I am dealing on a TL with no cal. markings and what looks to be proof marks on the cylinder(all 6 charging holes) . A 45 LC fits perfectly and I wonder if that was the way they proofed the gun when changed from a 455. There is a rework date but I can not recall it right now.
The gun looks great about 95% blue but doesn't show re blue evidence.
Thanks for any info;-)

I own a TL, but I'm no expert. I do know that a very few were made in .45 Colt right at the factory. Man would that be a find!

I can't help you much on the proof marks without simply quoating what I have read by the more educated gurus here. Any way to post a pic or two of what you are looking at?

Mark;

The British tended to proof stamp each chamber and marked just about every other surface where a stamping would fit. The .455 service revolvers of the era either had no caliber stamp, or the left barrel was marked "Smith & Wesson .455". Given the (rather large) odds against it being an original .45 Colt, I'd guess it was rechambered.

Were there any other stampings, and can you post photos?

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Alan I should have included that the rest of the gun is unmarked with the kind of British markings I have seen.
I do not have pics yet but hope to have the gun over the weekend to look over. I will post pics if that happens.
Thanks All

I have the TL in my grubby hands and will post a few pics later today. The serial # is 48xx bbl is 6 1/2

Sounds like a .455 1st British Contract TL.
The various proof marks you describe indicate that the gun was sold through a commercial Brit gun shop at some time after its service with the military. (All commercially sold guns had to be proofed before sale.) The rechambering to .45 LC probably happened after this original sale (after it reached the US) but "could" have been done in England, but it's unlikely. No real way to tell....

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

I'm going to guess they did that because they were embarrassed at the fine quality and beautiful guns America was producing, so they defaced them so their own subjects didn't see beauty and want some themselves.

A terrible thing the brits (no caps) did. They don't deserve capital letters.

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Dick Burg

Hopefully this will help you ID your gun.

This is not a New Century "Triple Lock", rather a .455 HandEjector 2nd Model from aproximately the same WW1 era. These photos illustrate what I believe to be a S&W factory performed .455 to .45 Colt conversion looks like.







Note the rework stampings and the date of "5-36" (May 1936). Does you gun have any markings such as these?



These are older photos taken before my recent camera upgrade, but you can see the correct serial number stamp on the cylinder face and the rework star under the extractor.



Drew

Could very well be a tl in 45 colt.There was a posting a short while back on a second model with no cal markings on the barrel.This gun lettered as a 45 colt.Back then s&w did not like a competitors name on there barrels.Keep in mind there were only 23 shipped from the factory in 45 colt.

Here are a couple of pics to start.
I will take the grips off and take some there.

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Probley one of the most valuable guns I ever screwed up on not buying was a triplelock in .45 colt. This was about 45 years ago. I was a budding collector. I wanted a .44 special triplelock. I had read all about them from elmer. A collector friend tried to sell me a 6 1/2" .45 colt for I think $200s. That gun looked unfired! I recall it being heavy oiled and like greased with what seemed to be waxy congealed oil. I didnt see a blem on it. I was dissapointed that it wasnt in .44 special and didnt buy it! Later I read they built about only 15 guns in .45 colt! What do you think that one would bring on auction today? About as much as my 401 K is worth I suppose!

Nice crisp example, but to me that looks like a .455 height front sight...

I don't think this is one of the 23 or so in 45 colt but it is interesting. I have read somewhere that when they were rechambered for 45 lc the cylinder was recessed some. this one is not recessed.
The only proof marks are on the cylinder no where else?
No cal is stamped anywhere I can find.
More photos to come.

You are probably correct. This is out of my knowledge base;-)

Couple more pics. looks like a refinish? In 1970.

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You may have to spring for a letter on this one....

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

Dean I sent for the letter today.
I guess I will have to just wait;-)

I had a TL in .455 that had been reworked into .45 Colt, it had all kinds of proof marks, crossed flags, Mk markings etc, the face of the cylinder was 'in the white' from the machining, wasn't (at the time) what I wanted and I foolishly sold it.
That one with the S/N on the cylinder is interesting indeed. I'm sure some of the experts will be along shortly, but I would say that the $50 invested in a letter would be money well spent on that gun.
The rework star is a 'flag' but for what, is anyones guess.
Most .455's that were rechambered where done by other houses than S&W, if the 'star' and cylinder stampings indicate, via a letter, that it was done 'in house', then that could be a very valuable handgun.
I'm hoping that future comments in this post will shed some positive light on this example for you.
In the condition it's in I'd be proud to own it.
RD

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Got a Phd from Hard Knocks U

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I am very happy with it as is. I have been trying to buy it from a good friend for months. I bought it as a reblued rechambered TL although it shows now signs of rebluing.
Anyway when the letter gets here I will send for a S&WH search.

