S&W holster?

[swloginun]

I've had this holster for decades but had not noticed the imprint for the S&W .38/.44. Does anyone know if this was made/sold by S&W, or was it an accessory made by some other company?

Or I suppose it's possible my grandfather had it specially made and/or imprinted. His .38/.44 Outdoorsman is serial number 42136, so it dates to the 1930's. Does this holster have any value?

 

[DWalt]

I's guess the stamping simply means it was made to fit a "S&W .38/44" revolver with a 6-1/2" barrel. No idea of the maker or its value.

 

[quinn]

Interesting holster. I have an Abercrombie & Fitch marked holster for my 38/44 Outdoorsman and another floral carved holster with no maker's name only marked "38-44". In their day, the 38/44's were pretty popular but I don't imagine there were a lot of other guns that would have taken the same size holster.

 

[DWalt]

Interesting holster. I have an Abercrombie & Fitch marked holster for my 38/44 Outdoorsman and another floral carved holster with no maker's name only marked "38-44". In their day, the 38/44's were pretty popular but I don't imagine there were a lot of other guns that would have taken the same size holster.

The Colt New Service and Colt Model 1917 would be close to the N-frame.

 

[Biggfoot44]

And for that matter all the various N Frames. Same concept as holsters stamped M&P or Det Spl, as a shorthand for fitting all guns of similar frame size.

As you may know in '70s and '80s S&W did have their own holster making division. When S&W streamlined their operations back to their core firearm and LE products , the holster division spun off entact to become Gould & Goodrich.

 

[rjb1]

Colt New Service revolvers are just enough bigger than N-frames to feel the difference in a somewhat closely-fitted holster.
However, they are close enough that the Army used the same holster for both for the Colt and S&W 1917 Models.

 

[mojave30cal]

S&W didn't make many of the 38/44 HD's with the 6.5" bbl. & fixed sights.
So, I would guess this holster is just as rare as a 6.5" HD with fixed sights and
would be worth a pretty penny to a collector who has said
6.5" HD. This thread should have been posted in the Gun
Leather section where "Turnerriver" could make a determination
on what it's worth. Just my $.02.

 

[wheelgun610]

S&W didn't make many of the 38/44 HD's with the 6.5" bbl. So, I would guess this holster is just as rare as a 6.5" HD...

Don't forget about the 38/44 Outdoorsman....

6-1/2" HD's couldn't be that rare. I've got one....

Mark

 

[turnerriver]

I don't think Smith & Wesson sold that holster, the mark is to identify the size. That holster is typical of hardware and sporting goods store holsters sold throughout the first half of the 20th Century. There were different grades available, some were made by the better known makers but unmarked or marked with a store logo. Yours appears to be a better grade- it makes a fine period correct accessory to your grandfather's revolver. Value on a gun show table would be +/- $100 in my humble and often questionable opinion.
Regards,
turnerriver