Need help with .38 ID

[Jim Welsh]

My wife inherited an S&W .38 revolver several years ago & I am trying to find out a little about it. It looks like it might be a military issue but there is not a "V" in the ser #. The model # is, E38 S&W CTG3 and the ser # is 999013 and it has (WB) stamped on the bottom of the butt after the ser #. I would appreciate any info that I could get on this piece.

 

[s&wchad]

Welcome to the forum!


I believe the WB is an Ordinance acceptance stamp. I'm moving this thread to the 1896-1961 revolver forum where you'll get a lot more information. There may be other markings on the gun, so posting good photos would certainly help.

Edit to add: You may find this link interesting: http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/223676-victory-data-base.html#post136269729

 

[DCWilson]

Welcome to the forum.

That sounds like it might be a British Service Revolver from early 1942. The V prefix sent on serial numbers when the series was restarted at 1 after hitting 999999. That gun is pretty close to the end of the first million Military & Police models.

What look like E and the 3 characters are just ornaments. Ignore them. The fact that the cartridge stamp is .38 S&W rather than .38 S&W SPECIAL reveals it was manufactured for Great Britain or one of the other Commonwealth countries.

How long is the barrel? If it is short, it is probably one of the modified guns released to the commercial market after WWII. These often had their chambers lengthened to take .38 Special and their barrels were cut to two inches. Are there any British proof mark on hte frame or barrel like .767 or 3.5 Tonnes?

Pictures would be a great help filling in the details about this revolver.

 

[Jim Welsh]

There are no other markings that I can see. The barrel is 4" and the cylinder is 1-1/2"

 

[Goony]

Actually that's a 5" barrel (the measurement is from the face of the cylinder out to the muzzle) which is entirely consistent with it being a 1942 produced example made to the British Commonwealth specification. I'm not seeing any British proofing, though. Does it have a U.S. property marking on the topstrap? If not, it may have been diverted for some non-military requirement.

The butt swivel (lanyard ring) is missing but that's no big deal, as it looks original in all other respects. A factory letter could be very interesting on this one....

 

[DCWilson]

Yup, British Service Revolver. That's actually a five-inch barrel; measure from the muzzle to the face of the cylinder.

That gun is in pretty good shape, but it is missing its lanyard loop. The hole in the grip frame is still there, so you could mount a replacement if authenticity is important to you.

I suspect that one may not have been modified; that is, it should chamber ONLY the .38 S&W round. If you can get a .38 Special round into the charge holes, than I am wrong and the holes were deepened to take the slightly longer round.

 

[Jim Welsh]

It has not been modified to chamber a .38 special round, .38 S&W only. Thank's for all your expert information on this piece. One more thing, how would I go about getting info on the value of this gun, roughly?

 

[murphydog]

I would guess $300 or so. Original, unmodified examples such as yours are worth more than refinished ones with short barrels and rechambered to .38 Special.

 

[DCWilson]

Well, I'll give you my opinion, and others will probably speak up too. You can average our different estimates and probably be pretty close to reality.

Wartime guns are not uncommon, so there is no scarcity premium. Average Victory and pre-Victory models are maybe $275-325 guns as shooters. That one seems to be in really good shape, apart from the missing lanyard loop, and there is a collector's market for prime specimens. So it's a late pre-Victory British Service revolver, still mostly in original configuration, and in good shape. I'd think that gun ought to go for at least $400, and maybe a bit more. But I doubt there would be buyers at $500.

 

[walnutred]

That is also one of the very last pre-Victorys made.

 

[gordonrick]

Nice specimen! Congrats.

Better get rid of it fast or you'll become addicted!

BTW - I've seen those barrel marks on each side of the ".38 S&W CTG" on a similar pre-victory. Anyone know what they are? They almost look like proof marks or something. I didn't have a magnifier and my "mature vision" wasn't up to the task.