Hello folks!

I've come here from google and i'm asking for your help.
Here is a bit of back story for this revolver..

If you want to Skip this part look down for the bold text

My nana (grandma) was a pioneer here in Alaska. She owned and operated a general store here and was also a famous bush pilot.
Gwen Stetson was pretty well known around alaska before state hood, she helped a lot of people eat by delivering food to them in remote locations.
When someone seen a Lady flying her supercub people usually noticed first that she was female and second that she carried a rather large pistol on her hip no matter where she went.

This gun has been featured in quite a few "pioneer" pictures with Gwen here in my state and i'm proud that she had a part in making Alaska what it is today.
Gwen passed away here about 4 months ago her ashes spread out in Canada. Well when i was about 9 and staring into a gun case Only containing this pistol i asked her what she was doing with it. She had said i could have that when i was older. Well after finally getting the courage to ask my father about it, i asked if i could have Nana's revolver as something to remember her by.
Here is a picture of her from 61 doing what she did best
http://purkle.googlepages.com/Gwen1961Cub.jpg

People whom wanted to skip the story stop here.

Now i have a Smith and Wesson 357 Mag in my hand and i've no idea about it.
I see a bunch of numbers and i do not know what they mean and i was hoping you folks could help me learn more about it..

the botton of the grip there is the numbers 798
The slot where the ejector rod sits in below the barrel are the numbers S 79904
The arm that holds the cylinder to the gun, in the very corner near the hinge are the numbers "1943" i would imagine it means the gun was made in 43? I'm no expert
I do not want to Sell this family piece i am here trying to find out more information, please help me folks!

Anyhow, numbers again
Bottom grip "798"
In the ejector slot "S 79904"
Cylinder arm bracket "1943"

Here are some pictures of the revolver.
http://purkle.googlepages.com/gwen-wesson.jpg
http://purkle.googlepages.com/gwen-wesson2.jpg
http://purkle.googlepages.com/gwen-wesson3.jpg
http://purkle.googlepages.com/gwen-wesson4.jpg
http://purkle.googlepages.com/gwen-wesson5.jpg
http://purkle.googlepages.com/gwen-wesson6.jpg

What a wonderful story ( I didn't skip it). About a fantastic woman. The picture of her and the Çub "is outstanding! She must have had some courage and sense of adventure to fly the way she did. And caring to take food to those in need. Please tell as much more as you can find, or remember about her.

You must order a factory letter for the gun to find out how it originally shipped and where to.

Looking at the pictures closely , the absence of any trade mark or "Made in U.S.A.) on the frame and the number 798 on the bottom of the grip would place the year of manufacture of the frame prior to 1920. This gun started life as something else and had the barrel from a later gun installed along the way. The fact that the grip frame is not serrated would make this a 38/44 heavy duty frame converted to 357 Magnum. If the 798 serial number on the grip frame is complete ,it would mean the frame was made in 1908. Are you sure there are not 4 or 5 numbers there? Is there possibly a hole drilled for a lanyard ring in the serial number on the butt of the gun that has obscured a couple of numbers?
Any numbers on the rear face of the cylinder? These should match the frame #s.
The S79904 number is the serial number of the donor gun made in 1951 that gave its barrel to this converted gun. That is why it only appears in the ejector rod cut out.

Give it a good spraying down with break free or other high quality gun oil and wipe it down really good. Leave a light coat of oil to halt the rusting process thats started.

Any history as to where she got the gun? Do take pictures of the numbers ,and where you found them and post them for us.

Thanks ,,Allen

__________________
NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

i have modified a picture to resemble what mine looks like under the grip

Longtime Alaska resident Gwendolyn "Gwen" Irene Stetson died April 12, 2009, at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital after a lengthy illness. She was 77.

She was born on Jan. 2, 1932, in Riverside, Calif., to Edward and Thelma (Harrison) Grip. Her family moved to Grants Pass, Ore., where she graduated high school.

