My Pre-model 10 with pics! Have Q's

[zombie44]

Just picked this up today:

It was tagged as a Pre-model 10 38 special priced at $300. Can someone give me an approx date of manufacture, serial # is C222XXX. Also do the stamped #'s inside the grips have any significance? I noticed the sideplate screw under the grips wasn't blued like the others, could it have been replaced or is that normal?

Also I'm quite certain it's been refinished, what are the obvious tell tale signs it has been and how do you judge a quality refinish?

THanks for any info!

 

[DCWilson]

That gun probably shipped in 1953 or 1954. The numbers on the inside surface of one stock panel are the serial number of the gun to which they were originally fitted. In this case, your stocks were probably first on a Model 10 that shipped in the late 1950s. I note they have the rounded PC or plainclothes contour at the bottom. Nice.

A bad refinish is easy to spot because the roll markings look shallow and there is a possible shadow line or valley where the sideplate mates with the frame. But a good refinish can look much like an original finish. One thing to check is the front of the ejector rod. If the bevel that hits and displaces the front locking pin on closing is blue, the gun has been refinished. If it is in the white, you may have the original finish on the gun. This is also sometimes true of the faces of the ratchet on the back of the cylinder -- white means original, blue means refinish. (But that's not always true, because I have seen unrefinished guns with blued ratchet teeth.)

Nice gun. There is a lot of good shooting in that one.

 

[browningautorifle]

I have found all factory grips have the Numbers on the inside. All screws I have observed were blued but that doesn't say there's something wrong with this one. Perhaps it's original. Usual signs of refinish are blurred lettering or stretching of screw holes. All corners should be sharp and if they have been rounded then there was polishing done. A liquid strip will remove finish without any of the damage mentioned and then a good hot blue will look as good as factory. You may see minor nicks or dings under the blue that will give this away. I think your hammer and trigger should have case colour harening and they appear to have been cleaned off. Normal wear pattern will leave some sign of it. Lovely gun just the same. I don't have a 5" and have always wanted one. I do however have 2",2 1/2", 3"HB, 4"HB,6".

 

[hsguy]

Nice looking gun. I don't see any obvious signs of a refinsh on that gun. Logos still appear sharp, screw holes not dished and edges don't look rounded.

 

[NewDeparture]

Nice gun.

I´m not an expert at all, but I don´t see signs of refinishing here. Sideplate countour seems to be sharp and properly fitted to the frame.

I own a Model 10 from the early 60´s (C541XXX) and the sideplate screw located under the PC magnas looks exactly like yours.

 

[Muley Gil]

"I have found all factory grips have the Numbers on the inside."

browningautorifle,

I have learned that when it comes to S&W, words like "all", "always", and "never" don't apply.

S&W used to stamp the serial number inside of the the right grip on the service and Magna grips. Not so often on the target grips. This stamping of the SN came to a halt, IIRC, in the late '60s or '70s.

 

[bigmoose]

I agree with previous posts...it looks like the original finish to me. At $300 you did very well, especially with that 5" barrel. It will shoot very nice.

Cap

 

[zombie44]

Thanks for the quick replies!

Here's a few more up close shots of the finish:

Looking into it a bit more I read that S&W would put a refinishing mark somewhere to indicate its been refinished, it was described as a diamond symbol with some initials (didn't find any). Is it possible to refinish a gun so well you just wouldn't be able to tell?

 

[NewDeparture]

I believe that factory rework was marked by means of a star and numbers indicating the month and year when the work was done. Both stars and dates were usually stamped in the frame under the grips if I remember correctly. These stamps indicates that the gun was sent to the factory but it doesn´t indicates the type of repair performed (could be sent for a refinish or maybe for any other type of repair).

 

[Engine49guy]

I think you got a great gun for a great price,

Especially like the diamond Magna grips and half penny front site.
Your also has my favorite hammer style called a "High Speed" hammer found on guns from the mid 40's to early 50's...

Its hard to tell from the pictures but it is clean and looks original,
Then again Im not holding it.

Congrats on a beautiful gun ...CHEERS!

 

[Alk8944]

Don't want to rain on your parade, but this revolver has been re-finished and the stocks are replacements.

Proper stocks should be flat bottomed, not the rounded "Plain Clothes" or PC style. The serial number stamped in the right stock should match the serial number of the gun.

Finish quality is quite good but there are a few things that make it obvious it was reblued. There is slight pulling on some of the screw holes, but contrary to popular belief sometimes this is seen on a factory new gun. There is rounding of the slot of the yoke screw. The front of the sideplate stands slightly proud of the side of the frame, it should be completely flush. Finally, it is simply the wrong color for its time period.

If this is a factory re-finish there are three places where there could be a re-work star, These are the back face of the cylinder, butt of the frame and the barrel flat. There also could be a date code stamped on the left side of the front strap and will appear something like 11-75 or 11.75 for November 1975. Absence of the date code or star is not absolutely definitive as in later years they have discontinued both marks. However, if they are present it is proof the gun was returned to the factory for some type of repair.

This is just like the answer to the question "How can you tell counterfeit money from the real thing?" The answer is the same, you nandle and examine the real thing until you are intimately familiar with what it looks and feels like, and when you see a counterfeit it will be obvious to you. After handling and working on literally thousands of S&W revolvers over the past 50+ years a refinish is easy to spot just because overall it just doesn't look like it should, and this one simply doesn't look right.

 

[Doc B]

Regardless, that is a nice looking old Smith for the money, enjoy.

 

[zombie44]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the great info! I really had no idea there could be that much attention to detail involved when determining an original or refinish

 

[stantheman86]

Refinished or not, $300 is a steal for that M&P!

One of my favorite S&W's is a factory refinish, a "RE" in circle marked 28-2 6". I got a new gun for the price of a used one, basically, since it was totally mechanically refurbed by S&W and never fired afterwards.

 

[bushmaster1313]

Refinish or not, I bet it would be hard to find another gun as nice as that for $300.