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S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961 All 5-Screw & Vintage 4-Screw SWING-OUT Cylinder REVOLVERS, and the 35 Autos and 32 Autos


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Old 05-09-2010, 08:43 PM
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How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums?  
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Default How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums?

I think about 400 were made? I have seen some from time to time. How rare are they, and what prices do they generally command? What kind of condition do you usually find them in?

I know that these were police guns so many have been refinished.
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Old 05-09-2010, 09:51 PM
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How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums?  
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The registed magnums produced for KCPD were the largest quantity made. When they do surface most have been refinished and are missing stocks that number to the gun. There was a recent post about one that was rehabed by the current owner.
With the number produced they should be the easiest registered magnum to find but this may not be the norm.
The price as always is dictated by quaility of the gun and how bad the buyer wants it, there is one on Gun Broker that has post war stocks and has been relisted, did not make sellers reserve.
This is a KCPD registed magum refinished at least once.

Last edited by Toyman; 05-10-2010 at 08:58 PM.
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Old 05-09-2010, 10:56 PM
gunfish gunfish is offline
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How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums?  
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They are out there in greater numbers than other RMs and at lower prices. I got this one cheap, sort of. Many KC guns had parts changed. Do some homework if you want to buy one. Practice on the pic above, there are lots of reasons the thing is no longer very pristine. There are three obvious reasons the price was at the lower end of RM values.
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Old 05-09-2010, 11:02 PM
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How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums?  
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Here's a KCPD RM that shows no indication of a refinish. Perhaps it was issued to a senior officer who took it along with him upon retirement... Interesting to speculate about. This shipped in early September of 1939 and still carried an RM number (5159).

The stocks are period correct but do not number to the gun. They were purchased used from a fellow Forum member and then restored by Keith Brown.

I take this gun to the range a couple of times a year and really enjoy the experience of shooting it.

Jerry

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Old 05-10-2010, 12:22 AM
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KCPD also had a number of non-registered Magnums, which were made in far fewer numbers than their registered brothers.

KCPD Non-RM, this one has not been refinished (but the grips have):

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Old 05-10-2010, 12:51 AM
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hi
I have a 4 inch blue post registered serial #60880 that been refinished
but it still has the numbered matching stocks.
King quick draw front sight, standard hammer.
Jim Fisher


Last edited by bmg60; 05-10-2010 at 12:56 AM. Reason: add picture
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Old 05-10-2010, 11:01 AM
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We've discussed this in the past. You might even want to page backward thru the archives of this section of the forum to read up on it. The only good article we've ever had on the subject was Roy's published back in 1989 in the SWCA Journal. A scanned copy or two is floating around. If you can find someone with it, they can email it to you.

The KC PD ordered and received two major shipments of the guns. The first was 250 guns that were produced during the time period where S&W was stamping a registration number on the crane cut. Maybe its important to note that collectors all consider a gun with a Reg # to be an RM. But then the 2nd major shipment, 200 guns, came after the Registration program had ended. With no Reg # in the cut, there is no way those can be considered RMs. Instead, the collectors just refer to them as " Pre-War Magnums". Still a classy title.

But be aware that on occasions Roy has stated that he doesn't consider any KC guns to be RMs. His logic is those guns sold at a significant discount. None came with cards to send back, and none were eligible for the Registration program. I must assume he also doesn't consider the other volume purchases to be RMs either, but it might hinge on the exact circumstances of the transaction.

For most of our purposes, if you see the Reg #, its an RM to us.
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Old 05-10-2010, 01:07 PM
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As Dick says, Roy has stated that the KC RMs are not RMs as no card, etc. was sent with the guns. I'm not sure I agree 100% with Roy's position on that, but I can see where he is coming from. I've had several KC guns over the years, but never bothered to letter them as I knew where they were shipped. But I am curious as to whether a factory letter on one of the first 250 ordered, calls them a Registered Magnum, or not. Anybody got a letter handy to see? Ed #15 ( PS: I lived in KC at the time these RMs were ordered. Alledgely the rational was that the gangster element at that time ( Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonnie & Clyde, etc.) were robbing banks right and left, killing LEOs, and had the cops outgunned. An RM, or a HD, was the only handgun available that could fire a cartrige whose bulet could disable an automobile's engine. Fact or fiction, I don't know. )
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Old 05-10-2010, 01:14 PM
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Ed, Yes sir, for a fact Mr Jinks letters the 250 Kansas City guns as "Registered Magnums". At least he did on the one I had. It clearly stated that on the factory letter and I always found that interesting in light of all the talk about them not being registereds. I've always gone by the rule of thumb (my thumb albeit) that it if had "REG" in the stamping that it was a registered.
But mine did letter as a "registered magnum". I no longer own that gun and passed the factory letter on with the gun.

Roger
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Old 05-10-2010, 03:11 PM
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I agree with Roger. The letter from Roy that came with mine (from a previous owner) also calls it an RM. If it says REG. on the yoke, it's an RM in my book. For what it's worth, I paid $1700 for mine from a live auction in CA last year (was closer to 2 grand after buyer's premium). It was factory refinished in the '50s and was wearing as-new diamond magnas from that period. I doubt it had been shot since the refinish. I sold the post-war magnas for nearly what a set of used pre-wars are worth (I had a couple sets in the stash already).
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Old 05-10-2010, 07:36 PM
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How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums? How rare are the KC Police Registered Magnums?  
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Thanks for the great information guys. Very attractive revolvers!
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Old 05-13-2010, 02:56 PM
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I had mine restored and posted pics a couple of weeks ago. Mine is a Pre-war Magnum as it was made in early 1940. There is a KCPD gun pictured here that is 63 off in s/n.

No matter what people think if their status they represent a very cool piece of history. If S&W sold them at a discount is was to get the order of 400-450 guns in their hot little hands in the middle of the Great Depression and to get the publicity of a major police force going with all Magnums. It was a good move for both sales and public opinion. It set their gun up as the choice of law enforcement and not the choice of criminals.

They are every bit as nice on fit and finish as any commerical Magnum sold by S&W, the exception was that they were used hard and refinished or repaired regularly.

I think they don't get as much love as they deserve in some collectors circles, but they are pretty special in reality. First if all there are only 450 of them at most and in the last 70 years a good many of them are lost or destroyed. Second of all they represent a major advance in firepower for law enforcement and a major sales and publicity coup for S&W at the height of the Depression. Third, they are actually used by cops for the purpose they were intended. Unlike so many guns that never left the cabinet or fired a shot, these are the real thing.

To me, they are history. They are more interesting than a hardware store gun that lived in a closet for seven decades. Those are cool to look at because the condition is great and they original paperwork is there. But a gun that went to work every day for decades, protecting a peace officer's life and fending off the criminals who prowl the streets is interesting as well.

Mine was beautifully restored by one of the best in the business to near perfect. I think it was a very worthwhile addition to my collection. The restoration was worth the wait and the price. I doubt I'll lose a dime if I ever sell it.
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Old 05-14-2010, 08:46 PM
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Interesting letters! Roy calls them a Registered Magnum in his letters, but not when he is talking about them. What is even more interesting, there is apparently no record or paperwork in the S&W archives on how these KC RMs were ordered! No invoices, nada, zip, etc. It leaves two possibilities (1) the paperwork was lost, or (2) they were ordered over the telephone. Ed #15
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