As long as we are talking triplelocks here is one with modern target sights. This one is #4591. It shipped october 6, 1910 to american tradeing company new york, newyork. It was sent back to the company for work sept 1949 and again july 1950. Roy wasnt specific in his letter, just said he assumed the work was done then. I have owned it since 1972. P.S. I once shot this off the bench against I think two other .44 specials and a 29-2 that I own, and it was the most accurate.

That is a very cool TL. I have been lusting for one for a long time. In the process I have picked up a lot of nice collectable S&W including two RM's. The TL's are far and away the hardest I have had to find in my area.

Mark;

It has the R-S (refinish, standard or blue) stamp from April, 1970. Perhaps they took all the other British stampings off during that process?

By the way, nice try passing off the RM as the Triple Lock in your third photo .

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Alan that is a possibility I hadn't thought of. Would they have been able to buff all the proof marks without showing it?
You win the prize for noticing my mess up;-) I was taking pics of the Baughman RM and got it mixed up with the TL.

It does show signs of a refinish.
I had to get mine out to check and the pin just above the left grip panel should have a rounded head on it. Yours looks like like it's been buffed flat with the frame.
Whatever was done to it in 1970 won't show up in the factory letter. Hopefully the SWHF will have something.

Does the barrel serial match? I ask because all of the Brit commercial proofed guns I have seen have some pretty serious stampings along the left rear side of the barrel. I don't know if those could be judiciously buffed out or not.

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

LCF:

I'm glad that you posted that third photo. That RM looks to be a rather early one and the photo composition is very nice. I would live to learn more about its history.





BTW, I also have a 455 TL that was converted to 45LC, but as I recall, it is covered in those much discussed British gun graffiti/proof marks...

Thanks for sharing and congrats on your find,

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Longcoltfrazier. Why couldnt that triplelock I discribed not be a original triplelock in .45 colt? Because something like that is too good to be true? As I recall the gun it was flawless and distictly had .45 colt on the barrel. Already at that point I was well schooled on spotting reblues etc by a old well know collector that was my mentor at the time.

feralmerril, I am not sure what you are posting. I never even addressed if your TL was original or refinished or anything. I hope you did not take any post I made as such.

Here is the letter from Mr. Jinks.
I can only assume that someone took it from the FBI and it eventually ended up in Cave City Ar with the owners grand daughter. She is not wanting to provide any info at this time.
The most I have to work with is that this RM came from a retired Police Chief in CA

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Long colt frazier, sorry, I didnt or still dont know why you outlined my post telling about a triplelock I had bypassed in 45 colt many years ago and then remarked that you doubted it was one of the original 25 or so.
No big deal. Merril

I read it again. I guess you were talking about your own gun, not mine. Sorry.

feralmerril wrote
"I read it again. I guess you were talking about your own gun, not mine. Sorry."


No problem Sir I would never dis a fellow gun guy;-)

I hope you paid what you felt was fair price for a refinished, rechambered TL. if it letters as other than you money ahead ! looks like a nice shooter.

since were playing show and triple lock tell, here's mine i was able to get earlier this year. it was in my buddys shop for several weeks and seller never priced it. seller is a buyer of foreclosed public storage lockers. and this was a recent prize. i told my shop buddy im not leaving without it so lets call him and get a price. I threw out $250 although i would have gone higher but it was accepted. he probly didnt even pay $250 for the entire locker contents. i have never seen a TL offered for sale in any of my local shops before or since and i wasnt leaving without it. the pre war magnas were a bonus.

i believe this gun was cut within the 1st 20 years of its life by an amateur smith who then re-soldered the front sight back on and put the different grips on. i have fantasies it was pocket or belt carried sans holster by a gambler or bootlegger who wanted a relatively concealable big bore boomer as the bluing wear is consitent throughout. Remarkably, its dead on accuracte with 44 specials i have hammered milk jugs to 25-50 yards. sorry no pics available but our own Wyatt Burp made me the coolest tooled holster for this beast in the style of a SD myeres holster. this is probly my favorite S&W i own.

ElToro,

That's a nice TL. I have a 5" TL and it is VERY accurate.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

thanks. its fun to shoot and balances so well in the hand. locks up nice and tight. i would not hesitate to use it as a hunting back up or run heavy keith or buffalo bore specials through it. the filed down front sight seems to work better than a full moon blade

Eltoro,,I have a TL with the same modification,,except the front sight on mine left the gun before I aquired it. They soft soldered it on but didn't remove the blueing on the Bbl prior to the solder job. Sure to fail.
It's waiting it's turn for a better crown job than Hacksaw Jones the gunsmith gave it and a new front site now. There's just enough length left to go ahead and take it back to 3 1/2" bbl.
Something special about the TL's..