New acquisitions by a new member....

[PistolPackinDaDa]

Am brand new to forum and have recentley acquired 2 S&W 38 Special revolvers:

1. Serial V1211XX on bottom strap of butt to rt of lanyard hole. no laynard ring but hole is there. Finish is a dark grey/park @ 95%. Left side of 4" barrel "Smith & Wesson" ("&' seems fancy/elongated compared to modern keyboard
"&"); right side 38 S. & W. Special Ctg; top of barrel has
"Smith&Wesson Springfield Mass. U.S.A./Patented Feb. 6.06 Sept.14.08 Dec.28.14. Lower rt side of frame has "Made in U.S.A." Rt rear of frame has S&W Trademark stamp. Rear of cyl has "V" then "370971" then an "S". Cyl side of ejector is "370971". Top left frame has "U.S. NAVY". Crane has "69410" while inner frame of surface that mates to the crane when cyl closed has "69410" with an "A" above. Bottom of barrel on top of ejector rod is "V 1211XX". Barrel is dark but shiney with well defined lands & groves. Slightley different patina between crane, cyl and frame/ejector rod is blued. Was sold to me as grips/checkered Walnut wi-Medallion and cyl not original to revolver. Inside of left grip "421over 410". Upper left side of frame 3/4" to rt of cyl release catch is "PC over CD. Left side of upper strap has a small "V"/while lower left of left strap has a small "A". On inner strap on upper portion rt side, is either a serifed "1" or a "7". Lower rt strap has a "L" to the left of the grip mounting peg and an "I" to the rt. Trigger is grooved, hardened and "in the white". Hammer is knurled, case hardened and "in the white". Rear frame before strap has square corners at top of backstrap. Front sight is half moon. All parts appear to have a snug fit and are operational. Any ideas/comments are welcomed. My guess is Victory Model late 1942 build and possible arsenal refurbish except frame and barrel appear to be original with minimal wear.

2. Serial "2885XX" on bottom of butt strap. Finish is nicely blued/95%. Left side of barrel has "Smith&Wesson"; Rt side has "38 S.&W. Special Ctg. Barrel is shiney blue with a plastic coat look to it (a replacement ? but revolver seems to have very little wear overall.) Cyl has "2885XX on rear and ejector has "2885XX" on cyl side. Grips are checkered Walnut wi-medallion. Crane has "7759" and frame surface crane mates to when cyl closed has "7759". Trigger is smooth, case hardened and "in the white. Hammer is knurled, case hardened and "in the white". Frame appears identical to "V" Model above except rear behind hammer is slightley thinner and back edge is more rounded. Rear area that drops off to strap has slightley dovetail look and is smaller than the "V" Model above. Front sight is ramped (not half mooned) and lined/knurled on rear ramp. Revolver appears to be original but serial would indicate a possible pre-WWII build ??? All parts appear to have a tight fit with very little wear and are functional. Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated.

PistolPackinDaDa

 

[mikepriwer]

For a 1905 .38 M&P, 2885xx is about 1917. The front sight is not right
- it should be the same forged half-moon as the Victory model. Does
the underside of the barrel have an extractor lug, that secures the end
of the extractor, as should the Victory ? If you have access to a
camera, take a couple of pictures.

Mike Priwer

 

[PistolPackinDaDa]

Mikepriwer,
Yes, both have the lug and appear to be identicle.
The ejector rods are different. "V" Model knurled area about twice the width of MP. Barrel on MP looks like possible replacement and has a plastic coated look to it. No dates patents etc on barrel/no S&W Trademark on rt side of frame. Both front sights appear to be integral to barrels.

PistolPackinDaDa

 

[JSR III]

Mike is correct, pictures are always a plus. Not sure what you mean by "in the white" other than they are not blued. That is typical for hammers and triggers. "In the white" typically refers to guns that have not received their finish, either blue or nickel or in other words raw steel.

 

[PistolPackinDaDa]

Thanks,
I am member of CMP Forums (which strangley resembles this forum). I refered to the triggers and hammers that way to indicate there is some blue marking/case hardening as one might find on a Mosberg M-44 bolt but not blued or parkerized. Many times carbine hammers and sears are refered to in that fashion...Will try to get pics but have a long road to travel and a short time to get there !!!

Pistol Packin DaDa

 

[Buford57]

Are you sure there isn't a letter in front of the serial number on the butt of the second revolver? It may be so far to the left that it doesn't look life part of the number. As others have noted, the features you describe don't match the date that the serial number would indicate. Is the end of the extractor rod on the #2 the same size as the Victory or smaller?

 

[PistolPackinDaDa]

No other no's or letters on bottom of butt strap. No's are close to centered on the strap and have small serifs. Measuring extractor rod from exit at frame toward muzzle
to where the rod diameter increases/both measure about the same/maybe the V is slightley longer.. The difference is this increased diameter portion which on #2 is 1/2 smooth and the forward 1/2 is knurled then has a very short curved front which contacts the lug. On the V model where the ejector rod dia increases it goes to knurled surface almost to the lug end. The V could be a hair longer but not by much. Barrel looks like a replacement/no patent or other marks on top Will try to get pics....P.S. Ramped front sight is not blued or parked !!!
PistolPackinDaDa

 

[PistolPackinDaDa]

Addendum

After contacting Roy/S&W Historian I gleaned the following:

Revolver #1 Is Victory Model assigned to USN late 1942. He had no idea what the PC/CD was. Marks on left and rt frame underneath grips were Insector marks. On another post an individual had one marked on left side under cyl "VT. CD. Possibly Vermont Correctional Dept/Division ??

#2 Probably M&P Model of 1905, change #4, mfg at the begining or just before WW1 and rebarreled "who knows when".

PistolPackinDaDa

 

[Dosgatos]

 

[Lobster Picnic]

CD might mean Civilian Defense.

So, PC/CD....Pacific Coast / Civilian Defense?

 

[PistolPackinDaDa]

Sounds like a good guess. Doubt USN would have any records but worth a try. I googled letters and found PC was used on military marks and stood for "P. Chapman Civilian 1944". Another possibility for PC would be "Phillipine Constabulary".

Dosgatos, thanks for the pic and letter. Looks like might be a cousin of yours. Will try to get pics posted next week.

 

[PistolPackinDaDa]

To all,

I found this 2009 post on S&W Forum and indicates there is at least 1 more PC/CD out there but didn't see a serial

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-ha...04972-victory-pc-cd-markings-sideplate-2.html

PistolPackin...

 

[PistolPackinDaDa]

After a little web search I came up with this thought: PC CD Port Chicago Concord Depot ?? Port Chicago came under the jurisdiction of Concord/Naval around Dec of 1942. Another possibiity...

Pistol Packin.....