[pianotech70]

I have a 38 Special, 5 inch barrel, that was a set my dad had for many years. The other revolver, my brother owns and is a 3 inc barrel. Both are nickel and mother of pearl grips. We know very little about them except that my dad had them since we were quite little. The serial is 243XXX on the 5 inch barreled one. Any information about model or age would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[jonesy814]

Welcome to the forum. S&W makes and has made many different models in 38 Special. What you provided is like me saying I have a Ford that is blue, what year & model is it? We will need a lot more info to tell you anything and pictures would be best

 

[pianotech70]

I will post pictures.
Hope this helps. And thanks for the reply! We know very little about the guns, but my dad was a 2 handed crack shot and could keep a tin can rolling shooting from the hip. Amazing marksman. He has been gone since'67, so we have no way to find out any history of the gun. Any info would be much appreciated

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! That is a .38 Military & Police Model of 1905, square butt, 4th Change from 1915. The pearl grips are aftermarket. Its nickel plate looks decent for its age. A nice inheritance.

 

[delcrossv]

Sweet! You have a Model of 1905 4th Change. Based on the serial number, its a very early one from the teens.

Edit: gotta type faster!

The aftermarket pearls are pretty valuable on their own. It was a common dealer installed item back then. Note, they're fragile so if you're planning on shooting it alot, pick up some more recent wood K frame square butt grips and keep the pearls for show.

 

[pianotech70]

My dad used to shoot this one, my mother had the shorter barrelled one. Dad could use one in each hand and roll a tin can till he ran out of shells. Mom was almost as good. They have been in the family for many years, I think, all of my life, nearly 70 years. The finish is very good, very little marring. It needs a bit of cleaning because it has been stored in it's holster and probably not shot for 30 years. Is there any precautions about the gun... I assume modern shells are ok as long as they are not high powered. I have a half a box of wadcutters left from years ago.

 

[delcrossv]

Any non "+p" 38 Special ammo will be fine. Leave the hot stuff for a newer gun. Lead, as opposed to plated bullets will work better with this gun.

Do NOT store it in a holster. A gun rug or silicone sock is the way to go to prevent corrosion.

For cleanup, theres a product called "Flitz" which is a mild metal polish. a little bit on a rag , rubbed in by hand will brighten the finish. Follow up with a few drops of gun oil into the works, some lightly oiled patches down the barrel and chambers, and a wipe with an oily rag and you'll be good to go.

 

[pianotech70]

Good to know. It has been stored in a holster as long as I can remember, so will change that. I am familiar with Flitz, I have made custom knives, and know about steel polishes. The holster is a HUNTER 3100, and is beautifully hand worked. This is one of the very few things I have from my father and I cherish it greatly. He also had a matched set of Manhattans, 36 cal as I recall, consecutive serials, and I thinks my brother has those as well. They looked like Colt 45s but called Manhattan.
Any idea what value range this gun may be, just for curiosity, I know it is hard to judge without seeing it, but a proximity would help.

 

[delcrossv]

It would probably bring 400-450 around here with the pearls.

 

[pianotech70]

It would probably bring 400-450 around here with the pearls.

That would have been my guess. It is still a decent gun and I have shot it in the past. It shoots well and is pretty accurate.

 

[pianotech70]

The aftermarket pearls are pretty valuable on their own. It was a common dealer installed item back then. Note, they're fragile so if you're planning on shooting it alot, pick up some more recent wood K frame square butt grips and keep the pearls for show.

Good idea! I love the pearls but have always been rather cautious of them. Any idea of where to look for grips?

 

[Wiregrassguy]

I think delcrossv has given good advice but with one caveat. Your M&P was designed to shoot cartridges that were 30% more powerful than standard pressure cartridges sold today (or about the same pressure as +P). By all means shoot a regular diet of target ammo. But don't be afraid of shooting some +P occasionally. It won't damage your gun. I also concur with Fran's value assessment. S&W made so many of the M&P that they are not scarce enough to bring high dollar values, unlike some other models.

 

[pianotech70]

I knew it wasn't worth a lot, I remember seeing some of the police in my day carrying them in the Youngstown Ohio area. They were fairly popular for the guys who carried them and rarely needed them. I was just on ebay and saw a set of pearl grips for close to $200. An eyeopener. I think I will look for a nice set of wood grips to use for plinking though.

 

[jonesy814]

Good to know. It has been stored in a holster as long as I can remember, so will change that. I am familiar with Flitz, I have made custom knives, and know about steel polishes. The holster is a HUNTER 3100, and is beautifully hand worked. This is one of the very few things I have from my father and I cherish it greatly. He also had a matched set of Manhattans, 36 cal as I recall, consecutive serials, and I thinks my brother has those as well. They looked like Colt 45s but called Manhattan.
Any idea what value range this gun may be, just for curiosity, I know it is hard to judge without seeing it, but a proximity would help.

If it had been stored in a sock, oily rag or something like that it would probably look new. A leather holster is one of the worst places to store a gun. The chemicals used in tanning are hard on guns plus they retain moisture

 

[delcrossv]

Good idea! I love the pearls but have always been rather cautious of them. Any idea of where to look for grips?

Ebay is a good place. Square butt, K frame. As they're for plinking, don't bother popping for something fancy.

 

[jeepnut]

That is a nice inheritance. I have one from 1917 and reload lead wadcutters and are extremely accurate. Like said get some inexpensive grips and enjoy.

 

[Minorcan]

Welcome to the forum. You have a nice looking shooter with family provenience. Since you say it was stored in a holster, some old period holsters can be worth as much as an old gun. What type and make was the holster?

 

[pianotech70]

Welcome to the forum. You have a nice looking shooter with family provenience. Since you say it was stored in a holster, some old period holsters can be worth as much as an old gun. What type and make was the holster?

It is a carved and tooled Hunter marked in a powderhorn logo with a 3100 inkstamp above the logo. It has the flipover belt band.

 

[WendyZXZ]

Welcome to the forum!