Mystery .357

[Foster_99]

Does anybody have any idea what this may be? 5 digit serial number on the butt of the gun and that’s the only marking I can find! Very weird to me


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[Foster_99]

Got this for $140…. Guy who I bought it from was guessing that it was a Spanish S&W copy


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[reddog81]

I’d guess Spanish copy also. Is the cylinder bored straight through? I would not shoot 357’s in it. I’d be hesitant to shoot .38 +P ammo in it.

[Tracy]

Yeah, looks like a Spanish copy to me as well. I used to have one that looked about like it. I highly doubt it's a .357. I limited mine to standard velocity .38s.

[dtknowles]

I have a Spanish revolver marked 38 long colt that will chamber .357 mag. I am not going to fire any .357 mags in it to find out what happens

Tim

[rintinglen]

Right after the conclusion of hostilities of WW I, several enterprising U.S. importers got together with some of the now un-employed Basque gunmakers and began manufacture/import of cheap knock-offs of the Smith and Wesson Revolvers. Some of them were nicely finished, but none of them were mechanically sound, being made out of the softest steel obtainable. The guns either had markings designed to mislead the purchaser into thinking it was a real Smith and Wesson, or else were devoid of any markings save maybe the caliber and somewhere, in small letters the word "Spain." S&W sued the offenders and got an injunction putting a stop to the practice.

This gun closely resembles the Garate y Anitua & Compania 32-20 I had. What a piece of work that was. If you had used butter for this gun, it might have been softer, but not by much.

Now later on in the 1920's, some guns were imported that were of better quality, but clearly marked "made in Spain", with the makers name stamped on the guns and the calibers stamped on the barrel. Sears sold some, including some N-frame 44 Specials made by various Eibar manufacturers.

[Foster_99]

Right after the conclusion of hostilities of WW I, several enterprising U.S. importers got together with some of the now un-employed Basque gunmakers and began manufacture import of cheap knock offs of the Smith and Wesson Revolvers. Some of them were nicely finished, but none of them were mechanically sound, being made out of the softest steel obtainable. The guns either had markings designed to mislead the purchaser into thinking it was a real Smith and Wesson, or else were devoid of any markings save maybe the caliber and somewhere, in small letters the word "Spain." S&W sued the offenders and got an injunction putting a stop to the practice.

This gun closely resembles the Garate y Anitua & Compania 32-20 I had. What a piece of work that was. If you had used butter for this gun, it might have been softer, but not by much.

Now later on in the 1920's, some guns were imported that were of better quality, but clearly marked "made in Spain", with the makers name stamped on the guns and the calibers stamped on the barrel. Sears sold some, including some N-frame 44 Specials made by various Eibar manufacturers.

Very interesting! I’ll look more into this… I knew someone would have a general idea; thanks!


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[LAGS]

That looks like a pistol that is similar to a S&W Victory model that I had , that someone had bored the cylinder straight thru from 38/200 cartridge so they could shoot 38 Specials.
But you could insert some .357 Magnums into the cylinder.
That pistol looks like a copy of s pistol that was made before the 1920's.
Notice the notches in the cylinder.
They are just a groove and do not have a slot for a cylinder stop to lock the cylinder in the firing alignment to the barrel.
My S&W had that slot.
But a lot of older pistols did not.
That style pistol cylinder is rotated by the Hand.
And the stop is fixed on the trigger , and stops the cylinder.
But does not Lock the cylinder.

[desi23]

I would agree with the other posters that it is Spanish. The locking cuts in the cylinder and the unsupported ejector rod certainly have that look. The finish on the barrel and cylinder doesn't match the rest of the gun...... Both may have been refinished, the barrel may have been replaced and the cylinder redone to match, who knows? The main thing is the 38 caliber versions of these revolvers were usually chambered for the 38 Long Colt or 38 Special. They weren't offered in 357, Many of the Spanish companies which made these guns went out of business during the Spanish Civil War before the 357 even became a popular production caliber in the US. I would NOT consider it a safe choice for 357, these guns were cheap, low quality and not very durable. They gave the entire Spanish arms industry a bad name.

[JRD]

While it generally looks like an S&W 38 Military & Police, it is clearly not. It was a copy of a S&W made as others have pointed out in either Spain or Portugal which were hot beds of low quality knock offs in the early 1900's. It wasn't just S&W either, there are knock offs of Colt's, FN's, and anything that was popular enough to be worth counterfeiting at the time. Just like a cheap watch you buy on a street corner may LOOK just like a Rolex, it isn't an actual Rolex.

Notice the workmanship isn't of good quality compared to an actual S&W and the proportions aren't correct for an actual S&W. It's also devoid of the usual markings. S&W always marked their guns with good roll stamps. Often the counterfeits are hand stamped and may have spelling errors or just be plain gibberish.

The gun is also mechanically different from an S&W. Look at the stop notches on the outside of the cylinder. Those aren't of S&W design. They are similar to a Colt. Finally, pull the side plate off. I will guarantee you that it differs mechanically from a genuine S&W on the inside.

If it were mine, I'd just keep it as an example of the cheap counterfeit guns of the era and I wouldn't dare shoot it. It was likely made to lower standards and of lesser quality steel than a gun from any reputable brand. I don't know your family situation, but you may also want to hang a tag on the gun identifying it as unsafe to shoot in case someday your kids or grandkids get it and may be inclined to put a .357 in it.

[Texas by God]

My brother had one.
We loaded and shot low pressure.38 Special in it. It wasn’t a keeper for sure….
All .38 Long Colt chambers are bored straight through. I had a Colt DA Army revolver that was. It would accept .357 mag as well, but I knew better than to touch one off!


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[Jtarm]

Right after the conclusion of hostilities of WW I, several enterprising U.S. importers got together with some of the now un-employed Basque gunmakers and began manufacture/import of cheap knock-offs of the Smith and Wesson Revolvers. Some of them were nicely finished, but none of them were mechanically sound, being made out of the softest steel obtainable. The guns either had markings designed to mislead the purchaser into thinking it was a real Smith and Wesson, or else were devoid of any markings save maybe the caliber and somewhere, in small letters the word "Spain." S&W sued the offenders and got an injunction putting a stop to the practice.

This gun closely resembles the Garate y Anitua & Compania 32-20 I had. What a piece of work that was. If you had used butter for this gun, it might have been softer, but not by much.

Now later on in the 1920's, some guns were imported that were of better quality, but clearly marked "made in Spain", with the makers name stamped on the guns and the calibers stamped on the barrel. Sears sold some, including some N-frame 44 Specials made by various Eibar manufacturers.

FWIW, the Iberian knock-offs are why S&W added “MARCAS REGISTRADAS” to the frame stamp.

[alfadan]

If you have "gun buy backs" in your area, it might be good for that.

[Foster_99]

My brother had one.
We loaded and shot low pressure.38 Special in it. It wasn’t a keeper for sure….
All .38 Long Colt chambers are bored straight through. I had a Colt DA Army revolver that was. It would accept .357 mag as well, but I knew better than to touch one off!


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Mine will chamber .357 but I’m starting to believe it’s actually a .38 LC like you have explained, time to figure that out


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