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08-17-2012, 08:10 PM
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Target Ladysmith- Dented and tarnished, but still my Holy Grail
Just picked up on GB one of my two Smith & Wesson Grail guns, a 6" target Ladysmith #17160. The good news- The barrel blue, the bore and the forcing cone are very good. The blue on the sides of the frame is acceptable. The bad news- The crane, cylinder, the frame in the area of the crane and the front and back straps are a little rough. Missing one sideplate screw and the elevation screw is sheared off at the frame.
The stocks are what factory extended target stocks would look like if they made them. Unfortunately, they are not numbered and the serial number (what's left of it due to rust) is on the butt, not on the front strap where I would expect it to be if the gun was shipped with stocks covering the butt.
Now, if someone has a cheap post-war Regulation Police 6" target?
Bob
Last edited by red9; 08-19-2012 at 01:21 PM.
Reason: Add description
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08-17-2012, 08:23 PM
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A target Ladysmith in any condition is a special find. Congratulations on getting that one. I bought one a few months ago knowing that it had some action problems, but I rolled the dice in the belief that I could get replacement parts and adjust the gun myself. All the gun needed was a new hand and a good cleaning. It is shootable again.
The proper stocks for your gun are the standard Ladysmith Third Model stocks, which are square butt non-extension stocks. I am unaware of two-screw target stocks for M-frame revolvers, and I suspect that what you have are cut-down I-frame target stocks -- the standard extension stocks you see on .22/32 revolvers of the 'teens. The deep dish medallions on your stocks look original.
I haven't bothered to look up comparative sizes, but possibly those were RP stocks to start with, and as part of the conversion process were fitted with an extra screw to hold the long ends together beneath the frame.
An excellent score! Good for you. These guns are safe to shoot with primer-only ammo like CB caps or Colibri rounds.
I don't think post war 6" RP Targets exist. There are the 196 guns with 4" barrels put together in 1957 from mostly prewar parts, but those are the only postwar guns I know that were labeled RP target revolvers. There are prewar RP targets that show up on the auction sites form time to time, but they are scarce and mostly not cheap.
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David Wilson
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08-17-2012, 10:15 PM
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OP - neat old gun. I was happy to get a plain 4 in nickel one which lettered some time ago. Certainly the hardest hand ejector frame to get, let alone a target model. IIRC the 6 in fixed sight ladysmith is actually more rare!? With S&Ws, the unusual is the usual.
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There are the 196 guns with 4" barrels put together in 1957 from mostly prewar parts, but those are the only postwar guns I know that were labeled RP target revolvers.
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You can say that again. Here is a thread about one of those. The guy that got the one in the thread is a pretty lucky guy :P
One of the last .32 Regulation Police Target Revolvers
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Last edited by Göring's S&W; 08-17-2012 at 10:17 PM.
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08-17-2012, 10:53 PM
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That's a very, very difficult gun to find in any condition.
Congratulations!
Drew
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08-18-2012, 11:24 PM
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Great find! Thanks for the pics. I have never seen one before. Congrats!
Ed
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08-19-2012, 01:06 PM
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I'm going to bump this thread because there are some Ladysmith fanciers here who may not have seen it. Come on, everybody; the OP posted a target Ladysmith!
I'll also add this picture of my Third Model target. It was non-functional when I bought it a few months ago, but has now been put back in operating condition.
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David Wilson
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08-19-2012, 01:18 PM
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David,
Was the checkering on your stocks available from the factory? Incidentally, I previously posted about the availability of a 6" fixed sight at a LGS, clean but no finish or forcing cone. I thought that it had been sold, but is apparently still there. I will check it out this week. David Chicoine quoted about $500 to sleeve the barrel. Is removing the barrel and welding up the forcing cone area a viable option?
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08-19-2012, 02:10 PM
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Some Third model Ladysmith stocks were checkered, some were smooth.
I have heard that Dave Chicoine's shop worked out a process to restore cracked or broken Ladysmith barrels; if I had a gun that needed such a repair and was otherwise good enough to deserve it, I might consider going through the process. I have two Ladysmiths with mangled forcing cones, but I picked up replacement barrels for them. I'm not sure I would go out of my way to acquire a damaged gun with an eye to undertaking major barrel repairs, but there is more than one way to look at that question. I certainly wouldn't criticize anyone else who wanted to do it. It seems true that a six-inch fixed-sight Ladysmith is worth repairing far more than one of the more common three or four inch guns.
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David Wilson
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