What's this

[schatzperson]

Have a chance to buy this, unseen, online at good price.
What is it ?
Its 5 screw, has ejector shroud and briefly described as a "38".
Have not seen a Smith front sight like that, so probably a filedown ( damn).

Wondering what model, pre or not and frame size etc.
Were there 5 screw n frames in 38 ?

 

[Mickey D]

38/44 Outdoorsman, with a cut barrel?

 

[k22fan]

[...] Have not seen a Smith front sight like that, so probably a filedown ( damn).

Wondering what model, pre or not and frame size etc.
Were there 5 screw n frames in 38 ?

Except for the sloped front sight it looks like an original 4" Model of 1950 .38/44 Heavy Duty. It is also correctly labeled a Pre-Model 20. It is a 1950 to 1956 N frame. If you post most of the serial number someone will narrow down the date range.

The stocks show more wear than the bluing, so if the price is high look carefully for indications that it was reblued as that adversely affects value.

Edit to add: Mickey D has a good eye. The barrel does look to be shorter than 4". It was probably cut down from 5". That and the shallow trade mark stamp on the side plate are two more reasons to look carefully for a reblue. Also test to see if a .357 can be loaded. A lot of Heavy Duty chambers were reamed deeper.

I see this is only your second post. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Camster]

Welcome. I agree with Mickey D.It's a N frame for sure.
Knowing the price would help us.If you don't know what it is,it's hard to follow your reasoning that the price is good.Unless it's a small,local online resource,most of them end up realizing fair value.
Correction: Sorry,I see that you're in Europe,where some guns of this type don't bring very much.
(I enjoyed my visit,many years ago, to Malta very much.The Grand Harbor is as stunning as Venice.)

 

[Abbotson]

Heavy Duty gets my vote too. And I'm thinking the barrel has been cut as well. Looks too short for a 4-inch.

 

[Mickey D]

Still a good looking gun with that barrel.
Welcome to the site, I have several Maltese friends in CA.

 

[DWalt]

It is very likely a .38/44 "Heavy Duty" from the 1950s. It appears to have a shortened barrel, likely 3-1/2 inches. I do not believe they came from the factory with barrels shorter than 4 inches. Also, the front sight has been modified, further support of barrel shortening. I cannot say if it has been refinished or not. It is basically a .38 Special revolver built on the larger .44 frame (N-frame), thus the .38/44 name. However, there was also a .38-44 cartridge which was sold for use in this revolver. It was a heavily loaded .38 Special having a muzzle velocity of over 1100 ft/sec, as compared to the typical 850 ft/sec of the standard .38 Special load. It is important to note that it was not uncommon for .38/44 revolvers to have their chambers lengthened by their owners to accept .357 Magnum cartridges. Whether this is an unsafe modification, I cannot say, but I have never heard of one so-modified blowing up.

In the US, .38/44 revolvers are desirable and bring good prices. One in high condition can sell for upwards of $1000. If that one has a shortened barrel and has been re-finished, it would have a significant negative effect upon value, at least in the US. For comparison, here is a picture of a very similar revolver from 1954 which has a 4" barrel.

 

[schatzperson]

Bought

Thank you all for the warm wellcome ! Good to know tiny Malta is actually known outside our little world .
Well I just bought the gun for 105 euro, or rather my dealer here in Malta, bought it on my behalf from an auction site in Germany. It will cost me a total of about 165 E, about 190 USD.
I guess its going to be a range gun after all.
A little disappointed, but I am at the stage in life where I count my blessings, so provided its shootable, I will have fun at the range upsetting the "latest equipment" freaks with tiny groups out of a jalopy.
Yes, we get a lot of opportunity to buy nice collectible Smiths in some parts of Europe.
I bought a nice 3 " M27, the other day for 300 Euro and am super happy with it.
I just hope that not too many people wise up to where my aladin's cave is.
eGun
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The last one looks like a 5 screw pre model 17.

I got one beady eye on all of them.

