My good friend Steve found this one and put me on to it. It is a Transition Heavy Duty, 6.5 inch barrel, all matching including the grips, serial number S62507 which is the second lowest HD serial number I have for post war guns. I suspect that the letter will state that it was in a group of 15 shipped to Colorado. There are 8 known serial numbers for 6.5 Transition HDs and possibly 25 shipped. Mr Jarrett says the banged up grips make this a cop gun. This find made my day!











The next HD is one I knew about and hoped I'd have a chance on acquiring it. This pre war 4 inch blue with Humpback Hammer and Magna grips was shipped 4 April 1940 in a group of 16 to the Sandusky Ohio PD. There are 4 known survivors and I have been fortunate to have owned all 4 at one time or another. This one is 61025. Many thanks to my friend Bill who decided it needed HD companions! There were 29 known 4 inch Pre War HDs shipped with Humpback Hammers. Enjoy!

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38-44heavyduty.com

Great finds Bill! Congratulations.

Hope Steve is doing well.

Strong work Bill, I have no doubts you earned those two. There can't be many transitional 6.5 inchers hanging around. Great guns.

Seein those actually made my day too, and they aren't even mine!
Wow Bill, you don't even go for the generic stuff anymore do ya! Both of those are hard to find barrel lengths....and one is transitional....and one has a Humpback. Both are outstanding. And don't that make the trip so much more fun. I often wonder what it takes to make someone with a collection like yours really excited. But if that don't get your fire going then your wood is wet!
Great pictures to boot!
Thanks for sharing.

Roger

I sure wish you guys would show some consideration. This forum is filled with old guys. Some of us have had heart surgery, others heart attacks. Then you come along and post these kinds of photos. Makes a fella worried about croaking.

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Dick Burg

Bill is a cruel and heartless cad! He put those right out in front of everybody right after we ate! With cholesterol clogged systems and weak from walkin' around on concrete all day my blood pressure was pegged out...like to have keeled over right there.
.
by the way Bill, thanks for bein' such a fine host.
Jim

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Halfway and one more step

Bill,

I'd be will to trade you a Ruger 10/22 for the long barreled jobber! Hurry up and let me know before I change my mind will ya!

S&W mania 1756

Congratulations, Bill! Beautiful HD's. Daniel suggested - but , I'll just ask whether you know how may 6.5" transitionals you expect are out there?

Jerry

That 4" Humpback is my grail gun...........I call dibs if you are ever gonna part with it!

That 4" HD comes from a PD that is about 30 miles from me. Nice score.

Well, I can certainly see that I am going to have to make it to Tulsa one of these days. They have some of these models at every gathering there, right? And maybe even some prewar Kit Guns and .32 RP target revolvers?

Terrific scores. Congratulations. I am suffering from heavy duty envy in every sense of the phrase.

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David Wilson

Great catch! Did not see you in Tulsa. Maybe in the spring.

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Twogunnes
John 3:16

Congratulations on acquiring those two excellent additions for your collection. I especially like that 4" Sandusky gun.

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Rick
SWCA #2727 , SWHF #435

Great Guns and photos.

Thanks for sharing,

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Bill, I just don't get it. With all the money you spend on these old, out of date used guns, you could really afford a new gun. A Taurus isn't too expensive. I just hate to see a great guy like you thinking he can't afford a brand new gun.

On a more serious note, those two are exceptionally drool worthy, even after seeing so many pictures from your collection. Nice score!

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Peter
S&WCA #2620

Very nice Bill, I am very impressed.

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SWCA 1646

Thanks everyone, to say the least I was pleased with the weekend! Jerry, at last count, as many as 25. David, there was a RP target there! There are more out there and Tulsa is great place to find them! I enjoyed meeting Old TexMex and seeing Keith44SPL and many other Forum members. Hope to see you all there in April.
Bill

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Update-S62507 was shipped March 21 1947 to Kagen's Co, Reading PA. There were 10 in the shipment. S62496 was shipped the same day and I believe it was in this shipment. It appears these were on the bottom of the pile in the vault and shipped later than others with higher serial numbers.
Bill

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38-44heavyduty.com

Two guns I have never seen! That 6.5 is a real treasure. Congratulations Bill!

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Even older, even crankier....

Fascinating Bill. So there were 10 in the shipment. I wonder where the rest are.

You have to wonder about that vault and what was stuck in the corner or at the bottom of the pile. That is the corner where collector dreams are made!

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SWCA 1646

The longer I am on this forum, the more I am amazed.
From boxes being reunited with the original pistols 60 plus years later, to very rare limited firearms.
Question, did you actively seek these out because they were rare?
And for the 4 "humpbacks" that you have owned, did you find one and then decide to try to locate the remaining 3?
Just curious.
I have noticed among my shooting buddies, we kinda all know what each other has and what each other likes.
I have been actively looking for a nice High Standard, and a buddy informed me that his friend just aquired one and wanted to sell it. So it just goes to show that shooting buddies will call attention to a firearm that somebody in the group is looking for.

True. I know of one in the S69xxx range which lettered as being shipped in late 1946.

Neobuckeye,
No, I did not seek all of them out. I owned one for several years and it was involved in a trade, then purchased another, then another and now another and passing 2 on to fellow collectors. I have owned others with HBH but not Sandusky PD guns.
thanks,
Bill

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