was in a local shop and another customer was showing the owner two guns he wanted to sell. One was an older 37 (very nice shape), the other was a nickel internal hammer pinned barrel snub marked "MOD. 44" on the inside of the frame (it looked like a 442 but definitely didn't have a "2" in the model number. I didn't get all of the serial number but it started "25JXXX".

What's the story on this revolver (the guys said he bought it used a few years ago)? The finish was a satin/frosted nickel, not typical shiny (looked more like the old Coltguard finish Colt used on their 1911s and revolvers).

Didn't see it listed in the SCSW, or did I miss it?

The seller was asking $375, it had a ding in the finish on the left side of the frame at the bottom rear of the cylinder window.

Thanks.
 
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It sounds like a 442 which was available with a satin nickel finish until 1997 but that serial number doesn't jive with the 442 which was introduced in 1993, long after S&W started using the alpha numeric serial numbers with three letters and four numbers.
 
civil1977 said:
It sounds like a 442 which was available with a satin nickel finish until 1997 but that serial number doesn't jive with the 442 which was introduced in 1993, long after S&W started using the alpha numeric serial numbers with three letters and four numbers.
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Thanks, edited my post as I had the serial for the 37. The mystery gun also had the pinned barrel and definitely no "2" in the model, just the number 44.
 
The serial number format puts it as a 1971 gun. If it had a "internal hammer" the only two models with the J prefix fitting this description would be the 38 (alloy Bodyguard) and 49 (steel frame). The model 40 and 42 would have no prefix or an L.

So, I would bet it was a mis-stamped model 49, or the 9 looked like a 4.
 
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