~ Please help me identify ~

[QuickDrawMcGraw]

Hello folks' .. Joe' here from Wa.
Sure am glad I found this great place while doin a little google research on a 38' snubbie I picked up recently, .. the closest I can guess from comparing pictures online would be either a Model 10' .. Pre Model 10' .. or maybe a M&P'?
I would Really appreciate any input & comment from all you Knowledgible enthusiest's out there*
I spotted her in a pawn shop for $259.oo, .. offered the guy 200' out the door' & much to my surprise he went for it!
She could use a good cleaning' & lube' .. I squeezed of six rounds the next day & everything seems just fine.

I hope I'm in the right spot for this request, lets see if I can get these picture to load ok' .. fingers crossed"

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~ Joe

 

[Wiregrassguy]

It looks to me like a .38/32 Terrier, Pre-Model 32. Does it have a screw in the front of the trigger guard? If so, its birth date is prior to 1953. Hondo44'll be along shortly and calibrate me.

 

[QuickDrawMcGraw]

Wow' .. interesting!
Thank you so much for the quick reply Guy*
And yes there is a screw in the front of the trigger guard.
I'm gonna go google the "38/32 Terrier, Pre-Model 32" right now, Thank you very much Guy!

~ Joe

 

[deadin]

I don't think the Terrier was made in 38 Special, only 38 S&W.

 

[bmg60]

Hi
you
have a 1905 4th change pre war from about 1939. if the barrel is marked 38 spec it could not be a terrier frame size for a terrier is I frame and are 38 s&w only not 38 spec.
good buy worth a lot more than you payed.
jim fisher

 

[hsguy]

The gun looks like a pre-war M&P to me based upon serial and caliber. Is it a 5 or six shot gun?

Jim beat me to it, I sure type slow.

 

[QuickDrawMcGraw]

Holly Smoke's! .. you guy's are a wealth of knowledge*
Thank you very much!
.. Pre War'? thats incredible, and yes she is a 6' shot cyl, 38' Spc. ... I dought the pearl grips are original'
I wonder what the Y' stands for on the crane?
You fellows are amazing, thank you*

~ Joe

 

[hsguy]

Joe, great gun at a bargain basement price. The markings in the yoke area are assembly or fitters marks. I agree that the grips are not original to the gun. You should also find the serial number on the rear of the cylinder, bottom of the barrel, inside the extractor star and on the back of the yoke, look through the cylinder holes to see it, a bright light will help. Assuming all the numbers match I would be inclined to order a history letter for the gun from S&W. I think the $50 for the letter would be a wise investment for a scarce gun such as yours. Here is an interesting thread you might enjoy about pre-war guns like yours. http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/233433-2-inch-pre-war-m-p-observation.html

 

[DCWilson]

After WWII the two-inch M&P revolvers started coming out of the factory in greater numbers, but before the war and during they were uncommon configurations. It is not clear how many were produced before the war, but perhaps (or even probably) fewer than a thousand. The round butt guns like yours are less often encountered than the square butt guns, if I recall correctly.

I bet you have received offers to double your money already. Don't be too hasty to sell. You could double that hypothetical offer and double it again and still be looking at an offer way lower than what many would pay for a specimen like that.

The grips are not original, but the steel structure looks completely original to me. Don't worry about anything stamped on the yoke or the frame where the yoke closes against. Those are soft-fitting numbers and marks that mean nothing once the gun gets its serial number.

BTW, you ought to see that serial number on the rear face of the cylinder, flat underside of the barrel, underside of the ejector star and (almost invisible) the short face of the crane. You will have to take the cylinder off the gun or look through a charge hole to read that one. A sidelight helps.

Very nice score! I would like to have one of these some day, but I'm not holding my breath. They don't often turn up.

AFTERTHOUGHT: With that serial number, I suspect that gun shipped in 1940. It may be one of the last regular-production M&Ps the factory turned out before suspending regular commercial production to service wartime contracts.