She married Ken Jones (my grandpa) in July 1949, and they moved to Alaska shortly thereafter. They settled in Spenard and opened Albers Feed Store. They were also co-owners of Totem Eggs, which operated chicken ranches in Palmer, Anchorage and Seward.

She earned her private pilots license in the 1950s and was a lifetime member of the 99'ers, a northwest-based flying club for women pilots only. She flew her Super Cub around southcentral Alaska, ferrying family and friends to their cabin at Beaver Lake and spotting fish in Prince William Sound. She was one of Alaska's first female bush pilots, and she operated a grizzly bear guiding operation on Kodiak Island for some time.

She attended Faith Christian Community Church with her daughter, Karen, on a regular basis.

She married Ron Fox in January 1964 and later moved to Seward, where she and Fox owned and operated Eight Star Eggs, which still operates today as Alaska's largest in-state egg producer.

In March 1971, she married Capt. Herb Stetson, moving to Juneau in 1976, where they lived until Herb's death in 1987. Gwen was a master gardener and landscaper and ran Gwen's Garden Centre from her home in Juneau. After Herb's death, she lived in Haines for a short time and then spent several years moving between her cabin in Tagish Lake in the summers and Anchorage in the winter.


obviously a snip from her obituary.. She always had a strong opinion about everything and she stood up for what she believed in. She was a grandma that always loved to over feed you, "Eat eat! your a growin boy!" she used to tell me.

Dad said she carried a 306 with her in the plane but had the barrel sawed off as it was to clumsy to get in and out of the plane with the longer barrel. She used the 306 for hunting moose wich she did very successfully and the 357 i have now was for bear protection.

She was no ordinary women thats for sure, she did alot of Man's work throughout her life, started a few businesses, was a guide at one point.. Far and away the most notable person of my families recent generations.

I wish i could get more information about the revolver, where she got it.. how long she had it, was she the only owner.. but i dont know.

I need to determine if this is indeed a Smith and Wesson revolver or just the barrel of one before i send off for papers.

It is definitely a Smith revolver. It has just been modified from its original configuration. Are there any numbers on the back face of the cylinder? Wipe it down real good and see.

Thanks for the story. Regards ,,Allen

__________________
NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

i am going to hafto wait till later on today to find out, i dont have the revolver with me currently, sent it with a friend whom is real big into guns, works at a gun shop.. He said he'd take a look at it and find out more information about it.

Hi, from this photo the most likely "donor" for the frame is a military model 1917 in .45 ACP. These were stamped (from the rear bottom of the grip frame, with separate lines divided by /) U.S./ ARMY/MODEL/1917/No./xx/xxx. Someone has polished or milled off all the stampings except the last 3 digits of the number. It should also have a hole for a lanyard ring, or a plug where the ring post was seated in the frame. Given your gun has the 3 1/2" barrel and cylinder from a .357, you probably won't find the full serial number anywhere else, but it would normally also be found on the rear cylinder face, on the barrel flat above the ejector rod, and on the back side of the extractor star. What a cool memento and "piece" of history! Thanks for sharing.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I agree on the converted .38-44. I don't see any checkering on the topstrap, and the chambers aren't recessed.

Awesome story, though!

Bill Mahnke #1915

guys that photo i posted is not the gun i have just a reminder in case anyone did not notice that..

That was just some photo of a revolver that i had edited to resemble mine.. Once i get it back i will post actual photos of the bottom grip

Great revolver and story purkle, thanks for sharing.

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Barry, youngest son of Claud

Hi purkle,
Welcome aboard. Nana sounds like quite a lady! I swear I remember reading 30-40 yrs ago about her guiding somebody's Kodiak hunt.

The frame of your gun is definitely a Model 1917 frame. This is confirmed by the "GHS" initials at the top corner- in front of the hammer. That is Col. Gilbert H. Stewart, the chief inspector for the 1917's.

The "cylinder arm" is called a yoke.
There will be a number on that yoke, and the same number should be on the frame, in the cutout where the yoke fits. This may be the 1943 you refer to. These are just assembly numbers, NOT a date, and really have little meaning to us. They were put there to keep a fitted yoke with the frame it was fitted to.

