Sgt.Thomas J. Coles #2 S&W revolver

Breakaway500 · #1 02-12-2017, 02:29 PM

Over the years, a customer of mine (I'm a mechanic) had been telling me of an old gun she had from a relative that was in the civil war. I half listened till one day (about 2 years ago) she had decided she didn't want it in the house any longer(new grandkids). I told her to bring it by for a look-see.
A few days later,she walked in with the gun wrapped in an old heavy wool sock. Not expecting much, I pull out a small blued S&W revolver I knew nothing about.Serial #2015. The condition was amazing..much better than I expected. I hopped online to see what it was,exactly. The more I looked..the more I became intrigued by an era of firearms I never really gave a second glance.
This little revolver was from the early beginnings of the S&W company. I told her to leave it and I would get more info on the gun itself. Meanwhile she would bring in more information about her great great grandfather Thomas Coles.
A week or so later,she came in with the family album filled with documents and photos. The photos include one of her GGGF Sgt.Thomas J. Coles holding a #2 S&W across his chest (in uniform) that is the revolver she has brought to me. (no,I didn't get a copy of that..yet)
Pretty cool.
In the end, she told me she wanted me to own the revolver and we agreed upon a price that included repairs on her truck.
I promised to take care of the revolver. It gets a good rub down of Ballistol every month or so. Maybe will even fire it off every 4th of July..

(and no,I didn't keep the sock..) Sorry about the ****** photos..all I have is an old 8yr old Casio camera. I need to get a newer one..

Breakaway500 · #2 02-12-2017, 02:30 PM

More photos...

153 · #3 02-12-2017, 02:39 PM

Very nice!

Sad though that the descendants of Sgt. Cole will not be able to appreciate this fine relic as part of their families history.

Breakaway500 · #4 02-12-2017, 02:41 PM

^ I agree..and decided if they did not respect it..I would. They certainly did love the man,though.

SPEEDGUNNER · #5 02-12-2017, 02:43 PM

This is a very cool story and you are to be commended for appreciating and preserving the history that goes with it. The picture (or a sharp copy thereof) is the icing on the cake.

You should letter the pistol.

Breakaway500 · #6 02-12-2017, 02:49 PM

^ Yes, I do intend to letter it as well as having a professional copy of the photo showing Sgt. Coles in uniform/with revolver.

I feel like a curator. In a sense..everyone who "collects" is a keeper of history...

Wiregrassguy · #7 02-12-2017, 03:10 PM

Good luck finding ammo to shoot in it. Very nice heirloom!

Breakaway500 · #8 02-12-2017, 03:16 PM

^ I actually have ammo..(about 50 rounds) and it's looks like it was made yesterday.

Wiregrassguy · #9 02-12-2017, 03:29 PM

show us some pictures, the box and the head stamp! Don't shoot it. Could be very valuable.

Breakaway500 · #10 02-12-2017, 03:57 PM

No box..the rounds came with a set of model 1 1/2s I bought a while back..

crossv · #11 02-12-2017, 05:35 PM

Nice guns. Your set though is another Model 2 Army and a 1 1/2 Old Model rather than a pair of 1 1/2, right?

cb

Breakaway500 · #12 02-12-2017, 06:31 PM

^Yes, you are correct. Good eyes. The top one is a Model 2 army 6"bbl (6 shot) serial #43391,and the upside down one is a 1-1/2 Old model, 4"bbl.,5 shot serial#2547 (cyl. stop in bottom strap of frame) You know your S&Ws!

( I should have said a pair of .32s but that's no fun..) They came in a mahogany box with ebony trim and ivory garnish. Purchased at an auction.No (known)history,but looks like they have been together for some time.

bigwheelzip · #13 02-12-2017, 06:49 PM

Great contribution. Thanks for sharing.

JSR III · #14 02-12-2017, 07:23 PM

Welcome to the forum.

For someone relatively new to the site you certainly know how to make an entrance.

Breakaway500 · #15 02-12-2017, 08:18 PM

Thanks(I think..) I've always bee an S&W fan. My favorite pellet gun in my youth was an S&W .22 pump (still have it..) The first revolver I ever shot was my Dads side arm from his tour in Vietnam (a model 15-2 and stamped USAF). The first pistol I bought brand new was a model 60 no dash square butt "Jovino" in 1995ish..then more J,K,L and N revolvers followed. It was actually this revolver of Sgt.Coles that opened my eyes up to the S&W past. I use to think old guns were for putting on a wall and collecting dust. I was wrong.
I have learned a LOT from being here...and I'm a fast learner....and I'm not getting any younger..

crossv · #16 02-12-2017, 09:47 PM

Let me add my kudos for the rate you are going and the taste you are showing in collecting old Smiths. I really liked your Schofield, not every day you see that condition. Not to nitpick, and I might be wrong since I am not at home where I can glance at a couple of things, but the cased pair you showed above you call a 1 1/2 OM 4 in bbl. But it looks like the normal 3 1/2 bbl. The 4 in bbl is fairly rare and as far as I know so far only found in the serial range of 18,000 to 20,000. Check me out on this and if my eyes are wrong we may need to both learn something new.
cb

opoefc · #17 02-12-2017, 10:06 PM

I agree with cb. I checked that pair out when it was in a recent auction and , in my opinion, they were put together fairly recently, as the case is not that old. The guns are real, of course. The ammo. was modern vintage and should shoot OK in either gun. Ed.

Breakaway500 · #18 02-12-2017, 10:35 PM

I had a 6" scale out for measuring barrel lengths,as I'm going to send in a letter request on 3 revolvers (one being the Cole #2 Army) and needed to verify their lengths for the sheet, and did measure from the cylinder face out at 4" on the 1 1/2 Old model. I'll double check it tomorrow when I'm back at the shop. I don't know about the mahogany case..it's probably not 1860s old,but it's older than anything I've seen made from 1950s till now. I'll have to look it over more carefully as well. It fits the revolvers nicely and looks pretty cool..and glad to hear the ammo is safe! (and not worth saving from the hammer...

dickydalton · #19 02-12-2017, 10:51 PM

That is a 2 pin Model and is worth a few thousand dollars at the very least.

Breakaway500 · #20 02-13-2017, 09:08 AM

crossv, you are correct: 3 1/2" barrel on the Model 1 1/2 Old model. I had two 4" model 15s out to measure,so I had that barrel length on the brain. Just keeping you on your toes...

mmaher94087 · #21 02-13-2017, 11:52 AM

"..ammo is safe! (and not worth saving from the hammer...". You might want to reconsider. The last 32 RF I saw was $1. each.

Breakaway500 · #22 02-13-2017, 12:07 PM

^ I'm not going to go plinking with it...just a full cylinder or two. $12 bucks to shoot a revolver whose original owner was a Sgt. in the civil war?? Yea..worth it..

I will buy a box or two of the "modern" stuff, as I have a few of the .32 rimfires I'd like to shoot. Call me nutty..but I like using my guns for more than safe fillers or wall hangars.

iPac · #23 02-13-2017, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Breakaway500

^ I'm not going to go plinking with it...just a full cylinder or two. $12 bucks to shoot a revolver whose original owner was a Sgt. in the civil war?? Yea..worth it..

I will buy a box or two of the "modern" stuff, as I have a few of the .32 rimfires I'd like to shoot. Call me nutty..but I like using my guns for more than safe fillers or wall hangars.

Your not nutty, but rather logical. You just can't get a full appreciation out of something if you don't use it like it was designed for. A gun requires it to be shot.