I am researching a .44 HE for an elderly neighbor. I have acquired a factory letter from Mr. Jinks. The gun was shipped to Wolf and Klar in 1930.

Is there a way to identify the original buyer of the piece? Are records of the distributor available?

I am trying to corroborate the family story regarding the gun.

Any relevant info would be appreciated.

Good Luck on your search. I just picked up a 1926 myself and want to do the same thing. I was told it's 1927 Vintage W&K too, but it has a 1930 inscription ( presentation to a Police captain) on the sideplate. I want to find out who this guy was. How much was the letter? Hope you find some good surprises in your research.

Wolf & Klar was a large dealer. They bought direct from S&W, not through any distributor, and the 1926 .44 Special was a design they asked for.

The odds are pretty good that W&K's records were tossed when the business closed up. There were no gun registration or background check laws in Texas in those days. About the only way to track the original buyer would be to go through the owners and whatever paper (receipts) they may have, current to prior, and I bet that it is too late for that.

The guns are a lot more durable than any papers that may have come with them!

The factory letter written by historian Roy Jinks costs $50.00.

Welcome to the forum, get your neighbor out and get him to the range and shoot that revolver!! Plus we need pictures of you all having fun!!

We had some posts a while back that indicated the records were still in existance, and someone was trying to figure out a way to make sense of them. The problem seems to be its a massive quantity that doesn't make a lot of sense in the current business climate. As I recall, someone wanted to charge for the information (even a modest fee for searching them might be beyond reason.) Folks don't want to do that for charity. We almost all agree it would be nice to have someone computerize the records. Expecting it to be free or cheap might be too much.

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Dick Burg

Thank you all for your input.

The gun has been this family since the early 1930's when my friend's father acquired it upon joining by the Sherman, Texas Police Department. Several pictures show it quite clearly.

According to the family, he bought it from a Texas Ranger, whose name none can remember. Documentation is nil. A solid Ranger connection might raise the ante, since the gun will be sold.

hivel

I would like to see some pictures if you can email them to my address in my profile. I am also in Central Texas. I would appreciate knowing when the gun is offered for sale.

Bob