That yoke WILL have a serial number, but it is hard to see. It is on the surface facing the front of the cyl. In other words, you have to look thru a chamber to see it, or take the cyl out of the gun, which is very easy to do. Remove the front sideplate screw, and the yoke will slide out of the frame, then you can wipe the dust off and see the number. It should match the number on the butt.

I'd love to hear more.

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Very interesting story. She even outlasted three husbands. Curious what the mark is in the first picture on the frame up near the hammer. Looks like letters in a small round circle. Also strange that there is no Made in USA or S&W logo on either side of the frame. Wondering if this is a foreign made frame with a S&W barrel attached?

I see Lee ID'd the mark while I was typing.

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James Redfield
LM #497

Oh what wonderful news Hande!
Alright so it does say GHS.. Is the Make of the gun still a S&W? I'm still confused as to Who made this revolver, or whom made the rest of it besides the barrel.

The number 1943 is indeed on the yoke and on the frame matching up like you said.

Tomorrow i will have the revolver back and i will look for this serial..

I have so many questions still.. Was this gun put together of many parts? The frame came from a military revolver the barrel from a later revolver? I'd like to know how many parts are from different revolvers that made up this family heirloom..

Also, as it sits.. should i try to get some papers for this? do i need to get papers for the barrel and for the frame? Is the barrel from a different revolver and the rest of the gun from the same one?

Geh! i sooo want to find out all this =)

Thanks for the kind comments JSR, she was indeed quite a women and a handful in her old age. She sure made a mean carrot cake

Yes, the frame is an S&W frame, made for the Model 1917 in WW I. The 1917 was a 45 cal revolver.

So, what you have is a 1917 frame, with a 1950's 357 barrel. The cyl is probably from a 38 Heavy Duty.

What would help us most is:
Find the serial number on the back of the yoke- the one that is hard to see.
Post a good pic of the rear of the cyl so we can see the number, if any.
Post a good pic of the butt.
Try a 357 cartridge in it to see if it will go. The cyl may still be 38 Spec, but it could have been reamed to 357.

Yes, it is a parts gun, built from all S&W parts.

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

I forgot-
getting a letter is not really worth the cost of $50. All it will tell you is when the 1917 frame shipped, and we can guess that within a month or two by the complete serial number on the back of the yoke.
It would not tell you anything about who built the gun as it is, or when......

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

thanks a lot, i will get that serial when it is returned to me and i will update this thread then! =)

Is that 798 the complete serial number? If that's not the original and complete serial the gun is contraband.

I hate to be the bad guy here but we all know that federal law prohibits removing or altering a serial number and any such gun is immediately considered to be illegal and subject to seizure and destruction. Any FFL (including a gunsmith) who is given this gun would be obligated by law to surrender it to authorities.

If you don't wish to lose it you would have to refrain from EVER bringing to anyone's attention, again.

Now i'm really scared.. i need to know for sure whats going on because i do not want to lose this family piece, it means a great deal to me and my family.
Anyone positively sure if this is an illegal weapon?

Looks like a postwar adjustable rear sight. One presumes the smith who assembled this gun for Gwen did the frame modifications that permitted the sight installation.

I wouldn't usually take much interest in a gun assembled from parts, but this one gets huge style points because of the life story of the person who carried it.

Purkle, I don't know if you took Lee's point about the possible cylinder modification. If that is a cylinder from a .38/44 (as seems likely) and it hasn't had its chambers lengthened to accommodate the .357 Magnum round, then the gun is functionally a .38 Special regardless of what it says on the side of the barrel.

SP is correct that a gun needs a full serial number on its frame to be legal. As you inventory all the markings on the gun, you might also want to pull those stocks and see what other marks there might be on the frame.

The finish on the frame looks pretty good for a 90+ year old gun that has spent some time in a challenging environment. Without being able to point to any obvious evidence in your photos, I'd ask you to consider that the original gun may have been reblued at some point. Maybe at the time all the pieces went together? If so, your grandmother would have had a pretty good looking gun when she first took delivery of it.

