I have this old S&W 38 revolver and I need some info on it. What year is it? What is it worth? What do I need to do to make it safe to shoot?
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Old Smith and Wesson 38, Need Info!!
- Thread starter Rod Allen
- Start date
You got a S&W .38 Military & Police (k-frame/medium frame revolver). Just looking at it, it most likely is from the 1930s or older. I'm thinking most likely 1910s-1920s. The mushroom tip if the extractor rod is a clue and the grips.
It may be old but it's a quality revolver. The main thing is make sure the lockup for the chambers is not excessively loose both side to side and front to back. A little slop is ok, however too much and while the gun won't explode, it won't be fun having lead shavings smack you from poor timing/alignment. As far as ammo goes modern 38 special is fine just don't give it a regular diet of +P loads. A good place to check out more detailed info on the revolver would be smith-wessonforum.com. As far as value is concerned, I personally value at around $300 assuming the gun is in shooter grade condition. It's a common model of revolver as by 1957 it became called the Model 10(1957 was the year S&W started giving revolver models a number designation.). More than 6 million of .38 M&Ps/model 10s have been produced. During the 20th century it was a common sidearm for law enforcement and served them well.
Yep, all of the above. Another name for this revolver is called the model of 1905, fourth change.
If I'm reading the serial number right, it has no letter prefix, and the number 322XXX.
That should be an early 1920s era gun.
With the finish in poor condition, it's value is probably no more than $300. If the cylinder has good timing and a solid lock up I would shoot it with standard pressure ammo.
And if it serves in a home defense role,
I would load +P rated hollow points in it for protection.
(Even though the factory does not approve, I think the gun would not blow up when shooting a burglar.)
If I'm reading the serial number right, it has no letter prefix, and the number 322XXX.
That should be an early 1920s era gun.
With the finish in poor condition, it's value is probably no more than $300. If the cylinder has good timing and a solid lock up I would shoot it with standard pressure ammo.
And if it serves in a home defense role,
I would load +P rated hollow points in it for protection.
(Even though the factory does not approve, I think the gun would not blow up when shooting a burglar.)
I heard online that S&W Model 1905 Military & Police .38 spl revolver serial number 316648 was produced in September, 1919, and that is when heat treated cylinders first appeared.
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So, yours could have been produced later that same year in 1919.
Also those "DEEP DISH gold medallion" grips on the gun are generally considered to have been evidence of a gun dating to the 19-teen years. I read they stopped producing them* in 1920, although Smith & Wesson might've had years worth of inventory and they could've slapped those grips onto a gun frame that was headed out the factory door for shipment in the early 1920s.
* The "deep dish" Gold plated brass medallions are distinguishable by being very high up at the top of the grip with only a fraction of an inch of wood surrounding them on the top edge,
and by being countersunk slightly below the surface of the grips, not flush with the surface.
Many other types of grips (or stocks) produced by Smith & Wesson had gold or silver colored medallions on them, but the location of these and their recess slightly below the surface dates them to 1912 to 1920.
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So, yours could have been produced later that same year in 1919.
Also those "DEEP DISH gold medallion" grips on the gun are generally considered to have been evidence of a gun dating to the 19-teen years. I read they stopped producing them* in 1920, although Smith & Wesson might've had years worth of inventory and they could've slapped those grips onto a gun frame that was headed out the factory door for shipment in the early 1920s.
* The "deep dish" Gold plated brass medallions are distinguishable by being very high up at the top of the grip with only a fraction of an inch of wood surrounding them on the top edge,
and by being countersunk slightly below the surface of the grips, not flush with the surface.
Many other types of grips (or stocks) produced by Smith & Wesson had gold or silver colored medallions on them, but the location of these and their recess slightly below the surface dates them to 1912 to 1920.
