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Handguns ID and condition Please?
My buddy who is not a gun enthusiast got two handguns from his old father's estate. It was the first he ever knew of the guns. He brought them to me to look at. They looked cruddy, but cleaned up nice. The barrels are perfect inside and everything is tight.
One is a S&W 38 Special that I think is a K frame with fixed sights. The rear sight is a groove the full length of the top strap and on one side of the groove is stamped US Navy. Another friend says it is a Victory gun, made by Smith in WWII. My buddy would like to target shoot with it, and wonders whether it is still strong enough. Looks good and strong to me, and it is tight -- no signs of abuse. His father left it loaded with old wadcutters. It is nickel plated, which I suppose was a post-Navy job. Did Smith ever make any weak revolvers? Does nickel plating ever weaken the gunmetal?
Question 2: The other is a pistol made by Savage Arms. I didn't know they made pistols. It has a S/N 28072E and a couple of early 1900s patent stamps. One side of the slide is stamped 9-m-m and the other side is stamped .380 cal. Savage makes a good rifle. What about their pistols??
Thanks for any input.
Dave
My buddy who is not a gun enthusiast got two handguns from his old father's estate. It was the first he ever knew of the guns. He brought them to me to look at. They looked cruddy, but cleaned up nice. The barrels are perfect inside and everything is tight.
One is a S&W 38 Special that I think is a K frame with fixed sights. The rear sight is a groove the full length of the top strap and on one side of the groove is stamped US Navy. Another friend says it is a Victory gun, made by Smith in WWII. My buddy would like to target shoot with it, and wonders whether it is still strong enough. Looks good and strong to me, and it is tight -- no signs of abuse. His father left it loaded with old wadcutters. It is nickel plated, which I suppose was a post-Navy job. Did Smith ever make any weak revolvers? Does nickel plating ever weaken the gunmetal?
Question 2: The other is a pistol made by Savage Arms. I didn't know they made pistols. It has a S/N 28072E and a couple of early 1900s patent stamps. One side of the slide is stamped 9-m-m and the other side is stamped .380 cal. Savage makes a good rifle. What about their pistols??
Thanks for any input.
Dave