Most guns are interesting, but they are more interesting when they have a history that is meaningful to the owner. This is a wonderful family heirloom. You are lucky to have it. Congratulations.

__________________
David Wilson

Abraded serial numbers can be legally restored under certain circumstances. This is a discussion we have on the forum from time to time, and I never remember exactly what the protocol is. But IF the full serial number is no longer marked on the butt, you would need to be able to recover it from some other part of the gun. Since the barrel and cylinder are not original, you can't use them. If you can find the number on the crane after you move the cylinder out of the way (or rotate it so you can look through one of the chambers), that would probably be enough to warrant restamping it on the butt.

Pull those stocks and make a complete inventory of all stampings and markings on the gun. That's your first step. You don't need to pull the sideplate. There are no numbers inside that would bear on the serial number question.

__________________
David Wilson

I realize that just because it says .357 mag does not mean that this is true. I have no idea what bullets fit it but hopefully the guy will be able to tell me when i get it back.
I find it odd that the serial could have been taken off as the numbers 798 on it take up the Entire area of the bottom there. If there where any more numbers to the 798 they could only have fit on the Grips themselves as there is no room before the 7 or after the 9.

I appreciate your interest in my revolver, even if it is a parts gun this piece has exceptional history through my family and has been seen by Many a pioneer in its time.

I cant wait to get it back and find out what cylinder it is, if it matches any other part of the revolver.

My father (Gwen's son) is going to be thrilled when i come back with all this information you guys and others at thefiringline.com have provided me with

Once i get it back i will proceed with everything, i wish i had done everything before i gave it to Brian but i'm not experienced with these sorts of things.

I appreciate you and everyone taking the time to help a complete stranger, thanks a lot.

I will ask my father if he can remember anymore details about Nana and this pistol, if he ever seen her use it, where she got it.. any stories involved with it, if he ever used it etc etc..

never thought i'd be so excited about a firearm

if i can sort everything out with this revolver i plan on making a presentation of the revolver, facts about it, where pieces came from, with pictures of Nana and present this during one of our big family gatherings we have every Christmas and thanksgiving.

I know Nana would have liked that and i'm sure Dad will be ever so pleased.

The number was in two lines if it was longer than three digits.
Here is a pic of #2621 that will show you how a 1917 was marked.

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

The bottom of mine is NOTHING like that one at all

there is no loop for a ring, its a solid piece that runs the bottom between the grips, at the very end are those numbers and thats it.
Here is a picture of the actual revolver i have, i have not posted it as it is very blurry, but here is what it looks like. If you held the pistol in your hand with the barrel pointing directly at you, at the bottom edge it just says "798"
http://purkle.googlepages.com/gwen-wesson8.jpg <-- This is my revolver

Here is the **example** of Where the Numbers are
http://purkle.googlepages.com/Gwen-wesson798.JPG <-- this is NOT my revolver


hope this helps, sorry if my reply seemed a bit short tempered =)

Maybe not now, but at one point it probably did.

Someone likely filled in the lanyard hole and polished off all the other markings except the ones you see now. Imagine that had been done to the revolver pictured above, you would end up with a smooth surface with only "621" at the edge of the grip frame, just like yours.

__________________
Dave

i'm curious then.. If there where numbers above the 798 that where polished off they would have Had to take the 798 part with it as the surface is Level unless the numbers and ring above it where raised off the surface..
I just dont see how they could have taken off the ring and the other numbers and leave 798 on there without some kind of evidence.. Unless they Added metal to it somehow.

Purkle- Originally that gun had a hole for the ring. It's been filled and polished to make it disappear.

I would get a good magnifying glass and try to see if the number can be made out at all. It looks thoroughly polished off so I doubt this will work. If you can make out the remains of the number then write that down and keep it. If not... then technically the gun is illegal.

