Hi Folks.

I'm pretty new here and just getting started in the world of S&W collecting. In fact I'm primarily a 1911 and early automatics collector. But I've been talking to a forum regular here, SixgunStrumpet and he has slowly been educating me on Smiths.

I picked up a Registered Magnum about a year ago, and then a Pre-War K-22 Masterpiece shortly after that. Of course a nice triple lock was on the list.

Even as I had my eyes open scouting for a triple lock, news of Elmer Keith's guns going to auction hit. I knew I wanted a gun from him.. perhaps it was time for a "two birds with one stone" play?

Note -- my "thing" is to collect old/interesting/weird guns and then do a long write up about them explaining them from both an historical and mechanical perspective. Feel free to skip to the next post to see the guns I bought.

The Story of Elmer Keith
When we think about the men that have contributed to firearms innovation a couple of names jump to mind. John Moses Browning is an obvious choice – the man who invented many iconic firearms including the 1911, Auto 5 Shotgun, BAR, and M2 “Ma Deuce”. In addition to Browning, perhaps Georg Luger and his 9mm parabellum which is arguably the most popular round in the world today. If we go backwards a bit, perhaps Samuel Colt or Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson for revolvers. But all of these men and their inventions were from the time period of the late 1800s to early 1900s. Has firearm technology stayed stagnant since the days of Browning and Luger?

In the period following the early 1900s one man is best known for pushing the envelope when it comes to handgun cartridge and bullet design. That man is Elmer Keith – rodeo rider, rancher, arsenal inspector, exhibition shooter, big game hunter, and gun author. Nicknamed “Mr. Magnum”, Keith played a big part in the development of the .357 Magnum, the .44 Magnum, and the .41 Magnum. Let’s take a brief look at his life before examining some of the firearms from his collection.

Early Childhood


Keith was born in 1899 in Missouri. Back then children wore whatever clothes were available, which meant that Keith often had to wear dresses. He was a cute kid back then, but I doubt anyone would have the guts to make fun of his picture in his later years. The guy could shoot! I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s continue with his early childhood.

Hunting was a natural part of life at that time. It meant putting meat on the table. When Elmer was around eight years old his dad bought him a .22 rifle. It became his job to furnish the family with table meat year round. Fortunately there was an abundance of small game such as rabbits, squirrels, quail, and ducks. He got so good at shooting small game that he could pick off rabbits on the run at thirty yards.



In 1911 Elmer was caught in a house fire while staying at a boarding house. He had first degree burns over most of his body. His chin was stuck to his shoulder, and his left hand was twisted and curled backwards so that it appeared his arm ended with a stump. Keith recovered from burns that would have killed most, but he still had a useless left hand. His parents tried to find a doctor who could help correct his hand, but everyone who looked at him declined thinking that he wouldn’t survive anyways. Eventually Keith asked his parents to just re-break the hand so that it was at least straight. His father gave him a big glass of 100% proof liquor and proceeded to break the fingers straight and then break the wrist. It’s no surprise that he passed out from the pain. Through sheer will Elmer eventually regained the use of his hand.

Qualifies Expert…as a Teen

When Keith was 16 he asked to join the local rifle club which was mostly made up of old men. They didn’t want a scrawny little kid in the club so they said “no”. However, one of the club members had taken a liking to the kid. Bill Strong asked the other club members if the kid could qualify as expert would they let him in? The other members thought it would be impossible for skinny kid to qualify with a .30-06 so they agreed. Keith bought a Krag for $1.50 from the N.R.A. and practiced at Fort Harrison. When the day came for the annual match he borrowed Bill Strong’s Springfield and qualified expert. He was allowed to join the club.



The days and years that follow see Keith becoming a Rodeo Rider, messenger, cowboy, and other various professions of the old west. It would not surprise me if he got the opportunity to shoot daily. Whether it’s natural talent, lots of practice, or both, Keith became very accomplished with all types of firearms.

Competition and Fame

In the early 20s Keith decided to participate in the Camp Perry National Matches, so he joined with the Montana National Guard. One day at Camp Perry he happened to see a demonstration being performed by J.H. Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was an employee of Colt and he attended all of the National Matches to service Colt pistols. As an aside, today pistols worked on by “Fitz” are prized collector’s items. Fitzgerald was allowed to pull guns from Colt stock and he often scribbled “Fitz” on the bottom of the box.

