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Item No.:	7769	Price :	SOLD
Item :	VERY SCARCE, SMITH & WESSON .38 MILITARY & POLICE AIRWEIGHT REVOLVER W/ ALLOY CYLINDER & FACTORY LETTER

Description :

This is an original, Smith & Wesson .38 Military & Police Airweight Revolver (Pre- Model 12) with its original alloy cylinder and a factory letter. These were produced from 1951 until 1957, and then continued as the Model 12 Airweight. As originally produced, these revolvers had an aluminum alloy frame and, amazingly, an aluminum alloy cylinder. The frames were slightly thinner than the standard "K" frame and this kept the weight of the revolver down to 14 3/8 oz. The Air Force purchased the majority of these, and only about 5,000 were sold commercially. This is one of the commercial guns. Problems started almost immediately with the alloy cylinders cracking when the revolvers were fired. The Air Force destroyed nearly all of their Aircrewman revolvers, making them extremely rare. Smith & Wesson would retro-fit the commercial guns with a steel cylinder at no charge, and send the revolver back with both cylinders. This revolver has both cylinders. It is fitted with its original alloy cylinder which is serial numbered to the gun. The additional steel cylinder does not look as if it was fired. The person from which this was obtained said that it was privately purchased by a military pilot in Hawaii and carried throughout his service in Vietnam. There is no proof of this, but the factory letter does show that the revolver was originally shipped to a sporting goods store in Honolulu. The revolver is in very good condition. It does show signs of being used. The steel parts of the revolver, being the barrel, crane, hammer, and trigger have a scattering of light surface pitting. There is a larger pit on the right side of the barrel. The alloy parts have a little holster wear and there are some pinprick dings around the cylinder release. The original, "Diamond Escutcheon" magna-grips are very fine. The additonal steel cylinder is excellent with all of its blued finish. The bore, chambers, and mechanics are excellent. The revolver comes with a blue S&W box, but the box is marked Model 12 and this is an earlier gun. There is a cleaning rod and brush. The revolver also has a factory letter from Smith & Wesson showing that it is indeed an alloyed cylinder gun and showing its shipment to Hawaii. This is a very scarce gun with its original alloy cylinder.

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