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S&W Antiques S&W Lever Action Pistols, Tip-Up Revolvers, ALL Top-Break Revolvers, and ALL Single Shots


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Old 08-12-2018, 10:23 PM
Worm1989 Worm1989 is offline
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Question Identifying my Old Recolver

I have resently inherited my grandmothers old revolver. There is no model number and i would love to date .

.38 caliber
Top-break
Fixed sight
Serial number *264428
Gold and silver finish with bone grips
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Old 08-12-2018, 10:48 PM
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Welcome! You have a .38 Double Action, with the serial number putting it from the early-mid 1890s. Others here may get you a more specific date and a letter of authenticity will get you the exact day it left the factory:

http://www.swhistoricalfoundation.co...quest_form.pdf

The star in front of the serial number indicates it went back to the factory, sometimes but not always for a refinish or other major mechanical work. It is unlikely they did the gold/silver plating, and if it was done after it left the factory originally the letter above will not tell you anything about the finish work.

If you take the stock panels off, there will likely be a date code on the left lower side of the grip frame showing when the gun was back to the factory. 08 (or 8) - dot - 18 would mean August 1918, not this year.

Any interesting family history about it and your grandmother? Hope this is helpful.
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Old 08-12-2018, 10:57 PM
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Since no one has commented I can be the expert until they do then I be the one just guessing. 38 Double action 3rd model. 1884 to 189
Well I was too slow.

Last edited by jhnttrpp; 08-12-2018 at 10:58 PM.
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Old 08-13-2018, 05:52 AM
S&WsRsweet S&WsRsweet is offline
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That was someone's BBQ gun I'm bettin. Not an expert but an admirer of the old ones .
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Old 08-13-2018, 11:50 AM
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That was someone's BBQ gun I'm bettin. Not an expert but an admirer of the old ones .
I missed the handbook with some of the newer slang terms and abbreviations. What do the letters "BBQ" represent ? If it represents barbecue then please define what that means relative to old S&Ws. Thank you.
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Old 08-13-2018, 12:43 PM
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Sal, I'm shocked that you don't know what a BBQ (barbecue) gun is! It refers to a spiffed up gun with fancy stocks that is worn to a barbecue to show off. Also known as a "Sunday-go-to-meeting" gun. Of course, you have to wear your best hat, suit, boots and spurs to set it off right.
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Old 08-13-2018, 04:19 PM
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Sal's not the only one who was a little confused about BBQ.

Walt
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Old 08-13-2018, 06:53 PM
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Sal's not the only one who was a little confused about BBQ.

Walt
Walt, We didn't get the hand-out that year BBQ was added, I suppose. Sal

PS: I actually though, perhaps, a wrecked / trashed (cooked or grilled as in badly damaged) that was re-worked and saved when it should have been scrapped. LOL
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Old 08-13-2018, 06:58 PM
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Sal, I'm shocked that you don't know what a BBQ (barbecue) gun is! It refers to a spiffed up gun with fancy stocks that is worn to a barbecue to show off. Also known as a "Sunday-go-to-meeting" gun. Of course, you have to wear your best hat, suit, boots and spurs to set it off right.
Got it now, added to the gun vocabulary. Remember, I'm only a Southerner for just 30 years but I'm picking up quickly to the new stuff. I learned some slang from the Marx Brothers as a kid, then took a refresher course from the the Blues Brothers but that was still plenty of years ago.

This was my last lesson in vocabulary:

ONLY you guys that actually went to parochial school know this skit from Blues Brothers is not far from the fact. Those nuns were tough.
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Last edited by model3sw; 08-16-2018 at 10:28 AM. Reason: Revised.
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Old 08-14-2018, 08:03 AM
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Mr Sal I finally finally come up with something about guns you didn't know .one thing you gotta admit about the south .These guys take there guns seriously up north a fella gets a promotion he buys a Rolex down here he has himself a barbecue gun built although I have seen a few examples of barbecue guns that your definition ( trashed,chopped up, cooked ) would apply.
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Old 08-14-2018, 10:40 AM
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On the other hand Sal, one might take a certain measure of pride in the fact they didn't know what a BBQ gun was----having never come across one such------or pretty much not paying a lot of attention if they had.

Ralph Tremaine
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Old 08-14-2018, 10:57 AM
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I am shocked that I can add anything you guys have not mentioned. Those stocks are stag, not bone. Currently modern stag stocks are expensive. Considering the finish is not original, stag added in the revolver's early career adds a lot of value IMO.

