Smith & Wesson Hand Ejectors .32 long & .38 Special

[Namvet66-67]

Good Afternoon to all:
I have 2 Smith & Wesson pistols I'm trying to determine the actual model #'s and dates of manufacture.
1. A S & W Hand Ejector,cal. .32 long. 4 1/4" barrel,nickel plated with walnut grips. Serial # 3922XX.
2. A S & W Hand Ejector, cal. .38 Special. 5" barrel,nickel plated with walnut grips. Serial # 5277XX.
The .32 long cal. pistol has a Pat.Pend. date of June 5,1917 on the bottom of the grip.
Any information will be greatly appreciated.

 

[DWalt]

Your .32 is a Hand Ejector, Model 1903 (aka .32 Hand Ejector, Third Model), and the SN would date it as probably being from 1924.

The .38 would be a .38 Military and Police (M&P) Model, probably from 1927.

Dating is approximate as S&W did not ship in serial number order.

 

[JP@AK]

With those stocks, I would think the .32 is a .32 Regulation Police. DWalt had the date about right.

Based on nearby serial numbers, I'd think the .38 is an M&P from late 1925 or early 1926. But they didn't ship in serial order, so it could be later.

 

[DWalt]

For the .32, I list 391918 as shipping in 8/24 and 392099 as shipping in 12/23. Which illustrates the difficulty in determining shipping dates accurately from serial numbers alone. But it is fairly certain that 3922XX was made sometime in 1923. If the serial number of the .32 is on the front gripstrap, it would be a .32 Regulation Police (there were also .38 Regulation Police revolvers).

Regarding 5277XX, I can only bracket from between what closer SNs I have listed - 504272 shipped on 10/1/27 and 541366 shipped on 4/15/27. But a 1926 shipment is certainly possible.

 

[JP@AK]

Regarding 5277XX, I can only bracket from between what closer SNs I have listed - 504272 shipped on 10/1/27 and 541366 shipped on 4/15/27. But a 1926 shipment is certainly possible.

Agreed. They seem to be all over the map in the '20s. I have a lettered M&P at 531541 that shipped on February 17, 1926.

 

[Namvet66-67]

Smith & Wesson Hand Ejectors .32 Long & .38 Special

Thanks to everyone who provided information. It's a big help.

Regards, Matt