Make: Smith & Wesson
Model: .38 Military & Police 1st Model, Model of 1899 Army
Serial Number: 13890
Year of Manufacture: 1901
Caliber: .38 Long Colt / .38 S&W Special Dual-Chambering
Action Type: Double/Single Action Revolver with Swing-Out Cylinder
Barrel Length: 6"
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a round blade fixed to the barrel. The rear sight is a "U"-notch integral to the topstrap.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered walnut with smooth diamonds around the screw escutcheons. The left panel has "J.T.T. / 1901" in circle at the top, the right has "K.S.M.". The interior of the right panel has "13890" hand-written in pencil, faintly legible. The grips have even handling wear with some sort of gold-colored residue or fill in the checkering. There are some nicks, scuffs and scratches with more notable dings at the bottom of the right panel. The checkering is a little smoothed, but generally well defined, the martial markings are clear. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Good-plus condition.
Type of Finish: Blue, Casehardened Hammer and Trigger
Finish Originality: Original, numbers match.
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is infrequent minor erosion in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 9/10.
Overall Condition: This revolver retains about 50% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. The grip areas are mostly worn to white with scattered more minor wear, most notable on the sideplate. Some worn areas show minor oxidation. There are scattered nicks, scuffs and scratches. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots, there are tool marks around some screws. The markings are clear. Overall, this revolver is in Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this revolver. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: Included is a leather belt rig with US-marked leather flap-holster, sword hanger, leather cartridge pouch, leather pouch with 12-round wood cartridge block, one package of 20x Frankford Arsenal .38 cartridges with 1899 inspection marking (sealed, not observed) and a canvas pouch with a Bauer and Black tin first aid packet.
Our Assessment: Here stands one of the foundational revolvers in Smith & Wesson history, the Model of 1899, the company's first K-frame Hand Ejector, and the birth of the M&P lineage that would become the Model 10. This example, serial number 13890, lies squarely in the U.S. Army contract block of 1,000 revolvers inspected by Kelly S. Morse in 1901. Those early martial guns bore the distinctive "S.&W. 38 MIL" barrel marking, denoting the .38 Long Colt chambering used by the Army at the time, though S&W’s early bore and throat geometry allowed these barrels to accept both .38 S&W Special and .38 S&W cartridges. The absence of an ejector-rod locking lug, coupled with the four-screw frame, identifies it as the 1st Model, the purest expression of the design before refinements arrived in 1902.
This revolver remains a strikingly honest survivor of America's transitional military era. You can picture it holstered at the hip of a soldier or cavalryman on a Philippine hillside under a sweltering 1901 sun, an American sidearm bridging the black-powder era and the dawn of smokeless service arms. From an educational standpoint, this revolver perfectly illustrates the mechanical and historical bridge between S&W's black-powder top-breaks and the modern swingout cylinder revolvers that dominated the 20th century. It represents a key milestone in American small-arms evolution, the first of the K-frames, the beginning of a service dynasty. Please see our photos and good luck!
