S&W identification help

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bikeguy

New member
My brother recently came into an older S&W revolver that I'm interested inlearning a little more about. I'm revolver dumb, but I'll try and get some of this right!

There are no model markings anywhere that I can find. HEre is what is marked.
Top of the barrel "Smith & Wesson .....patented Feb, 8, 06, Sept, 14, 09, Dec, 29, 14."
Side of Barrel "38 S.&W. Special CTG"
Serial # appears on underside of barrel, rear of cylinder, and bottom of grip
Number on frame and cylinder yoke (?) is 19552 (year and another digit?)
It is chromed or nickel, and I don't really know the difference!
No rear sight, just a channel.
4" barrel
6 round cylinder
Flat butt
Not a big piece, but not small either.
 
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Old Fuff

New member
I think what you have is a Smith & Wesson Military & Police; 1905 Hand Ejector. However, check the serial number on the butt again. Serial number 19,5xx would have been made long before 1914 (as indicated by the patent date on the barrel. They were up in the 240,xxx range by 1914, and your gun (going by the patents on the barrel could have been made anywhere from 1915 to 1942. Everything else you describe is correct, including the nickel finish. The Military & Police model eventually became the model 10 after World War Two.
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
Look on the bottom of the butt.

There serial number should be there. You may have to take the grips off.

The other numbers you're describing may be assembly numbers, although that's a lot of digits for a floor number.
 
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bikeguy

New member
the 19552 number is on the cylinder yoke and the frame wher the cylinder yoke closes up. The serial number is 3948xx.

Thanks for the help! I've never been much a a revolver guy, but this thing has intrigued me so that I'm now interested in learning more about them. What are some good resources (especially for S&W revolvers)?
 
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Radicalcleric

New member
The book says 241,000 - 700,000 were made 1915 - 1942 so yours falls in there somewhere. Close as we can tell.

Sounds like a Military & Police (K frame, later to be called the Model 10) .38 Special. A classic handgun.
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
Very likely made in the middle 1920s.

The floor assembly number also intrigues me; as I said, a lot of numbers. That could indicate a period of heavy production, possibly for a large contract.

Revolver production at S&W slowed WAY down in the 1930s during the Depression.

Best current resource is Supica & Nahaus "The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson."

The gun you've got is known as the .38 Hand Ejector, Military & Police, and after 1957 also as the Model 10.

For nearly 100 years it was the bread and butter of the S&W line up.

More S&W M&Ps/Model 10s have been made than likely any other single model of handgun -- many many million, perhaps as many as 10 million.

At one point in time the M&P/Model 10 armed police officers on virtually every major police force in the country, and many of the not so major ones, too.
 
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