 

[DWalt]

For $190, that would be a steal in the USA. I am surprised it wasn't much more. What are the gun laws in Malta like? I actually was in Valletta for a few days, but that was many years ago.

 

[schatzperson]

Malta

For $190, that would be a steal in the USA. I am surprised it wasn't much more. What are the gun laws in Malta like? I actually was in Valletta for a few days, but that was many years ago.

Well, our gun laws are probably the best in the EU. In fact given our size Malta is in a good influencial position to lobby with other gun bodies in the Union. When we joined the EU, our group obtained favourable results through some efficient and smart bargaining. Today, we have maltese nationals on international boards such as the WFSA and Fesac.

A license is needed for all guns. A collector can have practically any amount of guns he wants. There is a limit for ammunition though.... 5000 rounds.
Collectors can even own full auto but shooting these guns is a legal complication.
Shooting ranges are a big minus, because of planning permission and noise regulations, but we sort of get by, if you know what I mean.
We dont have magazine limits, open bolt guns are ok, etc.

 

[DWalt]

I don't know if reloading is widely practiced there, but if so, and you are a reloader, the .38 Special can be reloaded to a much more powerful level for use in your new HD. In our southern neighbor country of Mexico, where handgun calibers greater than .38 Special are forbidden to own, it is not unusual for some shooters there to handload .38 Special ammunition having essentially .357 Magnum velocities for use in .38/44 revolvers.

 

[schatzperson]

Reload

Oh yes we do reload.
Ammo prices are high because transportation costs are all over.
I have asset of dies for 357, 38 I usually do only 38 special though and a lot of that is Wadcutter for a 52 and a small j frame.
Right now, given our geography, and world events, when one thinks of defence, its best not to take chances and so factory ammo is the way to go in these cases.
But for everyday fun, everyone picks up brass when they can and reloads . Even 9mm is reloaded, I do range officer duty and the only empty cases seen anywhere about, is 22.

 

[shouldazagged]

Welcome to the forum. I hope you'll stay with us. There's a wealth of experience and knowledge, and very nice people who give each other encouragement and support in many ways.

I'm a history fan, and would love to see Malta. What its people endured heroically during World War II fascinates and inspires me.

 

[schatzperson]

Appreciate

I appreciate the welcome and the access to so much information.
I really love S&W revolvers especially the older ones. At present I have just an everyday J frame 38 in stainless, and a very nice M27-2, N series.
Yes shouldazagged, Malta endured a lot in the recent and not so recent past. We trip over history on this tiny island, sieges and fighting all manner of perils.
Would love to buy a few more Smiths, but right now any extra "gun" cash , (as most weapon guys here), goes for more practical guns, ammo etc.
Unfortunately with all the recent barbarity from the east and with us being Europes most southern border ( 180 miles from Libya), we expect trouble of some form sooner or later. Hence its time for more useful , just in case, hardware.
But anyway, here is a pic of my 27 I bought for about 300 Euro.

 

[quinn]

I appreciate the welcome and the access to so much information.
I really love S&W revolvers especially the older ones. At present I have just an everyday J frame 38 in stainless, and a very nice M27-2, N series.
Yes shouldazagged, Malta endured a lot in the recent and not so recent past. We trip over history on this tiny island, sieges and fighting all manner of perils.
Would love to buy a few more Smiths, but right now any extra "gun" cash , (as most weapon guys here), goes for more practical guns, ammo etc.
Unfortunately with all the recent barbarity from the east and with us being Europes most southern border ( 180 miles from Libya), we expect trouble of some form sooner or later. Hence its time for more useful , just in case, hardware.
But anyway, here is a pic of my 27 I bought for about 300 Euro.

That, my friend, is one of the very, very desirable S&Ws here and would fetch quite a bit more than you paid. Congratulations on both of your purchases.

 

[Camster]

"The Malta Story" has appeared on my cable service a few times recently.
A 1957 movie concerning WW2.
During my week in Malta in the 1980s,I was fascinated with Malta's history-a crossroads of the Med,with crusader history,etc.