Found this one lurking in the back of my safe and would like to sell it. There is no model number on it. It's a 5" in .38spl, and the serial number is 68357XX. Would be accurate in describing it as a "5-screw hand ejector"? Any idea on its age would also be greatly appreciated.
Need help ID'ing this one to sell
- Thread starter 40Arpent
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It's a .38 Military & Police from the late 1930s, a very nice example. It is indeed a "5-screw Hand Ejector" but adding "K frame .38 Special" would help differentiate it from all the other revolvers of that description.
I think you added an extra X to the SN, it should have six digits total. Hope this is helpful.
I think you added an extra X to the SN, it should have six digits total. Hope this is helpful.
That helps a ton! And yes, you are right, I bungled the S/N...it should have been 6837XX.
Thanks Alan!
Absalom
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
As Alan says, the .38 Military & Police is the important identifier.
It is also important to note (and offering this for sale where knowledgeable people would see it, this matters), that the serial places it very close to the beginning of war production, likely in 1940 or shortly before. We see very few standard civilian editions in .38 Special from that time any more; somewhat lower than your gun, around 670,000, S&W had started shifting to large-scale production of the British Service version.
Combined with its very good and apparently all-original condition (check inside the right grip panel for a matching serial number), that should make this gun a bit more interesting to collectors than one from a few years earlier or a post-war specimen.
It is also important to note (and offering this for sale where knowledgeable people would see it, this matters), that the serial places it very close to the beginning of war production, likely in 1940 or shortly before. We see very few standard civilian editions in .38 Special from that time any more; somewhat lower than your gun, around 670,000, S&W had started shifting to large-scale production of the British Service version.
Combined with its very good and apparently all-original condition (check inside the right grip panel for a matching serial number), that should make this gun a bit more interesting to collectors than one from a few years earlier or a post-war specimen.
S&WsRsweet
Member
Man that's is a nice looking M&P thanks for posting and thank you to the guys for sharing this information about it.Being on this forum is like going to S&W university .
The grip number does match, but I took a closer look at what I originally thought was some sort of frame pin, but now pretty sure it's a good ding in the frame just below the cylinder. Odd that it's nearly perfectly round, like someone hit it with a punch...
It's probably the trigger stud.
40Arpent,
I believe that is the cylinder stop stud. It looks like it was staked at some time. Is there a date stamp on the grip frame under the left stock, usually shown as 9.46 meaning September 1946 and denotes a factory repair or service?
Welcome to the Forum.
I believe that is the cylinder stop stud. It looks like it was staked at some time. Is there a date stamp on the grip frame under the left stock, usually shown as 9.46 meaning September 1946 and denotes a factory repair or service?
Welcome to the Forum.
I considered that but passed off the trigger stud as a flash reflection. I believe you are right, Gary. The two studs are right next to one another.
Thanks Gary. The date stamp on the grip frame is 12.42. Was the cyclinder stop stud modification a common thing?
I doubt S&W service did that. I believe they would have removed it and replaced it with a new one if it was loose. What other stamps do you see such as a star, diamond <>, an S or an RS? Look on the barrel flat, inside the yoke, the grip frame and rear face of the cylinder.
I concur with Guy, I don't believe they would not have staked the pin, likely someone else did that and may have sent it in for a refinish. There is also the remote possibility that it was dropped and hit on the pin. Getting a letter on it and then checking with the Historical Society may be the only way to know for sure. Probably best to go with whatever answer lets you sleep at night. Best of luck!
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tlay
US Veteran
You asked for a price to sell it. In that condition I would ask for $600. Nice M&P!!
jsfricks
Member
With the return date stamped in the grip it was possibly refinished by the factory, which does bring down resale value. And the staking of the pin hurts a little too. Something I'm curious about is the cylinder turn line arcing/curving off from center between each notch, and then wearing straight again. The turn line should be straight, I've never seen one wear like this before. Is there a gap between the barrel and face of cylinder? Hard to tell from this angle.
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Absalom
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
I hadn't paid attention to the turn line angle; that does look peculiar.
As for the stamped return date, that is actually interesting. It indicates that the gun was likely an agency gun of some sort. At that point the factory was full-on into Victory production, and I'm not sure refurbishing a civilian revolver would have been a luxury they'd have engaged in. Likely reduces the chance it was re-blued, since the factory wasn't using that finish on anything else at the time.
Once the SWHF has the records for those years available for research, that would be interesting to look up.
