Two questions for whoever may know:

1) What was the shipping date for SN 144984, the last documented Winchester Model manufactured, and is it known to still exist in someones collection?

2) Has a Winchester Model with the large silver medallions that number to the gun ever been reported or observed? Serial number?

Just so you know, my belief about these two questions is that 144684, and probably several close predecessors, was never actually completed and shipped. I hope to be proved wrong.

On the medallion question, likewise I do not believe an example with these stocks will ever be found because production of the Winchester Model ceased before the style was adopted.

Can't respond to your question about s/n 144984 but I do have 141399 that shipped in June 1929 with non-medallion stocks.



Russ

I am no help as the one I had as a boy was Serial No. 83744, 6 inch blue and marked .32 WCF Ctg. It was shipped by S&W to Shapleigh Hardware in St. Louis. I do not regret getting rid of it as .32-20 ammo had gotten hard to obtain and was more expensive.

In the large .32-20 thread, post # 92 shows s/n 144509 wearing silver medallion grips. Post # 13 shows s/n 1418xx wearing silver medallions as well.

Neither member mentioned whether or the grips were numbered to their revolvers, but I believe both members are still active on the board.

The .32-20 Hand Ejector Thread

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I have 142,XXX. I don't know when it was shipped but it has non medallion stocks on it.

I'm not sure if this will be of any help to you or not. My .32-20 with S/N 132821 shipped on 04/09/1926 with checkered non-medallion walnut grips.

Cheers,

Rick

Edited to add: The right grip is numbered to the gun.

My database shows #1440xx as having silver medallion stocks that number to the gun. Shipping date is lacking, but I will be checking on this soon.

As for this:
While it is true that production ceased (probably before 1932 and maybe as early as 1930), shipments did not stop. So there is no reason to believe that a frame could not have been fitted with 1930s style stocks that were not in production when the frame and other parts were originally produced, even assembled. And we have evidence that some of these revolvers did ship with silver medallion stocks that were numbered to the frame. There probably were not many, but I believe there were some.

We are back to "never say never" when it comes to Smith & Wesson.

Jack

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

It doesn't really help, but it is nice to see the picture!
Jack

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

I'm glad you liked the picture Jack! I enjoy posting them.

Cheers,

Rick

Muley Gil,

Thanks for mentioning those two posts, I have PM'd greggintenn and bobf asking both to check to see if the silver medallion stocks number to the respective guns. We'll see.

JP@AK

Jack,

You are right about shipping, but the fact is stocks were fit to the frame and numbered to match before the gun or stocks were finished. The stocks were then finished in the "Stock Job" while the metal parts went to the "Finish Job". Everything came together in assembly and the completed guns sent on to final inspection. After firing and inspection the guns were boxed and placed in inventory or shipped. When an order was received for a gun in inventory one fitting the order requirements was pulled from stock, noted in the shipping records and the gun shipped. Regardless of when this happened the gun shipped as-is unless there was a specific requirement for special features that weren't in inventory.

One interesting thing I have noted in the past couple of days concerns the extractor rod head. Based on posted photos and SNs 142111 had a mushroom head, while 1418xx had the cylindrical "Intermediate" rod head. There was no note of shipping date for the last gun while 132111 was noted as shipped 6-1929. Apparently during the time these guns were put up is close to the rod head change.Maybe this has something to do with finished barrels of different lengths, what lengths were in inventory when the engineering change came down and what lengths they had to produce???

Rickster,

Nice revolver! I have its' older brother 127775. Should be 1924-1926 sometime, have to letter it some day! Is yours as good as the photos look? Mine has just a touch of holster wear on the muzzle, flute corners and lower front corners of frame.

Mine is S/N 141847* I believe the stocks are # 668168

Alk8944
Thanks for the tutorial on stocks and shipping. Much appreciated. I suppose someone could have requested 1930s stocks on one of these guns and the gun and stocks were refitted. Does that seem like a possibility to you? It would explain why they seem to exist but are scarce (to say the least).

The matter of knob style continues to be interesting and a bit mysterious. Thanks to fellow SWCA members, I now have a few photos of .32-20 revolvers that have the barrel shaped knob. But they definitely seem to be in the minority among these revolvers. This is the sort of thing that makes collecting old Smiths so darn fascinating, don't you think?

Jack

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Sure do!

Note above, bobf answered the question about his silver medallion stocks in post #13 of the big .32-20 thread, and they do not number to his revolver.

You are correct that someone could have requested the later stocks, but given the day I feel this is unlikely. Unless the company was willing to re-finish the gun before shipping it is extremely unlikely that this would be the explanation if the stocks number to the gun. Unless the stocks were fit in the stock job they would have more likely to have come from spare parts and be un-numbered. After all, the stocks are hardly a major component that would have been numbered to the gun like a barrel or cylinder would have been if replaced. Not arguing, just want to know as bad as you do!

bobf, Thank you very much, from both of us.

Alk8944,

Mine does look that nice in person. I'm very happy with it. One of these days, I would like to find a couple more .32-20's. I do like the older Smith's.

Cheers,

Rick

Yes. But see my note to you about rmac's revolver. Pictures will be on their way shortly via email.
Jack

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Sir,
The same serial number can be found on the inside of the righthand stock of my 32-20 revolver. Hope this helps.
Greg