By the way, I only learned what a BBQ gun is from reading the internet. I guess that reveals my short coming. I'm a northerner. However, up here in Washington open carry was never outlawed and concealed pistol licenses have been "shall issue" for over 40 years. As fr as I know they always have been "shall issue." You can not say either things about Texas. Perhaps more important, state firearms law pre-empts (? spelling) local jurisdictions so when the big cities pass more restrictive gun laws the courts toss them out in the ally with last week's dirty dish water.

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Old 08-14-2018, 11:15 AM
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There used to be more of this sort of thing done.
A shop in my home town in the 1960s specialized in two-tone pistols.
They did blue, gold, and nickel. For some reason, I did not ever find a three-tone gun there. But a revolver with the small parts and cylinder flutes gold against shiny blue was about as fancy as you could ask. Plating just the cylinder flutes called for some good masking.
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Old 08-14-2018, 05:05 PM
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Granny must have been quite a character...
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Old 08-14-2018, 09:05 PM
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Sal, check out some Wolf & Klar shipped and embellished Hand Ejectors. The late Larry Gaertner had 100 Triplelocks at the Tucson S&W gathering in 2010. Some were (cheaply?) engraved nickel examples with carved, Pearl, steer-head stocks that had Ruby red eyes. As I recall, he walked the show room wearing a double holster rig with a pair of the above revolvers. Was he Pimped-out or what?
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Old 08-15-2018, 07:38 PM
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I knew a small town chief of po-leese in Alabama that had a pair of nickel plated Colt 1917s that had gold triggers and hammers. He usually only carried one at a time.
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Old 08-16-2018, 07:55 AM
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Sal, check out some Wolf & Klar shipped and embellished Hand Ejectors. The late Larry Gaertner had 100 Triplelocks at the Tucson S&W gathering in 2010. Some were (cheaply?) engraved nickel examples with carved, Pearl, steer-head stocks that had Ruby red eyes. As I recall, he walked the show room wearing a double holster rig with a pair of the above revolvers. Was he Pimped-out or what?
I was taught that "no real shooter that knows his stuff carries a shiny gun" That was Dad who said that, remarking about the reflection from the shiny finish, which usually means nickel,

Dad said, in WWII, he'd run a magazine or two from his BAR and quickly move position. I think he said every 3rd (or 5th ?) round was a tracer.

We all know what Murphy said as one of his Murphy's Laws: "tracers work both ways". Dad compared this theory to a nickel or highly polished gun that a reflection could allow the enemy to scope in on that shooter's position. He said, that's all it would take for a sniper to scope in.

Dad paralleled that theory to those who carried shiny guns, that they were less likely to be carrying from experience but rather for vanity.

Dad said the soldiers who were under the command of General Patton made jokes about his nickel plated guns. Dad also said he had only seen General Patton carrying one "visible" side arm and not two as some pictures suggest.

Makes sense but what the heck did General Patton have to worry about with the entire U.S. Army behind him ?
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Old 08-16-2018, 09:32 AM
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I think most highly embellished guns would be more for show than go maybe the OPs gun was a presentation gun I have seen many examples of firearms that were meant just for show or maybe just to say hey we think enough of you to pay out this kind of money for something totally impractical just because we love and appreciate ya. Then again some old school gun fighting people wore highly adorned pistols just for the intimidation effect people might not recognize the face but they would have heard about that highly embellished revolver and think oh no there comes Sal they say he is faster than lightning you best keep your mouth shut .How do you know it's him ? Look at that Gold revolver with the naked ladies carved on the grips how many men would carry something like that no its Sal al right I'm drinking my beer and getting out of Dodge if you are smart you'll do the same ,yea you are right he's here to do some business with that big iron on his hip. Sorry I can't help it Marty Robins "Big Iron " is my favorite all time song ever ! Of course Mr Sal would be carrying a Smith and Wesson 44 .

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Old 08-16-2018, 10:34 AM
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Of course Mr Sal would be carrying a Smith and Wesson 44 .
.44 "Single" action New Model 3 or a 4" Model 1950 in .44 Special or a nice 696. You guys ever get your hands on a 696 ?

Back in the mid 1990s the Performance Center had not yet made their version of the 696. I bought one, sent it to the Performance Center for a tune and a magnaport. it came back sweet ! Or, as us-all / ya'll Southerns say: "slicker than frog snot".
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Old 08-16-2018, 12:46 PM
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Heck when you start talking about BBQ guns I thought of this..........
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Old 08-16-2018, 03:16 PM
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Heck when you start talking about BBQ guns I thought of this..........
Wow now that is a barbecue gun.
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