38 S&W Top break

[Heliman]

I have always wanted one of these and finally talked a guy out of it. I know you find them everywhere, but opportunity and price convened at a weak moment. It's a 38 S&W Double Action 4th Model. SN 360xxx, probably late 1890's. It has original pearlite grips. Bluing is original also. Still has some case hardening on the hammer and trigger. If I can find some 38 S&W ammo, I will shoot it.....

Dave

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Oh, man . . . that's nice.

Good score, Dave.

:mrgreen:

 

[Stoots]

Yep.

Another great find Dave!

 

[don44]

A real nice buy.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Wow, nice piece. There is an actual first model in a pawn shop near me. Its pretty rough though, I wouldn't want to shoot it.

 

[gunman42782]

Those old top breaks are intriguing.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Yep, I wish someone would bring back a top break .22.

 

[Bob Wright]

When I was a youngster I went through several .38 S&W top-breaks, though not Smith & Wesson revolvers. They were pretty cheap then. I had an old Harrington & Richardson, and an unmarked one I later found out was made by Marlin.

Most of them would jump open, or come unlatched, when fired. I learned to have a welder flow some silver solder onto the lugs, then I would dress them down with a file to correct the problem. Thus repaired, they shot just as well as they ever did, though that's not saying too much.

I repaired one such gun for a friend of mine, even made a pair of oversize target grips of walnut, and polished up the nickel. He loaned it to his girl friend for her protection. When she found out he already had a wife, she shot herself with that gun. A ploice officer kept the gun.

Bob Wright

 

[mm6mm6]

You're gonna love shooting that old and beautiful S&W! I love the lines of the exposed hammer, break top .38's that S&W made. Mine was shipped on March 13, 1886.

When I was shooting it at the range, the guy in the booth next to me saw my grouping and then leaned around his booth into mine to see what I was shooting so well. He said, "That's what you're shooting those groups with??????"

He couldn't believe the gun was more than 120 years old. The S&W, H&R, and Iver Johnson .32's and .38's were very well made guns (as were pretty much all guns) back then!

Enjoy yours, it's gorgeous!

 

[Mike Armstrong]

If you like historical fiction, there's an excellent series by Douglas Jones (RIP) based law enforcement in the Indian Territories, whose main character is a US Attorney called Eban Paye (I think). In the process of the books, he settles on an S&W DA .38 like this one. But other characters have other guns; the primary US Marshal (and coke-head!) carries a nickled SAA .38-40 and the main tribal cop carries a sawed off Win 1887 lever action 10-bore! Good books; Doug Jones was a professional historian, among other things. The one to start with is "Winding Stair."

 

[Cocked and Locked]

Nice looking Top Breaks! I have just this one...and several boxes of fairly new ammo in addition to a couple of vintage box fulls. Its a fun shooter.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

Cool "Lemon Squeezer," Cocked and Locked! "Hi Tech" in the 1880s! And they still do what they were made to do.....

 

[6GUNSONLY]

I have an old family photo that I believe is my maternal grandmother's father. He is one serious lookin' dude posing for this picture, and there is what appears to be either a 4th model or Safety Hammerless peeking out of his waistband under his coat. No one had ever noticed the gun before until I pointed it out. Maybe I can figure out how to scan that pic in and post it sometime.