 

[smokey]

With a serial number in the 693000 range, i expect yours will have shipped after 1946, but only lettering it will tell for sure as S/W never shipped in serial number numerical order.


Here's a Smith&Wesson 38 military police model of 1905 fourth change caliber 38 S&W special,serial number 625xxx was shipped September 9,1946, delivered to C, M, McClung & Co Knoxville TN, this revolver was shipped with 2 inch barrel, nickel finish, checkered walnut round but grips, this shipment was for 8 units of this model in the above configuration,
the parts for this revolver were all built before World War two, but were not assembled into finished revolvers until after the end of the war.

congratulations on the find and purchase, best deal ive heard of this year.maybe several years, the seller obviously had no idea what he had.

 

[Goony]

Smith & Wesson's original "snubnose" - something of a "grail" gun for Military & Police fanciers. Roy Jinks thinks about 1500 were made prior to WWII. I believe they were predominately, if not wholly, round butts in that era. Looking at my (limited) database, I'd estimate yours shipped in 1940 or 41, but some up in this range did ship after the war.

Years from now, you'll still be able to chuckle about the one you "fell into."

 

[toddimusnimski]

VERY well done. I may have a Marysville road trip in my future!

 

[ar15ed]

that is a beauty! one of these days i hope to run across a nice "one-line" snubby m&p!

 

[QuickDrawMcGraw]

Thanks again fella's for all the great feedback!
I'v learned a Bunch here in the last couple days,
Great LINK' Hsguy* thank you. Beautiful stainless Smokey.

~ Joe

 

[Goony]

I'd estimate yours shipped in 1940 or 41, but some up in this range did ship after the war.

I did a little more research on this. In the Autumn 1993 issue of the Smith & Wesson Collectors Assn. Journal, it's stated that the "majority" of 2" M&P's numbered from 693534 through 693582 were in fact shipped in 1946.

 

[Texas Star]

Thanks again fella's for all the great feedback!
I'v learned a Bunch here in the last couple days,
Great LINK' Hsguy* thank you. Beautiful stainless Smokey.

~ Joe

Joe-

Smokey doesn't have a stainless gun. Those didn't appear until 1965, in the Model 60 Chief's Special. His gun is nickled and it has suffered some aging effects.

Use Plus P ammo with caution, if at all. S&W doesn't advise using these loads in guns made before 1957. Won't usually blow the gun, but accelerates wear. And it might blow an old one. Cylinders weren't heat treated until about 1920.

I usually agree with Gen. Patton's opinion of pearl grips, but yours have a certain character. I wouldn't have them on a gun of mine, but as pearl goes, they aren't as offensive as most.

 

[QuickDrawMcGraw]

Thank you so much for the info Goony* & Texas Star*

~ Joe

 

[Green Frog]

Wow, just wow! You have managed to find one of the rarest of the K-frames then buy it at a fire sale price! You did very well indeed. I agree that it is highly unlikely that the "pearls" are original to the gun, but if you carefully take them off and look on the inside of the right grip panel, originals have the serial number (from the butt) penciled inside. These would not only be factory originals, but real Mother of Pearl as well. It's your gun to enjoy as you wish, of course, but if it were mine, I would take off those delicate pearls and keep them safe so I could shoot it with a set of period wood grips and not endanger the pearls. Even the "fakes" are delicate and have some value.

As for ammo, you've already been told that +P is not a good idea for extensive shooting... I would use either 148 grain wadcutters loaded to target standards or 158 grain round nose service loads which have been pretty well standardized for about the last century or so. Either of those can be fired extensively without concern for undue wear or damage. Again, congratulations!

Froggie

 

[Goony]

It's your gun to enjoy as you wish, of course, but if it were mine, I would take off those delicate pearls and keep them safe so I could shoot it with a set of period wood grips and not endanger the pearls. wear or damage.

Only a letter will confirm this one way or another, but it might've originally shipped with hard rubber stocks, which are obtainable.