If it were me in this situation, knowing that the number was foolishly but innocently removed long ago, I would maintain that the serial is 798 and if anyone asked I would assure them THAT'S the original and complete serial number.

Yes, I would be lying. I've done it before and I'm quite good at it.

Sax is there any other way to retrieve a serial number for the frame? Bleh i want to get this professionally looked at but now i dont know if i want to show it to anyone

It is possible that the original serial number for this 1917 was 798 and that after grinding off all of the other wording including the number and filling in the lanyard hole, the gunsmith restamped it with the 798 to keep it legal.

Regardless of what the real story is, and that may never be found out, someone went to a great deal of trouble to make up this gun. Milling out for the rear sight was not done by bubba and his Walmart dremel tool. Changing out the pinned barrel and installing the new one with the same rolled head type pin was also not done by just anyone.

As Lee points out, the stamping up by the hammer is for Gilbert H. Stewart and his stamp only appears on the first 42,000 or so guns. So it is possible that this was number 798. I have one in the 55,000 range and one in the 59,000 range and they both have the flamming bomb instead of the GHS.

The mystery continues.

__________________
James Redfield
LM #497

This revolver has been in your family for over 50 years. If it was mine I'd say the serial number is 798 and leave it at that. Unless someone comes up with another 1917 with that serial number who can prove different?

Serial numbers were not even required when the alterations were made. For all practical purposes that serial number IS 798. In my opinion anyway.

Ahh god =( This is eating away at me
Must find out!
Would be amazing if this frame was actually #798 tho!

Jim from thefiringline.com had some interesting thoughts.

Jim said;

Under CURRENT regulations by BATFE, if you're a gunsmith and modify a gun severely enough, you've "manufactured a new gun while destroying the old one" and at that point, you (the gunsmith) have to attach a new serial number linking back to YOU, the manufacturer. And you'd better have the right Federal license to do all this.

The point at which the mods are "severe enough" to kick this into effect aren't very clear, but if made today your Nana's gun would absolutely qualify: caliber, barrel and cylinder are all swapped.

Today, a lot of gunsmiths have manufacturing licenses for that reason. Take a look at the custom revolvers of Gary Reeder for example, he has a manufacturing license and re-marks guns that started with a Ruger frame all the time:

REVOLVER LISTINGS INDEX PAGE

I know for a fact Reeder has a full manufacturer's permit same as S&W or Ruger. In fact, in addition to modifying Ruger and Freedom Arms revolvers he's done small runs of his own totally scratch-built guns from the frame up.

As an example of how this area of law works, if you call up Reeder and have him buy a Ruger Bisley Hunter in 44Mag and have it modded to, say, this:

http://www.reedercustomguns.com/revolvers/510gnr.htm

...you can. He finishes it, and it arrives at your dealer and gets sold to you as a "Reeder 510 Hunter" or whatever with a REEDER-SUPPLIED serial number - original Ruger markings and serial number are stripped off.

Same as what Nana's gunsmith did.

Most of those Reeders are modified to at least the same degree as your Nana's critter, which is now pretty well confirmed as having started life circa WW1 as a .45ACP.

So, despite the dire warnings by some on that thread that the gun is "contraband", I think the fact that you can prove it IS heavily modified (started life as a WW1 45!) saves you.

The gunsmith pulled the original serial number and added his own, same as Gary Reeder does today. Did the gunsmith hold a manufacturing license like Reeder? Who the hell knows, we have no clue who the dude was. Probably not, but nobody can prove either way whether or not he had the right Federal permit. We don't even know if it was modded in Alaska (good thing because it's quite possible there were NO licensed manufacturers in Alaska pre-1955!). But the result today is a gun that is modded to the same degree and in the same way as guns we know are 100% legal such as Reeder's.

Now, I wouldn't carry it as a CCW piece(!) but...I think you'll be OK. You're verging just a little into "gray area" here and a really nasty Federal prosecutor who's trying to jack you up for something else might try and make a case. But as long as you're not running a meth lab or bestest buddies with Osama Yo Mama I think you'll be OK



Thoughts?

