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<blockquote data-quote="D V US" data-source="post: 4342149" data-attributes="member: 34558">This ^^^^^.38 M&amp;P frame manufactured during WWll but not completed before the contract was canceled at the end of the war. S&amp;W wastes nothing, so when commercial production restarted at the beginning of 1947, they used up the frames on hand first, thus the V serial number, lack of a lanyard loop and the &quot;S&quot; stamp indicating the new hammer safety bar. The &quot;S&quot; isn&#039;t considered part of the serial number on these transitional guns and the inconsistency in location indicates this. This gun shipped from the factory in 1947, as all S&amp;Ws shipped with the new 4 line address in 1948. Prior to that they only said &quot;Made in USA&quot;,&nbsp; What you have here is a very significant and hard to find piece of S&amp;W history showcasing the transition from military to commercial production. Later &quot;Pre&quot; model 10s would have the rounded stocks on the bottom and a ramp front sight instead of the half moon. Also, pull the stocks and check to see if the serial number stamped on the right side matches your gun. In all a very nice piece if history, thank you for sharing.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="D V US, post: 4342149, member: 34558"] This ^^^^^ .38 M&P frame manufactured during WWll but not completed before the contract was canceled at the end of the war. S&W wastes nothing, so when commercial production restarted at the beginning of 1947, they used up the frames on hand first, thus the V serial number, lack of a lanyard loop and the "S" stamp indicating the new hammer safety bar. The "S" isn't considered part of the serial number on these transitional guns and the inconsistency in location indicates this. This gun shipped from the factory in 1947, as all S&Ws shipped with the new 4 line address in 1948. Prior to that they only said "Made in USA", What you have here is a very significant and hard to find piece of S&W history showcasing the transition from military to commercial production. Later "Pre" model 10s would have the rounded stocks on the bottom and a ramp front sight instead of the half moon. Also, pull the stocks and check to see if the serial number stamped on the right side matches your gun. In all a very nice piece if history, thank you for sharing. [/QUOTE]

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