I've noticed that this thread contains recently mainly questions and only few answers. But I haven't found a better place to say hello to this forum, so I'll decided to do this here, while asking a question about one of my revolvers. I think that "Revolvers" is the best section to introduce myself. I can date my passion to six-shooters back to when I was about three years old, when one of my uncles gave me a spring-driven plastic revolver (a replica od Colt SAA as I recall) that made a loud BANG that drove my parents crazy. Now, 35 years later, living in a generally non-gun country (not that I complain, gun laws were getting better and better in the last years), in the old world, born behind the - luckily non existent any more - iron curtain, I'm turning my dreams into reality, after I went through all the troubles to get a gun permit.
Let's get to the point: I bought this .38 S&W Military and Police, 5" barrel from a German gun dealer. Thus, it has a German proofmark, dated 65 and a mark of a large German gun dealer, Hege. But from its features (not a numbered model, 5 screws, large head of the ejector rod, type of grips, .38 S&W caliber, no "marcas registradas") I stipulate that it is much older than 1965 and made before 1957. Actually, from what I read in this
thread on the S&W forum I deduce that it can be as old as 1941 because it a has no-prefix serial numer 813458. But it has no military proofmarks, neither US nor British, except a "P" on the butt. Can anybody confirm that it is really a IIWW model? Or at least older than 1960? I'd like to shoot it in a historical pistol contest in my shooting club but guns used in the contest have to be older than 1960. The 1965 mark does not help to prove that the gun can be legally used in the contest so I have to verify and get a proof that it is really older, only it was sold as a surplus gun on a civil market decades after it was made. Or just the opposite - tell me that it is not suitable for this contest so that I have to use my 1937-made Nagant...
Regarding the revolver's condition: it looks pretty worn, but it is tighter than other revolvers I have. Grips are the worst and it has a really deep dent on the left side of the frame behind the hammer. I'v no idea what could have happened to leave such a big and deep dent in this place. But the internals work fine, timing is correct. The bore is good, only the muzzle can profit from re-crowning. DA trigger is rather creepy by SA trigger is great so for the bullseye contest it could be a nice gun.
Finally, the pictures:
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