Quote:
Hi,
I inherited a Smith and Wesson 44 Special with 6" barrel from my dad. He told me once that it was made just prior to the 44 magnum era. But he TOLD me lots of stuff! ;-) I can't see any markings about model number but the serial is S 138969. Opening the cylinder I see 54886 stamped.
Any help would be much appreciated. I was going to do some shooting with it, but I was told it might be good to be sure that it was not "to valuable to shoot" It's in real nice condition. Dad used to let me clean it while we watched Gunsmoke on Saturday nights. Thanks!
|
SN puts it at 1955. If it has a fixed notch rear sight it's a 44 Hand Ejector 4th Model Military (pre model 21). Adjustable rear sight would be a 4th Model Target (pre model 24).
As far as "to valuable to shoot", the value is heavily dependent on condition. Assuming little/no blueing wear the book list:
The Military has a value of ~ $3000 in excellent condition.
The Target is ~$1000+ in excellent.
BTW, the barrel length is measured from the face of the cylinder to the end of the muzzle. It's most likely 6.5".
Jim