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Old S&W question

ginmaster
I picked up this top break today for a song. I don't know what the model number is. Can anyone help me? The last patent date is Jan. 3 82. It's a .38 S&W. It's been polished and the plated and the only markings to survive were the patent dates and the serial number. BTW the serial number is 267XXX. Can anyone tell me approximately when it was made? TIA.

sw001.jpg
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • rufe-snow
    From the serial number it's the ".38, Third Model, Double Action". Made probably late 1880's. Very popular in it's day, S & W made over 500,000 of the various Double Action .38's over 30 year period. Yours was made during the Black Powder era, use upmost caution if you attempt to fire with modern smokeless ammo.
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  • ginmaster
    quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
    From the serial number it's the ".38, Third Model, Double Action". Made probably late 1880's. Very popular in it's day, S & W made over 500,000 of the various Double Action .38's over 30 year period. Yours was made during the Black Powder era, use upmost caution if you attempt to fire with modern smokeless ammo.


    Thanks Snow. I wasn't thinking about the BP. Glad you posted that.
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  • Oakie
    Nice gun, Haven't seen one in a while. Thanks for posting a picture.
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  • perry shooter
    Normally I don't like refinished guns and don't like gold plating. However the sharp edges on this one are rounded [:(] and it does look like it has more BLING then needed BUT the person that did the prep work and the plating itself did a very slick job .I like it [^][8D]
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  • 5mmgunguy
    Ginmaster: What does the bore look like?
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  • ginmaster
    quote:Originally posted by 5mmgunguy
    Ginmaster: What does the bore look like?


    It's a little rough. I have worse. I shot some Remington and Winchester modern loads today with no problems. The Winchester was some old stock that I had. It grouped the best. Matter of fact I was impressed with the grouping.
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  • edharold
    Nice looking piece. I found one similar when I was young, but much less nice. I found some modern, more or less, 38 S&W ammo and blew out one of the cylinders. Do your self a favor and use it as a paperweight.
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  • vulture
    I owned one a few years ago, wish I still had it, anyway I reloaded all of my ammo for it, nice light loads using Unique, sorry can't remember the charge weight now. Mine had a near perfect bore and was very accurate. The only problem I had was the shape of the trigger gaurd, with my large hands it tended to pound the back of the top finger on the grip and after a while was very uncomvortalbe, I think that's the reason I sold it. All in all I think they are some of the neatest small frame handguns out there.
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