Old .38 revolver info?

[irbyjr]

38 S & W CTO revolver, grip safety, 5 inch foldown barrel, hammerless, 5 round. Info?? SN 189408, pre WWII for sure.

Any info appreciated. I want to shoot it but not sure about the condition of it. Any suggestions on ammo appreciated also.

Thanks

 

[Jim Watson]

Sounds like a S&W .38 Safety Hammerless 4th model made sometime between 1899 and 1907.
That is .38 S&W CTG which stands for Cartridge, not Cool Tactical Gun.
That's .38 S&W not .38 S&W Special.

Current production .38 S&W ammunition is not loaded any hotter than it ever was but there is at least one gunsmith who recommends not firing anything earlier than a 5th model with smokeless. A few is not going to blow it up but many will beat it loose.

If you are not sure of the condition, I can't be sure of the condition.

 

[Radagast]

I can narrow that down to 1904 to 1907. Serial range being 1684xx to 220000 for that period.
S&W started advertising their guns as safe for smokeless powder in 1907. So I would treat the gun you have as a black powder proposition.
Modern ammo is loaded to the same peak pressure as black powder ammo, so it will not blow up the gun. It does have a much faster pressure spike, so the metal has less time to deal with the pressure. Expect a shorter life span if you shoot factory ammo through it.

 

[Jim K]

Actually, black powder has a faster pressure spike than smokeless, which is more progressive burning. But smokeless powder keeps the pressure on longer, which is not so important in a revolver but is very important in shotguns where the barrel thins down just where the shooter has his hand.

Jim