I bought this on the spur of the moment on Gunbroker because it was a local seller and was fortunately able to do a face-to-face today to get it (no shipping or FFL fees). Here's the auction listing: S&W .44 Special Triplelock : Revolvers at GunBroker.com

Serial number is 12424 (not 14,xxx as first stated). It has obviously been re-nickel plated and even so still has a pretty good sized area on the sideplate where the nickel is gone and there is pitting. Hammer and trigger are nickel plated, too. It has also been inscribed for a previous owner, "B.W. Bailey" (not B.A. as first stated). Other than that, it looks pretty good.

I have yet to go over it very carefully or remove the stocks. It seems to index and lock up fairly well and the bore and chambers do not appear to be pitted. The gentleman I bought it from said it was from his father's collection of Triple Locks and that he was in law enforcement. He also said that this gun had previously been lettered and he would try to find it for me. His recollection is that it was owned by a Texas sheriff. Hopefully he can get that for me and save me from doing it!

Anyway...I'll post my own pics later, after I've been able to clean it and go over it well.

Rob

Can't wait to see the pictures.

I looked for years to find a TL that I could afford. I finally found a 5" refinished one and it is a FINE shooter.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Good for you! The day I first got my hands on a TL was the day that I first felt like a real S&W collector.

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David Wilson

Looks like you got a good "shooter" with some history behind it; all in all, a pretty neat gun. I'd have bought it for $500, too.

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John

I'da thought that even a shooter grade triple lock would bring over twice that. Did you get a great deal or have I misread the current market?

I was able to take some time to do some cleaning and detailed examination today and got some decent photos tonight.

The serial number is actually 12424, NOT a 14k number as previously stated. Did I mention previosly that it has a 5" barrel? The inscription on the sideplate actually says "B.W. Bailey" and has some decoration ahead, behind and under the name. The gun also has quite a few spots of "gun cancer". I was able to clean it up some, removing a lot of crud and some staining on the nickel. It could still use more gentle work, but obviously it is never going to be a beauty queen.

The stocks are NOT numbered to the gun--they are penciled with 22829 or something like that. The right stock panel is also cracked through. Are they the correct style, thought? Based on stains on the left frame behind the cylinder release, it looks like it wore Magnas or something similar for some time. I did not see any notable stampings on the frame under the grips to indicate original finish type (B or N). The serial nubmer does match on the butt, cylinder and barrel.

The bore is just a very little bit rough, as are the front portions of the cylinder throats. I tried to show this in photos, but probably needed just a bit more light.

Any and all comments are welcome. Here come the pics (17 total)!











Rob

More pics:

Pics:

The grips are Pre- 1910 and correct vintage for the gun IMO. I would judisciously use some Naval Jelly rust remover to get the black out of the pitted areas and arrest the corrosion. It will also look a lot more presentable and have no affect on the value since it's a refinish anyway. Good buy for a shooter.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Served as a Sheriff in Louisana, and sounds like a triplelock sort of guy.....................

http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/winn/bios/bbaily51.txt

Nice find!
Tony

Based on the penciled number and the absence of the flat tops on the stocks, I believe these are from a .44 HE from the 1920s.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Correct.
Those grips are from the Post WW I era through the 20's.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Oops, sorry Teddydog, I had another senior moment. Thanks to handejector and Murphydog for correcting my spread of misinformation, yes indeed, post 1920 grips were not concave or dished out at the top.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I have some Naval Jelly. Is it safe to use on nickel-plated guns? I was afraid that it would maybe make things worse with the plating...eat it away or eat the underlying metal (copper?).

Rob

Rob,

I have successfully "spot" cleaned nickel guns with Naval Jelly w/o problems. The nickel will already be flaking at the edges of the corroded areas so don't think that is from the NJ. Just be sparing in the application of the NJ and keep it to the bad areas.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

My grandfather opened his general store in Colfax, LA, Grant Parish in 1896 and built a larger one in 1898. Grant Parish borders Winn Parish. He knew the Sheriff over in Winnfield when Baily got into the banking business as my grandfather was one of the founders of Colfax Banking Company. Colfax is the Parish Seat (county seat). There were 5 sawmills there when I was growing up in the '40s. There were only 2 other towns of note in that part of the state, Winnfield and Alexandria. The Long family were friends of my grandfather, I met most of them at the Island Duck Camp on Iatt Lake and the Ricepatch Inn (duck camp) owned by Judge W. T."Brandy" McCain back in the late 50's when my uncle served (16 years) in the state legislature. Seeing the history of that old gun brings back a lot of memories for me.Great find!

That is really cool, to have a connection between this piece and another board "family" member! It seems possible to you, then, that THIS TL was owned by THAT B.W. Bailey? Thanks for the info!

Rob