Help with S&W I.D. Please

[LtFrankDrebbin]

Hi all,
looking at buying a S&W revolver, the dealer is suspicious it has been converted some how in the past but is not sure of exactly what.
It is being sold as a 38 special but I have the feeling it was originally chambered for 38 S&W.
Markings are as follows;
Top of Barrel (5" long)....
Smith & Wesson Springfeild Mass. pat feb.6.0.g sept14.09.dec.29.14

Right side barrel;
38 S&W CTG

S/N
754xx

Back of cylinder just above extractor
8483xx

If my feeling is correct 38S&W converted to 38spec than I am assuming it will be safe with light hand loads only??
Any insight will help thanks.

[Olevern]

If the revolver has been converted you will likely need a new cylinder to undo the conversion. The bore dia. for the 38 S&W is .362 and bore for the .38 spl. is .357. No accuracy love there.

Furthermore, I believe the cartridge dia. of the 38 S&W is also larger which would result in bulged or split cases. Don't have the SAAMI specs handy, but that would definately warrant checking out.

Not a S&W expert, so hopefully someone else will chime in and identify the orig. chambering by the information provided.

[bcp477]

If the right side of the barrel is marked "38 S&W CTG"......not "38 S&W SPECIAL CTG" (or "38 S&W SPL" on some of the snubbie barrels) .....then the BARREL is NOT a 38 Special barrel. So, shooting 38 Special through it would be a mistake. Further, I'd be concerned about the frame - the gun sounds like an old one, perhaps pre - 38 Special. There were still some 38 S&W guns being produced, even after 38 Special was introduced. But, the two cartridges ARE different......and the 38 Special loadings are more powerful.....so if it was built for 38 S&W, it was NOT proofed for 38 SPECIAL.

I'd suggest that you post this info on the Smith and Wesson forums. You'll find real experts there (with S&W's, I mean). They can likely give you much more definitive answers.

[KYCaster]

On the older S&W revolvers, the number stamped on the back of the cylinder is the serial no. and should match the SN stamped in other locations....on the butt of the grip frame and on the flat on the bottom of the barrel where it's covered by the ejector rod when the crane is closed.

The number on the frame under the crane is not the SN, it's an assembly no. that should match the assembly no. on the crane.

Jerry

[429421Cowboy]

As has been mentioned above the .38 S&W has a larger chamber and bore diameter than the .38 Special. I however was under the impression that the I (.32) frame .38 S&W Smith was lengthened out to become the J frame .38 Special because it was too short to take a Special to begin with?

[jdgabbard]

Pictures could help.... A lot of times certain guns can be more recognizable with a few good pictures. Maybe swing by the shop in the next day or so and snap a few to get a better idea.

[Bret4207]

If it's been rechambered from 38 S+W to Special you should be able to see a faint line where the old throat began in the cylinder chambers.

[MtGun44]

Rechambering the original cylinder is workable but just barely. Brass is bulged and often
splits. Not completely unsafe, but not a good thing, either.

A new cylinder fitted would be OK, but depending on the groove diam of the barrel and
the throat diameters, accuracy might not be top notch, but may be just fine.

Overall answer is that for a "under the seat" gun, it is probably fine if the cyl has been replaced.
For a real accurate example of S&W's workmanship - maybe, maybe not, depending
on how the tolerances stacked up on that particular example.

Bill

[LtFrankDrebbin]

Big thanks to all that responded. Think I will buy this revolver in question.
Then slug the bore take cylinder measurments ect.
If it is a rechamber job then light loads over an apropriate sized bullet will be my plan.
It only needs to poke holes in paper, Knock steel plates over and general range fun.
I do like to tinker with these sort of things.
I rather own it than think of some one stuffing full power 38spec+p's in it.
Hate to imagine that outcome.

[NoZombies]

From the patent dates, we can surmise that is from the smokeless era. being such, it was made after the advent of the .38 special. However, the waters do not get entirely clear, as some of the K-frame sized S&W revolvers were still built in .38 S&W, especially those destined for British and Colonial markets.

What I say doesn't change anything else that's been said regarding chamber or bore diameters etc. I just thought I might shed some limited historical light.

[MtGun44]

LOTS of Victory model S&Ws (Model 10 with a rough finish) were made in .38 S&W for
the British in WW2. MANY came back and since .38 Spl was about 10,000 times more
popular, they ran a reamer into them and sold them as S&W .38s with something ambiguous
like "works with .38 Special".

Oswald shot Officer Tippett with one.

Bill