A 1950 Target 45 with a rare 5-inch barrel and checked target stocks. One of eight shipped to H. H. Harris in Chicago on August 8, 1960 and one of nine guns known (by serial number, all in the S146000 range). H. H. Harris specialized in rare barrel lengths and seemed to really like the 5-inch guns.

Bill

A 5" N-frame... and one in .45... yeah, baby! I just stared at the screen for a full minute before I could type. I wish I'd found it (and had the money to pay for it!).

Steve

Top notch condition, as usual Sir.

Did a LNIB condition revolver like that come with a box?

(wonderful stocks, by the way)

GF

Egad's man, I just drooled on my keyboard! Thank's for shareing that rare beauty.

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Stay safe people!

GF...The box and 45 have long been separated. Since the 45 was shipped late (1960), it would be interesting to know what style of box was used.

Bill

A beautiful example of Springfield craftsmanship at it finest!

Thanks very much for sharing this with us... :-)

Very nice. Would love to have one like that. Of course I do love the 5" tapered barrel N frames.

The serial seems to indicate a manufacture date of late 1955 or early 1956, no? So this gun set around for a while in inventory. Makes me assume that when the order came in they took some 6.5" guns from the shelf and cut the barrels? Or do you think they manufactured the 5" barrels on special order from scratch?

Here's a great example of a gun that we NOW say; "Gee, that's great! Why don't they still make those!" but when they did make them they didn't sell.

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No life story has happy end.

SP...the 5-inch tapered barrel was available in .357 Magnum caliber, so it would have been easy to make the same barrel in .45 ACP caliber. I doubt if they would have cut the barrel down from a 6 1/2-inch length.

You are also right the 1950 Target 44 and 45 did not sell well and were both discontinued in the 1960s by S&W. Collectors of today are fascinated by them, but shooters of the 50s and 60s had other (better?) choices and left these models sitting on the shelf.

Bill

I'm always amazed at the beautiful Smith's that the members here have. If it weren't for the sharing of pictures like Bill's .45, I know I'd never even see one!

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Misty

So you think bare frames were assembled into brand new guns with 5" barrels rather than guns already made being modified with barrel cut or swap?

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No life story has happy end.

SP...I believe so.

Bill

Doc, great looking gun and no surprise it is a Harris gun. Whenever I see a gun of that era with unusual features I always think it might be a Harris gun and often turns out to be so. It was great to see you in Tucson.

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John. SWCA #1586

I don't believe there is a better barrel length, 5", for either the "N" or for that matter, the "L" frame revolver.
Paul

Sorry for the 2th post but left out that the 5" "tapered" or as I call then, the contoured barrel has the most appealing, pleasing and aesthetically looking which is totally lacking with the full lug and flat machined barrels.
Paul

Hi:
In my part of the world the five inch barrels were not popular due to lack of duty holsters. Duty Holsters were offered in four and six inch barrel lengths but not in five inch.
Jimmy

"In my part of the world the five inch barrels were not popular due to lack of duty holsters. Duty Holsters were offered in four and six inch barrel lengths but not in five inch.
Jimmy"

It's the old chicken or egg deal. If there were more 5" guns built, the holster makers would have sold more 5" holsters. If there were more 5" holsters out there, more cops would have bought 5" revolvers.

If anyone out there has a Safariland Model 29 holster for a 5" N frame in brown basketweave, I'd like to give it a good home.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

hi
Here is a 1955 45 acp 5 screw shipped in 1959 one of 9 made.
The letter says no charge to cut barrel to 5 inch.
one of nine in shippment.
jim fisher

http://smith-wessonforum.com/members...nch-rev-3a.jpg

That gun is my dream configueration! I do have that hoster you are talking about but it is a dark brown basket weave thumb break Triple K.
However I have four various 5" N frames to pack in it! Many years ago I had Don Hume build me a custom river belt and holster for my 5" N frames but it eventualy was stolen out of my truck. Black basketweave. I really miss it. Probley got pawned for $5s! Here is a 35 year old picture of me wearing it.