# Mystery Handgun - Vet bring back from WW2 Germany



## telvis78 (Oct 20, 2015)

Hello,

I am glad I found this forum, I have tried to search the web for a few days and couldn't find any information on this little revolver:








It is a top-break revolver with 6 shots. Must be an internal hammer, drum rotates freely when tried manually, trigger hardly moves anymore. Safety mechanism on the back of the grip (goes down full length of grip to make sure you properly hold the gun when discharging). 








WS molded into the grip on the right side (grip on left side damaged, couldn't see if there were any similar moldings. No stamps or numbers discernible.








Any pointers most welcome.


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## telvis78 (Oct 20, 2015)

D'OH!!! ok. So it's a Smith Wesson... just realized that it's not a WS logo, but a SW... But for the type?


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

Smith & Wesson Top Break Saftey Hammerless, here's a wiki page on it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_&_Wesson_Safety_Hammerless


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## telvis78 (Oct 20, 2015)

Thanks! Perfect! Now, to find a value for a gun in C- shape...


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## CW (Mar 20, 2015)

Any history on this revolver?

Lend-lease that made it to a Commonweath soldier -officer? , or perhaps a sidearm of a medic used in an extreme case needing a mercy shot?

Any documented information would add to its curio value.


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## BigHead (Jul 5, 2015)

It looks just like a Breaktop .38 S&W. Be advised, it is probably shootable, but show care, it is probably chambered for the .38 S&W round, not the .38 Special. You can still find ammo for it, but it is a pretty weak round. Look forward to 150-200 fpe, it ain't spectacular. 







NOTE: Take a ruler and measure the diameter, and it should be easy to tell what the caliber is. One thing is sure, a .38 will fit into a .38 hole, but it won't fit into a .32 hole. I saw VAMarine's post, and he is right, it could be a .32. It will be easy to figure out.
If all of this sounds confusing, it can be. There is a lot to learn in gunworld.

This is a post at ChuckHawks.com about the .38 S&W.
Ammunition manufacturers have long under loaded the round because of the number of cheap and elderly weapons chambered to fire it, but even factory rounds can produce desired results when fired from good quality guns. As loaded today by Winchester, Mag Tec and Fiocchi, the .38 S&W spits out a 145 or 146-grain round nose lead bullet at 685 feet per second, producing 150 pounds of muzzle energy. These ballistics can be significantly improved by handloading, but the very fact that three different companies are producing the round is a testament to its continuing popularity among shooters, despite general condemnation by gun writers for more than 50 years.
.38 S&W


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

We don't know what caliber it is. Better not to speculate until the OP has the bore measured ad it very well could be a .32.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

Wow, it's an old one. I think I would just keep it as is, and not even shoot it.


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## olafhardt (Nov 18, 2015)

The 38 S&W was the British Empires Service round during and after WWII. Their tests indicated it was effective with a 200 grain lead bullet. Germany fussed about the lead bullet so the Brits changed to a 147 grain jacketed slug. That round has proved its self all over the world in topbreak revolvers. It may well be fully functionable after a good cleaning.


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