Information on a S&W 38 Special

[RangerL91]

I am looking for information on the value of a gun I purchased in 1986.

It is a S&W 38 Special, CTG. Heavy barrel, parkerized finish, 4 inch barrel, fixed sites, wooden grips. The serial number starts with ALCXXXX.

Thanks.

 

[Dgreno]

Ill give you $20 for it
Seriously though, you have come to the right place. someone will be along soon with the answer you are looking for.
I just wanted to say welcome to THR!!

 

[Joe the Redneck]

It is worth what you can get someone to pay fo it.

Best thing to do is look for it on an auction site and see what they sell for.

I would guess at least $300.

Best wishes
Joe

 

[RangerL91]

Hmmm...$20 bucks or $300? Let me think about it!

$300 sounds about right, I think I paid $250 new

 

[Old Fuff]

It is a little unusual in that it has the round butt (most often seen on snubbies) with a 4" heavy barrel. The finish appears to be blue, not Parkerized.

I won't bid because I believe you've called the auction off.

ALC prefix serial numbers were made during 1985

 

[Black Knight]

That's a nice looking model 10HB. The round butt on a 4" heavy barrel is different. The model 10 is the backbone of the Smith & Wesson line. Just about all S&W's are designed from it. Most law enforcement agencies have issued a model 10 (also known as the Military & Police) at one time or other. The model 10 is in my opinion one model every one should have in their collection.

 

[Phil DeGraves]

Probably a Model 10, could be a Model 12 if it has an aluminum frame (the round butt was more prevalent on the 12s). They also made M10s in a round butt with a 3" barrel. It should have the Model # on the frame inside of the crane. We sell those previously owned for $250 - $300 in that kind of shape.

 

[Phil DeGraves]

I notice the barrel is not pinned so it is probably a Model 10 of recent manufacture.

 

[SaxonPig]

In 1982 S&W started the 3-letter serial series with AAA. You gun was made in the 1982-1985 range, I would think.

The RB configuration is unusual but some PDs ordered them for female officers with small hands.

Just a guess but it looks to me like it may have either been refinished (quickly) or perhaps someone touched it up with cold blue to cover scars.

 

[Coyote3855]

Re-blue?

Maybe, hard to tell from the pictures. Condition of grips seems to match the rest of the gun. Could be a dresser drawer gun that wasn't used. If there was wear serious enough to warrent a re-blue, I'd expect more wear on the grips. What do you see that makes you suspect a re-blue?

 

[RangerL91]

Thank you all for your information. I purchased the gun in 1986, which goes along with the manufactured date. A gun dealer here looked at the gun and said it was not parkerized but it was blue. I am the only owner of the gun since I purchased it for my job as a park ranger some 20 years ago. It stayed in the holster except at the firing range. It was never re-blued. It does have a very dull finish, that is why I thought it was parkerized. I thought blue was a shiny finish.

A little story about when I purchased the gun. A fellow ranger and I went to the gun store to purchase our guns. The store owner told us that he had some 38s in and could give us a good deal on them because they were part of an order for some Sandanistas, or something like that, and the deal for the guns fell through. I call it my sandanista special. Thanks again for all of your comments.

 

[bannockburn]

RangerL91

Uh, that story wouldn't make much sense, given that the Sandinistas were supplied everything they needed from Cuba. There's also the issue of the fact that they took control of Nicaraqua in 1979, not 1986. I don't think the Sandinistas would have been able to get any U.S. made arms during that time, nor would they have needed any with all the Com Bloc weaponry they had from Cuba, or from all the National Guard equipment that they captured.