Back to the story, Fitz was demonstrating that if a gun was pointed at his back, he could spin around, grab the gun, flip it backwards (breaking the trigger finger) before the attacker could fire off a shot. Keith saw this demonstration and said something to the effect that this “trick” might work on the city folks of Chicago, but not on folks that lived in the west and grew up with guns. Fitz asked him to come up on stage to show him. Keith “shot” Fitz every single time. They became very good friends after that.

Keith went on to place or win in many different categories of the National Matches. More importantly, he became friends with many of the leading gun figures of the time as well as gun writers who were there to cover the matches. Elmer started writing for some of the gun magazines of the time contributing firsthand knowledge of various techniques and loads. He also was asked to join the NRA Technical Staff and was an executive editor for Guns & Ammo for many years.

Keith’s Handgun Innovations
Keith was always tinkering with bullet design and loads. It is said that he left behind a big pile of blown up guns as he strived to find the fastest, most accurate load for any particular weapon. One of the things that Keith was most known for was his bullet design. Back in those days the round nose bullet was the most popular. But Keith observed that it wasn't a very effective hunting bullet. The round nosed bullet tended to pass right through without causing a lot of bleeding. On the other hand, flat nosed bullets just were not accurate at long range. Keith wanted to find a bullet that would be good for everything -- cut clean holes in target shooting, good for hunting, and accurate at long ranges. He came up with the "Keith Bullet" which was a dramatically better design back in those days. In fact many people still use the Keith bullet as a good all-around bullet.



In 1930s law enforcement asked the gun manufacturers for a solution that could shoot through bulletproof glass and armored vests that the criminal gangs were starting to use. S&W first responded with a hotter version of the .38 round called the .38/44. However Major D.B. Wesson asked Keith to develop an even more powerful cartridge. Keith eventually came up with a loading that would become the .357 Magnum.

Keith Designs the Most Powerful Handgun Cartridge in the World (at that time)


“Did he fire six shots or only five?” Well to tell you the truth in all this excitement I kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you’ve gotta ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?” Dirty Harry 1971.

After working on the .357 Keith wanted a heavier load for his favorite caliber - .44. Keith pretty single-handedly convinced Smith and Wesson that a hot .44 load could be used for hunting to take down large game such as Elk. The result is the .44 magnum, made famous by the Dirty Harry line.

An Incomplete Summary of Keith's Contributions
• Worked on the development of the .357 Magnum
• Key contributor to the .44 Magnum
• Designed a long-range Single Action revolver, known as “No 5 – the last word in sixguns”
• Designer of Keith style bullets which are known for their accuracy
• Developed some extreme rifle cartridges
• Served as inspector for the US Arsenal at Ogden, Utah. Look for his inspector’s stamp of “OGEK” on re-built M1 Garands, Carbines, and M1917s.

• Author of 10 books documenting practical loads and technqiues
• Author of monthly regular columns for Guns & Ammo and American Rifleman

In addition to Keith’s technical contributions, he was also known for his shooting prowess. Among the feats that were witnessed:
• Shooting a wounded deer with a handgun at 600 yards (someone else shot the deer and Keith wanted to get it before it hopped over the next ridge)
• Proving that the .44 magnum was effective out to 700 yards
• Reproducing many of Ed McGivern’s speed tricks (such as shooting a gallon jug six times with a double action revolver before it hit the ground)
• Winner of the first Outstanding American Handgunner award.

In summary Keith was more than just a writer, he actually did the things he wrote about. Or in his own words (and title of his autobiography) “Hell I was There!”

Elmer Keith's Gun Collection

Elmer Keith died in 1984. Many of his hunting trophies, as well as a big part of his gun collection was on display in the Boise Idaho Cabelas. Earlier this year the decision was made to shut down the museum (probably due to the fact that it was non-revenue generating floor space). Elmer’s son Ted has stated that he had no way of storing a multi-million dollar gun collection so the decision was made to take the guns to auction.

For a generation who grew up reading Keith it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’m a bit younger so never read Keith while he was publishing, but can appreciate the man for his feats as well as his contributions. Thus I was excited for this auction as it was a chance to own a gun that formerly belonged to a gun legend. Kind of like owning a gun from Browning’s personal collection.

