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warrior-twothree
10-20-10, 15:10
Just happened to stumble upon this while cleaning out my attic. It's a 38 SW DA only, and from the best I can determine probably ages back to 1930ish. Just figured I'd see what anyone may know.



http://m4carbine.net/picture.php?albumid=307&pictureid=1479
RD62
10-20-10, 15:13
I think it's mine.

I'll send you my address so you can send it back to me. Let me know what I owe you for shipping.

Other than that without some more detailed info, maybe pictures, and specific questions it's hard to answer anything else.

Oh, and welcome to the board and thanks for finding my pistol!
warrior-twothree
10-20-10, 15:21
Sure, just give me your FFL dealers contact info and we will get the ball rolling, lol. I'm trying to determine what the going rate may be, and two just any history on this series firearm, from what I've found out it was S&W's first DA only hammerless pistol. Patent dates state 1880 as a date, but unfortunately this is all I know.
dhrith
10-20-10, 15:44
One pic will be worth about 30 more posts.

That being said I think I'm going to go clean my attic.
Steve S.
10-20-10, 16:27
I think it's mine.

I'll send you my address so you can send it back to me. Let me know what I owe you for shipping.

Other than that without some more detailed info, maybe pictures, and specific questions it's hard to answer anything else.

Oh, and welcome to the board and thanks for finding my pistol!

Thanks for the laugh. Classic m4carbine response.
D. Christopher
10-20-10, 17:23
The SW in "38 SW" stands for "stealth weapon." I've got one around here somewhere but I can't find it right now, I made the mistake of putting it down before I put it back in the holster and now I need a metal detector to find it!
warrior-twothree
10-20-10, 18:18
This pistol will not chamber a .38 special, but takes the .38 Smith and Wesson which is a shorter cartridge, so thats where 38 SW came from, perhaps 38 S&W wouldve been less confusing.
warrior-twothree
10-20-10, 21:14
Retrying to upload the pic since it only shows from my end
rat31465
10-20-10, 21:20
These are gaining popularity again in the Cowboy Action Shooting Circles....Here is a pic of one that I have...Mines actually an Iver Johnson Owls Head in .32 S&W Short.
https://www.m4carbine.net/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=441

If yours is tight it might still be a shooter.
warrior-twothree
10-20-10, 21:22
hopefully attaching the image worked
warrior-twothree
10-20-10, 21:25
These are gaining popularity again in the Cowboy Action Shooting Circles....Here is a pic of one that I have...Mines actually an Iver Johnson Owls Head in .32 S&W Short.
https://www.m4carbine.net/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=441

If yours is tight it might still be a shooter.

Nice gun, yours is in substantially better condition than mine. However, I had no clue mine existed until a few months ago, obviously a relatives that just didn't get claimed. It's similar to yours except shorter barrel and smaller grip area.
rat31465
10-21-10, 08:22
Like you mine was found tucked away and forgotten about. My Father found it in a cabin he bought, I repaired it and then he gave it to me....I took it first to the local Sheriffs office and they ran the serial number to make sure it wasn't stolen....and now I keep it tucked away myself and only shoot it rarely. Ammo for it isn't the easiest to come by and as of now I don't reload .32 S&W Short.
1_click_off
10-21-10, 11:48
It was probably used in some high profile mofia crime and was hidden in your attic and should never have been resurfaced, or maybe it did just get unclaimed. Anyhow all jokes aside, I think it is cool to have some old school iron around. My Grandpa had 2 of them. He would call them his "Saturday night special pistols". But when he passed, they where claimed by others. I always thought they were neat.
Prange
10-26-10, 20:43
That's a .32 Safety Hammerless. AKA-"Lemon Squeezer". Hope this helps.
cj5_dude
10-26-10, 20:47
Financially not terribly valuable but family relations wise very important.

I've got a little .32 S&W Long Ivers Johnson that I got for $50. It's fun to play with but the least accurate gun I've ever bought. But I'll never get rid of it, it's too cool. I was able to do a search somewhere a long time ago online and found it was made in 1915. I just think that's too cool for school.
rat31465
10-27-10, 08:14
That's a .32 Safety Hammerless. AKA-"Lemon Squeezer". Hope this helps.

Actually the Lemon Squeezer has a safety on the back of the grip frames...This one's safety is on the trigger ala-Glock style.
So technically mine is not a Lemon Squeezer.

Now Warrior -twoThrees is a Lemon Squeezer although he reported that his is chambered in .38 S&W...
REDinFL
10-27-10, 08:36
Old S&W top break, judging from the first photo. Not a "lemon squeezer" which is a more modern swing out cylinder design.

Have a look at this:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=197275202

Looks like it, though the trigger guard is different. But, it IS a top break.
Prange
10-27-10, 14:27
I could be wrong. Sure looks like a grip safety on the backstrap to me.
REDinFL
10-27-10, 14:54
Probably just the angle or the lighting. Look in front of the cylinder at the break-hinge. That's the vintage indicator. I am by no means an expert in the Smiths but don't think they made a grip safety then; could be wrong.
C-grunt
10-27-10, 15:08
Not trying to insult you intelligence but are you sure its a smith and not something like an iver johnson?
cj5_dude
10-27-10, 19:34
Looking at the photo it's definately a S&W. Look at the grip safety (yes it has a grip safety on the back of the backstrap looking at the photo) and look at the top of the plastic grips with the S&W logo. I'd say that's enough to confirm that it is a S&W lemon squeezer. And they did make it in .38 S&W.

Here's one just like it http://arms2armor.com/store/product881.html

Don't try shooting it though, at least not without having it inspected.