S&W J Frame
- Thread starter OCM
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Boy , that's a nice old revolver. Are you sure that it is a J-frame? Looks a bit like a pre 10 K frame , although the hammer looks like a J frame hammer.
When I look at the screw between the trigger and the cylinder the space around the screw looks too "spacious" to me. I am sure that one of the many experts on this forum will come along soon. All I did is pull and old J frame and an old K frame out of the safe and compared them with your image.
Anecdotal is as anecdotal does.
When I look at the screw between the trigger and the cylinder the space around the screw looks too "spacious" to me. I am sure that one of the many experts on this forum will come along soon. All I did is pull and old J frame and an old K frame out of the safe and compared them with your image.
Anecdotal is as anecdotal does.
burrhead
Member
Looks like a Regulation Police. Probably, someone will come along and correct me.
It is easy to tell a Regulation Police as the serial number is on the front grip strap, not on the butt (because the filler type grip covers the butt) and there is a "step" in the rear grip strap, which can be easily seen with the grips in place, but is more obvious with them removed.
Jim
Jim
Not much additional information is available. It is a .38 Regulation Police model (.38 S&W/5 shot/4" barrel/blue). It was made shortly after World War Two on the I-frame (flat mainspring) or Improved I-frame (coil mainspring).
About the only difference between it and prewar revolvers is the addition of a positive hammer block that was developed in 1945 and makes it unquestionably safe to carry with the hammer down on a loaded chamber.
About the only difference between it and prewar revolvers is the addition of a positive hammer block that was developed in 1945 and makes it unquestionably safe to carry with the hammer down on a loaded chamber.
The frame was designed around the .32 S&W Long cartridge and introduced in 1903. But then the company created the J-frame by shortening that part of the barrel inside the cylinder window and making the cylinder longer in the early 1950's - in other words in reverse of you're speculation.
See post #5.
When the Regulation Police was introduced around 1917 it featured a unique square-butt configuration that was achieved by using a modified round-butt frame and special stocks. S&W even went to the trouble of having them patented and stamped the patent date on the bottom of the stocks.
But the picture above (post #8) doesn't show the notched backstrap that Jim K mentioned. Some additional research is required here, but I suspect that in this particular production S&W might have eliminated the notch and used stocks that were intended for their .22-32 Target model. If so, it was because they were using up surplus parts made before World War Two.
As a practical matter it is meaningless, but it is also the sort of thing that some collectors with deep pockets might pay extra to get.
When the Regulation Police was introduced around 1917 it featured a unique square-butt configuration that was achieved by using a modified round-butt frame and special stocks. S&W even went to the trouble of having them patented and stamped the patent date on the bottom of the stocks.
But the picture above (post #8) doesn't show the notched backstrap that Jim K mentioned. Some additional research is required here, but I suspect that in this particular production S&W might have eliminated the notch and used stocks that were intended for their .22-32 Target model. If so, it was because they were using up surplus parts made before World War Two.
As a practical matter it is meaningless, but it is also the sort of thing that some collectors with deep pockets might pay extra to get.
The patent number was stamped in very small letters/numbers on the bottom of one stock, and may be worn off, or maybe left off after the war, considering that the patent was some 40 years old. Infringement was unlikely.
The serial number on the inside of one or both stock panels show that this particular pair were hand fitted to the frame, and original to it. Consider that to be a plus.
The "Improved" frame was introduced in 1953. The upper sideplate screw was eliminated in 1955. So I deduce that you're revolver was made between those dates.
And spotting fine details using nothing but a photograph can be a challenge. :banghead:
Monac
Member
As I understand it, a S&W 38 Regulation Police says "38 Regulation Police" right on the barrel. This was not true of the 32 Regulation Police. I think this was because the 38 RP was produced in only one barrel length, whereas the 32 RP was produced in pretty much all barrel lengths. But I'm trying to remember the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson off the top of my head, so I may have got it wrong.
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I was minding my own business, when my son-in-law calls and says there is going to be an auction near him. Since I have a C&R I looked the inventory over, and this was in a holster and showed some pitting, but I bid on it and a Mod 10, and a couple of others and won. The bid on the Reg/Police was $175.00, All in all, it was a good auction. Partly because there were a few compact auto's and some snubbies. Those went for more than they're worth.
which would be the expected markings. Smith & Wesson didn't specifically identify revolver models until 1957 when they assigned model numbers.
Smith & Wesson introduced the Regulation Police model in 1917 to compete with Colt's popular Police Positive. Between the two World Wars it was favored by some urban police departments, and a snubby version was sold to the USPS. But following World War Two it soon lost favor when a similar sized gun (Chief Special/model 36) chambered in .38 Special came on board.
If you shop some of the larger on-line dealers and auctions you'll come across them, chambered in .32 S&W Long (6 shot) or .38 S&W (5 shot). Barrel lengths usually run from 3 1/4 to 6 inches.
There has been some dispute over the reason for the notch in the backstrap. Some say it is just to better support the extended grip (apparently the first time S&W used that concept), others that it was intended to prevent grip breakage when a cop used the butt of his gun for "gentle persuasion" of a malefactor.
Jim
Jim
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