Smith and Wesson 4th Model

[reteach]

Looking for some information on a Smith and Wesson 4th Model .32 I just bought. The excellent laytonj1 searched the serial number for me and it seems safe to say it was made between 1907 and 1909. Mine is blued and has wood grips that I'm sure are custom made or modified. I will have my gunsmith look it over before I shoot it, but it looks to be in pretty good shape for its age, except for one thing.

I don't know much about old Smiths and I can't find much detail in a web search. It's a double action, with an exposed hammer. Here's my question. Is this model a double action-single action? Or double action only? The double action seems to work fine. It cocks - the hammer locks back - like a single action. But when I pull the trigger the hammer seems to catch and does not fall with any force. It feels almost like it's trying to fire in double action, even though it started with the hammer locked in a single action firing position.

So what is normal for this gun? I'm guessing it's broken, but I'd like to hear from you experts. Thanks.

Well, don't know what I did differently on my latest search, but I did just find a video of a guy shooting a 4th model in single action. So there's that answer. The question now is: Anyone have any idea why my gun doersn't work in single action?

 

[Mike Irwin]

Is this a break top or a swing-out cylinder revolver?

 

[reteach]

It's a break top.

 

[Mike Irwin]

OK, I'm not nearly as familiar with the break tops as I am with the modern Hand Ejectors.

But... yes, the exposed hammer guns were single/double action. The only ones that were double action only were the hammerless models.

My best guess for what might be ailing it is a hundred years of crud and dried grease. It may just need a really good cleaning.

 

[reteach]

Looks pretty clean on the outside, but I haven't tried to take it apart for a look inside. The grips are interesting - almost a Colt profile.

Sorry, thought the pics had uploaded. I'll work on that.

 

[reteach]

OK, got the pics to load. Thanks for the replies.

 

[HighValleyRanch]

 

[Don P]

Looks pretty clean on the outside

As they say don't judge a book by the cover. As stated a good internal cleaning can't hurt

 

[Bob Wright]

I'm reaching 'way back in my memory, but those guns have a pivoting pawl on the hammer that on modern guns is called the "double action fly." This part is what enables double action firing. I may be that this is protruding too far and catches the sear part of the trigger, halting the hammer fall. Possibly stuck by gunk.

Wild guess, but best I could come up with.

Bob Wright

 

[reteach]

Thanks, guys. Thorough cleaning is the next step.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Those might actually be a set of S&W grips for an I frame that have been repurposed. They have a definite look and feel of a set of grips for the old I frame Regulation Police.

 

[reteach]

Notice the extra shim of wood added so the grip panel can be longer.
That screw that's in the grip frame - is that just to hold the extra wood in place or is there another purpose to it?

 

[reteach]

Also, and this is pretty near too embarrassing to tell, I have discovered that the gun, which was advertised on GunBroker by a gun store as .32 S&W, is in fact a .38 S&W.

Does the change in caliber change the results that laytonj1 got for me in the serial number look-up?

 

[laytonj1]

Also, and this is pretty near too embarrassing to tell, I have discovered that the gun, which was advertised on GunBroker by a gun store as .32 S&W, is in fact a .38 S&W.

Does the change in caliber change the results that laytonj1 got for me in the serial number look-up?

Yes, it does. Makes it a lot older.
That makes it a .38 Double Action 3rd Model.
Serial numbers ran from 119001 in 1884 to 322700 in 1895.

Jim

 

[reteach]

Thank you. I appreciate your help.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

The grips are home made. The screw in the frame has nothing to do with the grips.

 

[reteach]

The screw in the frame has nothing to do with the grips.

OK. Thanks for that. What is it for? I've looked for schematics and don't see that screw on the ones I've found.

 

[Mike Irwin]

That screw is called the strain screw. It puts the correct tension on the mainspring.

Just for grins and giggles, try tightening that screw. It could be loose, and that could cause hammer drop problems.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

This S&W 38 Double Action 4th Model shipped in 1898. It is wearing its original hard rubber grips.

Serial Numbers for the 38 Double Action 1st Model ran from 1 to roughly 4,000 all made in 1880.

2nd Model Serial Numbers ran from 4001 - 119,000, made between 1880 and 1884.

3rd Model Serial Numbers 119,001 - 322,700, made 1884 - 1895.

4th Model Serial Numbers 322,701 - 539,000 made 1895 - 1909.

5th Model Serial Numbers 539,001 - 554,077 made 1909 -1911.

 

[reteach]

try tightening that screw.

I did that. It's in as far as it will go. Loosening it made the problem worse, so you're probably right about that being the area that needs work. Makes me wonder if those custom grips are causing some kind of interference with the spring. So far I haven't been able to get the grips off. I don't want to damage them, but they're going to have to come off. I think I'll let the gunsmith take it from here.
Thanks for the tip.