I normally collect in the areas of early automatics and 1911s. However Keith was best known for his love of revolvers. For this auction I wanted to get an iconic piece that represents Keith -- so I focused my attention on revolvers.

(As an aside let me rant about how stupid California laws are. I'm sure everyone is aware how restrictive California *gun* laws are, but are you aware that no item containing any animal bone or shell can be imported into the state? That's right, a guitar with mother of pearl inlays - banned! A hair clip made from bone - banned! And sadly a 50 year old revolver with Ivory grips - banned!. that meant that the majority of the Keith handgun collection was off limits to me)

In his book "Sixguns" Keith describes one of his favorite guns: “In 1907 Smith & Wesson brought out their Triple Lock, perhaps the finest revolver ever manufactured anywhere, at any time. Today no example of finer revolver making is to be had…. We still consider it the finest job ever produced of locking a swing-cylinder gun”

Before the .44 Magnum, Keith’s favorite round was the .44 Special. Because of his admiration for the Triple Lock and for the .44 Special round, and because of the grips and the belt/holster, and because the entire rig just screams “Elmer Keith” I just had to buy this very special set.


The holster is a Berns-Martin “Speed” holster. Keith wrote about this setup many times describing his exhibition shooting days.



The guns are Smith & Wesson Triple Locks in .44 Special.





Each gun wears a pair of mirrored Kearsarge custom stocks with Elmer Keith's signature on one side and their signature oak leaves on the other.




Buy the Gun Not the Story - Collector's Motto
The usual collector’s motto of “Buy the Gun Not the Story” means that you place value on the gun itself, not any associated story unless the story can be documented. Elmer’s guns are unique in that regard as he often talked about them in his writings. I started searching through his books to see if I could find a reference to a 6 ½” target Triple Lock. Sure enough, I find this story:

“McGivern always claimed that the long action S&W was the fastest of all sixguns or any handgun for that matter….Ed wanted a K-22 for his wife that Major Wesson had given me, so I swapped him the K-22 and a five-dollar gold piece for his 6 ½” Target Triple Lock .44 Special with a gold bead front sight. I still have that fine sixgun and once killed three woodchucks at 200 yards with four shots from that gun resting my left shoulder against a woodshed. It was and is a superbly accurate gun” Elmer Keith, The Double Action Today’s Revolver, Guns & Ammo June 1969

Whoa whoa whoa, hold the presses. Could it be that one of the triple locks I just bought is not only Elmer Keith’s gun, but also formerly Ed McGivern’s? For those of you who are unfamiliar with McGivern, he is another gun pioneer active in the same period as Keith. While Keith was considered more of a hunter, McGivern was famous for his exhibition skills as well as teaching techniques to law enforcement. His book “Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting” is considered as much of a milestone as Keith’s “Sixguns” at the time.

So, according to the article Keith traded for McGivern’s gun. Smith and Wesson triple lock – check. 6 ½” barrel – check. Gold bead front site – check. It certainly sounds like McGivern’s gun. But how can we be sure? I do some more research and find out that the auction house has Keith’s handwritten gun inventory from April 1972. And what does his inventory sheet say?



Pair Triple Locks. One belonged – Gerrit Forbes. One – Ed McGivern’s

BINGO! Confirmed. The gun in my “pair” with the gold bead front sight is indeed the gun that Elmer Keith traded Ed McGivern a K-22 and a five dollar gold piece for! I can’t believe it, the gun was owned by BOTH Elmer Keith and Ed McGivern. Talk about prestigious roots….

The other gun in the pair was owned by Gerrit Forbes. Forbes was a cousin of Frankln Roosevelt and part of the extremely wealthy Forbes family. He was a big game hunter and became friend with Keith. The interesting thing about this triple lock is that it sports a custom front sight – the Keith/King site.

“Back in the 30’s I worked for D.D. King of the King Gunsight Company at San Francisco in the development of a long range pistol sight. It was a square flat-topped blade, but with three gold inserts down the face facing the shooter. One at the top, one at the middle, one lower on the front sight blade, to give the shooter a definite aiming point for long range. You could hold up the second bar for longer than point-blank range, and for extreme range the third gold bar was held level with the top of the rear sight blade, giving you an exact elevation.

