Radagast
Member
C5rider:
.38 Military & Police Postwar manufactured in 1948. The C is part of the serial number.
.38 Military & Police Postwar manufactured in 1948. The C is part of the serial number.
whoa ... awesomeSo for $15 I got the revolver
Yes I feel for ya. Merry Christmas !!!Bullseye, I couldn't let this one get destroyed.
knee-dragger777:
Exposed hammer and not marked Airweight on the barrel? If so it is a Pre Model 36, the Chiefs Special manufactured between 1955 (serial number 75000) and 1957 (serial number 117770). My guesstimate is late 1956.
chewiemac1974:
You have a .38 Military & Police Model of 1905 4th Change manufactured in 1942. This was the predecessor to the the Model 10. Most parts do not interchange.
This was likely a commercial contract gun for a civilian security guard, IIRC by that time all production was under Govt. control with the vast majority marked US Property on the top strap and sent to the US armed forces or British Commonwealth. Some guns were allocated to essential war production facilities.
Derwin:
You have a .38 Military & Police Model of 1905 4th Change that falls into the serial range for 1927-1931. The medallions in the grips are post 1929 and the ejector rod is from 1930 or later, so 1930 or 1931 is most likely. Frames were being manufactured and stockpiled as S&W tried to keep its staff employed during the great depression, so the gun may not have been completed until years later.
CAI refers to Century International Arms, an importer of military surplus firearms. The gun is not a Model 10, its is an early ancestor, the model 10 uses the same K frame, with a different action.
I don't see any British proof marks in the pics, so it probably wasn't a commercial gun bought in 1940 when Britain was desperate for arms after Dunkirk, but anything is possible.
A $50 fee to the S&W Historian will gain you a factory letter which will tell you when and were it was shipped to. The gun is in poor shape, so the letter will not add to the value, only satisfy your curiosity.
knee-dragger777:
Exposed hammer and not marked Airweight on the barrel? If so it is a Pre Model 36, the Chiefs Special manufactured between 1955 (serial number 75000) and 1957 (serial number 117770). My guesstimate is late 1956.