Carefully take the grips off and lay the gun with the barrel pointing to your left. Near the bottom of the grip frame is a pin that sticks out and into the grip panels to position them. Look about a quarter of an inch below that pin and to your left a bit. If there is a smaller pin that sits flush with the frame, or just a hole, that is how the lanyard ring was held in place and your gun had the lanyard at one time.

You have a wonderful family heirloom with fantastic provenance. Treasure it regardless of what it turns out to be.

Bob

Thanks for sharing with us. Your Grandmother sounds like a great lady.

I can't resist commenting, even though much more knowledgeable people already have.

Very interesting revolver! - and thread - but I think much ado about nothing regarding the serial number. The serial number IS whatever is stamped on the gun. Current foolishness probably antedates when that number was re-stamped (if it was) and all the mods were done. It is what it is. But in any case, Lee's suggestion to look at the yoke should tell the tale - unless it too has been replaced and everything repolished to match, or the number ground away when the gun was refinished.

Purkle, I would keep this thing where it belongs - in your family. Just to be safe, avoid letting it attract the attention of anyone who might choose to make an issue of it. If anyone does, they have way too much time on their hands and should be horse whipped for wasting the tax-payer's money and excessive stupidity.

I hope you realize, and I am sure you do, that the fact that the gun was assembled from parts in no way detracts from its interest - to me, it accelerates it. It is a great piece of your family's history and other than taking necessary steps to preserve it (i.e., getting after that rust!), it should be left as-is and handed down from generation to generation with the knowledge of where it came from and how it was used. Don't let anyone talk you into changing anything about it. All this JMHO, and worth exactly what it cost.

Thanks for showing us.

Thanks Lobo! She was quite a lady thats for sure

Thank you for having an interest in our families handgun M29
I assure you that this will never be sold as long as i have it and will keep it in the family. At first i thought because this was a parts gun that its interest would be rather low until i thought more about it. Because this is a parts gun makes it More interesting as its not a regular full constructed S&W. The story behind t is also pretty great, i just wish i knew more about it Before Gwen's time of owning it. She might have gotten it from another family member... I'm going to ask around the family to see if i can find more information on it.

Once i get it back i will check the yoke.. and i will hafto research the proper procedures in protecting this piece from rust and the elements.

This was my grandmothers S&W revolver, it is serial number 798. PERIOD.

No other discussion is needed. That serial number is 798. Period.

giz

__________________
Non gratum anus rodentum

Wonderful story! I would tend to think that the gun was renumbered according to regulation (why would it be renumbered otherwise) or 798 IS the original serial number (why would someone take off part of a serial and leave 3 digits???)

Either way, I would enjoy the heck out of it, and take it to the range on special occasions. Obviously it was no safe queen!

Thanks for sharing such a special story.

Great story and interesting thread for sure.

Two thoughts-
1) Why couldn't the number on the back of the crane be different from any other number on the gun, since it is a reworked 1917,38/44 etc. If the cylinder was swapped, why couldn't/wouldn't the crane and yoke be swapped at the same time, thereby giving the gun a couple of differnt numbers.

2)The reason I asked the first question is in part due to my second point. If the gun was altered in Alaska before it was a state, would it have still been subject to the same laws as one built in the contiguous 48 at that time? I realize that it was a US territory, but did the exact same laws apply then as they do now that it is a state? Back in the 30's, 40's, and even the 50's, Alaska was a pretty remote place with very few means of communication with the outside like there are today. I know when I lived there, many considered any outside influence a nuisance, and irrelevant to what went on up there.

Just curious.

I am not sure the laws back then but i do know even today, Outside influence is Still considered a nuisance and thought of as irrelevant unless your from here or live here.

Congrats for owning a wonderful piece of your family's history. It sounds like your grandmother was one heck of a woman. I've said it before on here and I'll say it again, I would love to own a gun from one of my relatives and as far as I know none of them have a history like your's. You said in one of your ealier post that you are going to make a presentation of your grandmother and her gun for family events. That sounds like a great idea and if it were me I would be getting as much info as posible about her. There may be newspaper and magazine articles, etc. about her. Find them and preserve them to be passed on to family members. Again, congrats.

