Trying to identify

[Sm1ley]

My dad inherited a pistol when his brother passed away several years ago, and only recently pulled it out to see what it is. Took it in to a gun shop & was told it was an old .44 special. Just recently brought it down and showed it to a collector who told him it might be older than he thought, but was unable to give any specifics. I read the thread here on how to help identify, so here are the specs:

It is a top-break revolver, SN 33406. Appears to be .44, but there are no barrel markings or any other markings that can confirm caliber. Barrel length is 5". There is a strain screw, no butt swivel, appears to be a three screw (no trigger screw).

More information that you may or may not find pertinent:

Top of barrel is marked with patent numbers. Exact phrasing - top line = "SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS. U.S.A PAT'D JAN. 17 & 24 . 65"
Second line = "JULY 11 65 AUG 24 69 JULY 25 71 DEC 2 79 MAY 11 & 25 1880"

I took several pics, but haven't checked yet to see what the restrictions are on posting them. Will read up on that & get back in a bit.

I appreciate any help anyone can give.

[glowe]

Welcome to the Forum. Sounds like you have either a 44 Double Action, or a New Model 3, Single Action. You will normally find these in 44 Russian, but they also were available in 44-40. Definately not 44 Special. We will be able to help you out on the ship date when you tell us which model you have.

[DWalt]

It's called simply the .44 Double Action, if it is a DA, which I think it is from the patent marking. About 54,668 of them were made, in .44 Russian, catalogued from 1881 to 1913. But it's still an Antique, as all frames were made pre-1899. .44 Russian ammunition is simply a short .44 Special. I don't know if that caliber is made for the Cowboy shooters, but it may be. If not, it can be made up pretty easily by any handloader of .44 Special or .44 Magnum by shortening .44 Special or .44 Magnum brass. But only very light smokeless or black powder loads should be used.

[wiley]

Cowboy loads are made commercially, and BA has brass:
Reloading Supplies|Starline Brass

[Sm1ley]

Thanks all. Here are some pics. Sorry it took so long. Had to get them loaded on my site & then link to them. Do these make any difference in the consensus? Dad is really curious about what he has and how much it's worth.

[glowe]

That's a nice old 44 Double Action, likely shipped at the end of the 1890s. All frames for these revolvers were manufactured prior to 1899, so the BATF classifies them as antiques. I am pretty certain that the gun has been refinished, maybe in chrome rather than nickel, and nickel would have been the original factory finish. I see some pitting that seems to be covered by plating and the front half of the barrel address looks a little thin, but if refinished, it still looks good and I bet it is a fine shooter. It is always hard to tell a good quality refinish without seeing the gun in person, but if refinished, the collector value would be gone. This model, even if re-plated is still in demand and I would only guess at $700 to $800 in value if function is good and bore still has solid rifling.

It can still be either 44 Russian or 44-40, so the best way to check is to look down the cylinder and measure the depth of the shoulder in the barrel, then compare that measurement with the length of both caliber casings. Better yet, get hold of each caliber loaded rounds to see how each fits. The 44-40 DA is called a Frontier model. I think there is normally a caliber stamping on the left side of the barrel on guns made around your time-frame and later, but yours is not visible, but earlier guns did not have caliber stampings. I have a 44 Russian DA with sn53XXX that states "44 S&W CTG".

[Sm1ley]

Originally Posted by glowe

I think there is normally a caliber stamping on the left side of the barrel on guns made around your time-frame and later, but yours is not visible, but earlier guns did not have caliber stampings. I have a 44 Russian DA with sn53XXX that states "44 S&W CTG".

Glowe - Thanks! Pretty freaking amazing that you guys know this much. Dad's pistol definitely has no caliber markings on the barrel, but I'll pass your information on to him.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out on this.