Identity and Date of Manufacture of S&W Revolvers

cyclopshooter:
The .44 Hand Ejector Second Model was manufactured from 1915 to 1940 in the serial range 15376 to 59xxx. Yours dates to 1931 or 1932.

Rickyr:
You have a post war .38 Military & Police revolver manufactured in the period 1948 to 1951.

Gladius:

Gun 1 is a .38 Military & Police Model of 1905 4th Change manufactured between 1921 and 1927.
Gun 2 is a K22 Combat Masterpiece, later known as the Model 18. It was manufactured in 1952.
Gun 3 is a weird one, the S serial range started at S62489. My guess is that you have a gun manufactured between 1917 and 1919 for the US Army, sold back to S&W at the end of WWII, remanufactured and shipped out again, hence the S stamp. If it has the 4 line address on the right side of the frame this is more likely. So lets say 1948 to 1951 in it's second life.
Your model 25-5 dates to 1980.
Your 25-2 dates to 1980.
Your 29-2 dates to 1977-78.
Your Model 60 dates to 1962-1969.
Your model 629-3 dates to around September 1989.
 
WOW! My "Model 10" dates to the '20's??? I had no idea. I thought it would be newer than the K22, as it is in absolutely pristine condition. Thanks!!!
 
Gladius:
I screwed up, sorry, I didn't notice the bit about a C prefix.
Your postwar .38 Military & Police was manufactured in 1957. Not as stunning, but a) a 53 year old gun that is pristine is still very nice and b) the 1957 gun has the modern hammer block safety, so it can be loaded on all six chambers. If the gun was from 1920 then it would be a five shooter if loaded prudently with an empty chamber under the hammer.

Sigma35073:
The J frame grip is slightly longer, so J frame grips will not work on the I frame.

OLDTRUCKER:
I'll need the rest of the identifying information. 4 inch square butt means your gun could be a Registered Magnum, .357 Magnum, Highway Patrolman, Combat Magnum, or Stainless Combat Magnum manufactured anytime from 1935 till today.
 
Quite alright, it's still a very nice revolver!
The 1917 seems to be a head-scratcher, though... there is no 4-line address stamp... but there do seem to be some faint markings on the bottom of the grip, which do appear to have been defaced, one of them is definitely an "N" and the other a "P", along with some illegible numbers -- if these were military markings, that would make some sense...
 
Yep. On mine it looks like all that was filed off (it's generally a clean job, but some traces remain)... and the lanyard loop is long gone, leaving only a hole... very curious...
 
Texasgunlover:
Your gun dates to 1966-1967. The serial number range for those years was C810533 to C999999, to late 1966/early 1967 seems likely.

There should be a model number stamped on the frame under the cylinder yoke cut out. It will be either a Model 10 or a Model 12. The Model 10 was the steel frame .38 Military & Police, the Model 12 was the aluminum framed .38 Military & Police Airweight.

If the grips are fake mother of pearl then they are not factory, I don't know if S&W was still offering real mother of pearl grips at that stage.
 
springfield 30-06:
Your Model 10-5 .38 Military & Police was manufactured in the period 1963 to 1965. Serial range for those years was C622700 to C810532, so 1965 seems likely.
 
I have two I need to get some info on:

A) S&W CTG .38 Special "Fifth Model", top-break action, blue finish, 3.5 in barrel, 5-shot revolver with pearl grips and "lemon squeezer" safety mechanism. Patents on left barrel are 1883, 1885, and 1889. Serial on bottom of butt is 171468. Excellent condition...standard .38 rounds are a bit fat for this gun...any opinion on value? Rare or no?

B) S&W US Service CTG, gorgeous pearl grips added in 1940 by a local deputy who acquired this gun from evidence in armed robbery/homicide prior to WWII (per my grandmother), nickel finish in pristine condition (mirror-like)...4" barrel, 6-shot cylinder, patent Dec 1901, Serial # 62706. Value these days?

Thanks guys.
 
Hi GreenMile09,


Your S&W 5th Model Top-Break would be chambered in .38 S&W, rather than .38 Special.

"U.S.Service C'tg was .38 Long Colt, but .38 S&W Special will chamber and fire as well.

The Barrel of the latter should read ".38 S&W Special or U.S. Service C'tg", since it would chamber and fire either.
 
Last edited:
GreenMile09:
A .38 Safety Hammerless with serial number 171468 will be a Fourth Model manufactured between 1898 & 1907. The .38 special cartridge should not chamber in this gun. The correct round, as noted by Oyeboten is the .38 S&W this is a shorter round with a wider base than the .38 special. These guns with that barrel length are not particularly rare, nor is there yet a major collectors market for them at this time. In 2006 the Standard Catalog of S&W gave a value of $400 in excellent condition.

Your second gun is a .38 Military & Police Model of 1905. Serial range was 62450 to 73250 manufactured in 1905 & 1906. The SCSW gave the following values: Excellent $400, Excellent Plus $650. If real mother of pearl the grips may add $100 to the value.

Bear in mind the true value is what a buyer is willing to pay at the time that you are wanting to sell, so you could go higher or lower.

Word of warning. The topbreak was made at the turn over from black powder to smokeless ammunition. Smokeless ammunition is higher pressure so you will accelerate wear in a gun designed for black powder if you choose to shoot it.
The Military & Police lacks a heat treated cylinder, this was standard from 1919. I recommend you only shoot standard velocity lead ammunition through it, no PlusP or jacketed ammo. It also lacks a hammer block safety, so if kept loaded the chamber under the hammer should be left empty.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
S&W 38 special identification help
Replies
5
Views
375
DPris
D
B
  • Locked
S&W Model 29-3 markings
Replies
3
Views
1K
belercous
B
Dudemeister
  • Locked
S&W Model 57
2
Replies
48
Views
3K
vmr357
vmr357
T
  • Locked
Questions about S&W Model 10-6
Replies
9
Views
729
GaryP
G
S
  • Locked
S&W Model 36 Manufacture Date:
Replies
4
Views
448
Brian Williams
Brian Williams
Back
Top