I have my granfather's 38 longnose 1899 K 38 Spl Military six shot pistol. seial number is 4 digits beginning with 48XX. Can anyone tell me then rough date of manufacturing? Thank you

I have a S&W Model 10 4" Revolver that may go the pistol in the article one bettere. Long story short, my Grandfather purchased a Model 10 on July 18, 1966. I have the original firearm registration certificate to authenticate that. He brought it home, put it in his desk drawer, and never - not once - fired it. The box of shells he purchased that same day was still with the pistol when I inherited it in January of 2007. I cleaned it - Grandpa didn't have a cleaning kit but kept the pistol oiled and such using 3-in-1 oil. It is in absolutely perfect condition. Not a sign of any blemish, rust, wear, etc. I took it to the range in February of 2011 and fire a total of 16 rounds. The smoke it was producing caused me to stop firing it. later I realized that this was caused by a combination of the old oil accumulation and the age of the ammo. I gave it another, total cleaning, and haven't fired it since - and probably won't. Question: Knowing the history of the pistol, knowing the condition, and knowing the fact of 16 total rounds fired, what might this be worth to a collector? I also have the bottom half of the original box. Should I not fire it, or does having fired it even once make that a moot point? I'd appreciate thoughts on this. Thanks for your help ..

Jack Burton's "Smith & Wesson Military & Police Revolver: A gun's autobiography" remains inspirational online reading. Simply enter into Google. Were I limited to owning only one handgun it would be a varient of the original S&W K-Frame .38 Hand Ejector revolver. For myself it would be my own Smith and Wesson (K-Frame) Model 66 "stainless" .357 Combat Magnum revolver with 4" barrel. For self defense/ house protection, including homeland security and the great outdoors, this S&W Model 66 is all the handgun I need, desire, or want.

I forgot to mention the classic FBI, Metro, or Chicago load in the .38 Special. This is a 158 grain lead hollowpoint +P loading circa 1972. This proved superior to the old obsolete 158 grain lead roundnosed police loading. It was the latter that historically created the reputation as the .38 Special being a poor manstopper. Gun writer Massad Ayoob recommends the 158 grain lead hollowpoint (+P) loading in the .38 Special. And of course the 148 grain lead target wadcutter for small game, butchering livestock, vermin: racoon, skunk, and possum, and for informal target shooting.

I own John Henwood's 1997 book on the Smith and Wesson Model 10: "America's Right Arm: The Smith and Wesson Military and Police Revolver." Originally developed in 1899 this is the original .38 Special. So how can an S&W Model 10 be improved today? Two ways: Replace the skimpy S&W factory Magna grips with a pair of Pachmayr or Uncle Mike's hard rubber combat grips. Also, load revolver with modern .38 Special ammo. Example: Winchester Silvertip Hollowpoint, Federal's "Hydra-Shok", and Remington Golden Saber in their +p loadings of 125 and 129 grain (Federal), respectively. The old .38 Special 158 grain lead round nose police service load is decades obsolete! However, the 148 grain lead target wadcutter isn't and remains useful for small game: rabbit and squirrel and for dispatching vermin: skunk, raccoon and possum, even for butchering livestock. The Glaser Safety Slug in this caliber is ideal for apartment and condo defense inside the city limits to prevent over penetration of adjoining buildings. Finally CCI's classic .38 Special shot or "snake" load containing No. 9 shot is lethal on rattlesnakes up close; it will shred a rattler's head! The average citizen purchasing his/her first or only handgun still can't beat an S&W Model 10. For self defense/ house protection/homeland security and even the great outdoors the venerable .38 Special remains a versatile handgun caliber. Too, .357 Magnum revolvers will chamber and fire .38 Special ammo. The S&W Model 10 is the grandfather of S&W's K- Frame revolvers: Model 15 .38 Special Combat Masterpiece, Model 19 and 66 "stainless" .357 Combat Magnums, Model 14 K-38 Masterpiece, etc.