Won this S&W on GB would like some more info please

[EricandSuebee]

So I won this on GB, it was an estate sale that the guy bought it from, it appears according to the seller the original owner bought it and left it in a drawer, the seller a gunsmith looked it over and appears to him to be unfired and in great condition. The auction was titled S&W 1905 M&P. The serial # is 261330

 

[DARE]

Nice gun. Think the description is correct. You could add that it is a 4th Change. They started at serial number 241704 in 1915. So .38 M&P Model of 1905, 4th Change.
Here is my .38 M&P Model of 1905, 3rd Change #210874 from May 1913.

 

[DRankin]

I'm thinking +/- 1920...........

 

[Wiregrassguy]

I'm thinking +/- 1920...........

No. Pre-WWI.
Serial 259176 .38 M&P, 3rd Model (1905), 4th Change .38 S&W Special 6" Blue 04/00/1917
Serial 263103 .38 M&P, 3rd Model (1905), 4th Change .38 S&W Special 6" Blue 01/00/1917

 

[DRankin]

I yield to the master ...........

 

[EricandSuebee]

No. Pre-WWI.
Serial 259176 .38 M&P, 3rd Model (1905), 4th Change .38 S&W Special 6" Blue 04/00/1917
Serial 263103 .38 M&P, 3rd Model (1905), 4th Change .38 S&W Special 6" Blue 01/00/1917

Thank you, I notice you list both of those serial #'s with a 6" barrel, mine is a 4", does that make a difference at all?

 

[Ljoconnor]

Very nice! Wonderful for its age! Larry

 

[EricandSuebee]

Very nice! Wonderful for its age! Larry

Thanks Larry, I look forward to having it in person when it arrives hopefully before the weekend.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Thank you, I notice you list both of those serial #'s with a 6" barrel, mine is a 4", does that make a difference at all?

Perhaps. The ship dates we give for known ship dates are relative, not absolute WRT your gun. S&W did not ship in serial number order as is shown by the examples I provided. Also, they made guns in batches and shipped by distributor orders. During a particular period, they could have had a bunch of orders for 6" revolvers and later a bunch for 4". The only way to know for sure what your gun's ship date is is to purchase an Historian's letter of authenticity.

 

[a5werkes]

Nice catch.

 

[Lt.Donn]

So I won this on GB, it was an estate sale that the guy bought it from, it appears according to the seller the original owner bought it and left it in a drawer, the seller a gunsmith looked it over and appears to him to be unfired and in great condition. The auction was titled S&W 1905 M&P. The serial # is 261330

View attachment 789759

In that condition, I would letter it for sure

 

[glowe]

Likely shipped to a distributor, but still nice to have a letter. Let me add that my closest is 281785 that shipped in August 1917. The company had very heavy sales in 1917 with WWI brewing in Europe, so records show that the shipping orders went out in some semblance of order until the War Department took over the factory in late 1917 for military manufacture during the war. In total, around 40,000 38 M&Ps were shipped in 1917.

 

[EricandSuebee]

In that condition, I would letter it for sure

Yeah I was thinking about that tonight actually about doing a letter for it, I'm going to wait and see it in person to make up my mind on it.