Hey Purkle, Allen frame here, we met early this morning.

Next thing, after your gun friend checks it out, and makes sure the bore and chambers are clear and the timing is acceptable, you need to shoot it.

Find yourself a box or two of 38 wadcutters or some such 38 caliber target ammunition, and go to the range with a friend or two and shoot the gun.
I'm sure your grandma would like you to have a good time shooting with your friends.
If the gun is not in shooting order, for whatever reason, hopefully it can be made right by a decent gunsmith.

For, afterall ,a gun that does not shoot, is nothing but a fancy paperweight.

Take care Purkle ,,regards ,Allen Frame

__________________
NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

I believe the orig number could well be 798.

I have only been telling purkle how to possibly confirm this by finding the number of the frame by finding it on the yoke, since we know the yoke has a MATCHING assembly number, per what purkle has said.

Here is my suggestion-
Type out the history you know of Nana. You mentioned a 'presentation' for the family earlier, and this would serve for that also.
Be detailed and specific in this document, whether you want to give all that data in the presentation or not. Make it as complete as possible.
Start it in the first person, as in "My Grandmother was...". Then, if you fade into third person, you are linked to the story with more credence, because-------
Then, you will trot down to your local notary, and have your signature ON EACH PAGE notarized.
Voila- the story of Nana for all time.
Add copies of all pics you have that even slightly interesting. Gently label them on the back with all known data, like dates. Pics of Nana with the gun, airplanes, hunters and/or dead Kodiaks would be great.

If I can be of any service helping you with the gun, feel free to email me pics. It would help me greatly to have a clear pic of the butt, back of cyl, assembly numbers on yoke and frame, and rear surface of yoke after removing from the gun and cleaning gently(where the yoke should be serial numbered). I can probably tell you what you need to know.

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Purkle-

You should take Lee up on his offer. He knows as much about these old guns as anyone, and probably more.

You also said that you have been getting info from The Firing Line. There are some really knowledgeable guys over there, and I am very familiar with most of them. There are also some guys over there that are self proclaimed experts, and do not care for this forum, as they consider us a bunch of Smith snobs that can never find fault with our beloved S&W guns. I have witnessed them try to steer people away from anything to do with this site or S&W's, and purposely mislead new members with bad info about Smiths. I am only telling you this because it's easy to be misinformed when bouncing back and forth between forums, especially if you get info here then ask them over there, and happen to get one of the "experts" I mentioned before. Stick with someone like Lee, or others here who really are experts on these old guns. You'll get it all sorted out, and we can share in your moment with you. Thank you for that.


Your nana sounds to me like the typical woman I met while living there (albeit with a unique job for her day!). Very self sufficient ladies. I was impressed by them. My own grandmother was a frontier kind a gal. She wore her old Colt SAA .45 everywhere, and actually rode a horse for transportation. That was back at the turn of the last century. I think she and your nana would have gotten along very nicely had they been able to meet.

your grandma sounds like a real cool lady.

my grandma's sister ( my aunt Alice) was the same way. in '34 she was on duty as a nurse in Cook county general hospital when they brought Dillinger in on a platter.

then she moved to Alaska with her husband as he was doing some construction work during teh war and postwar in the aleutians. since she was a nurse, she was allowed to come along. she was often the only medical person for many miles. then in the 50s and 60s they hd a commerical fishing boat out of Juneau. she lived by herself on Douglas Island for about 30 years after her husband died.

your piece is a complete Franken-gun, almost worthelss to any collector.
if i was you, it would be priceless and should never leave the family. follow Lee's advice about documenting it with as much family info and photos of the gun in action as possible

cool grips. are they real stag ?

Don't the older guns, like 1917's, have the serial number stamped inside the sideplate? The sideplate is practially the last part on an N frame S&W that any gunsmith would replace.