Enough shooting at various ranges soon enables the shooter to learn which bar to hold up level with the top of the rear sight. It is very effective and for a time Smith & Wesson fitted some of these sights to their guns” Elmer Keith – Hell I Was There!



While these guns are officially named the .44 Hand Ejector First Model, they are unofficially called "triple locks". the name comes from the fact that Smith and Wesson engineered a third lock into the gun. If you think about it, the cylinder needs to be supported and aligned inside of the frame. Some guns like Colt basically only have one support point. Most Smiths have two. The "triple lock" has three:

Conclusion & Bonus Pics

Before the main auction, there was a secondary auction of Keith's lesser known items. I was also able to pick up a Colt National Match 1911. What can I say? I like 1911s, and a 1911 from Keith is extra special. This was kind of my "backup" gun in case I didn't win any of the marquee Keith items. Fortunately I was lucky on both counts.






A fun pic!
Sometimes you just gotta let your inner gun slinger come out -- especially when wearing Keith's speed holster set.


Overall I am thrilled to be able to have this iconic rig as a part of my collection. I do see discussion about what a pity it is that the Keith collection has been broken up and sold off. Of course I would have preferred the collection stay together as well. But that is beyond my control. All I can do is to continue to pass on the stories of Elmer Keith and one day pass on this iconic set to the next generation. I hope they appreciate the history and legacy of Elmer Keith as much as I do.

Ohhh, I like the BeetleDude.

Welcome to the forum, and please post frequently.

Excellent article. Thanks for sharing.

Yes, it has been mentioned many times how ironic it is that the 1911 collector bought Keith's Triple locks, while the S&W Revolver collector bought Keith's 1911

Glad to see you here BeetleDude, heck of an entrance onto the forums.

One thing that is noteworthy is your Pre-War k22 Masterpiece, while a correct way to state it, is a bit subtle. That gun is amazing. If you get a chance you should do a thread on that and on your Registered Magnum.

Speaking of which, did you ever get your Registered Magnum lettered and check with the Historical Foundation for further information? I don't recall if you had done that yet.

Well Sir-thank you so much for this wonderful post!

Very good article. Well written. Thank you!!

Good on you! Glad someone got those pistols who can appreciate them. I forgot how badly burned Elmer Keith was as a young boy. If you ever got to meet him in person, you could see the scars on the side of his face. I got to meet him at the old Remington Farms on the DelMarVa peninsula back in the 1970's. I had "slightly" longer hair, and I was asked if I was a "hippy." The late Col. Charles Askins Jr's son, Bill, worked with my late father at one time - and Bill took up for me - and all was fine. Many fine memories of men we will never see the likes of again! Treasure those "shootin irons."

Outstanding entrance, sir!
You might as well stop collecting right now...you'll never equal or surpass this purchase in pure collection quality.

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John

What an awesome thread! I'm especially fond of this because you bought what I consider to be one of the best guns/paired guns from the entire auction. I had told a few forum members, while talking about the upcoming auction, that had I been in a monetary position to buy anything from the auction, it would have been those guns. Those Triplelock Targets are amazing and the Kearsarge stocks with EK's signature are superb. The Ed McGivern provenance is huge and is icing on an already sweet cake.

You did well!!!!!

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Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

Amazing story! Thanks for sharing it here. The then and now photos are priceless.

Love the article, and as i am a bit of an accuracy nazi, I have a question.

Did you mean to say third degrees burns? Becasue first degree burns are sunburn level.

And #2 Where is your bibliography???

Congrats on getting several of Elmer's sidearms and on the posts you made.

While I did read about all of Elmer's article from the mid '60s until his death and have the utmost respect for him, I believe Phil Sharpe had the most input into the developement of the .357 Magnum. Elmer also made a large contribution into the .41 Magnum cartridge.

Also, the only handgun that he wrote about blowing up was a first generation Colt SAA in .45 Colt. He was using a sized down 300 grain .45-90 bullet over a ballon head case of black powder and when the case let go, it blew off the loading gate. I believe he would have written about blowing up others, as he always wanted to use his mistakes to help others. Elmer gets a bad rep for his experimentation with handloads.

BTW, you forgot your 20 gallon Stetson!!!!

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

You, sir, have excellent taste in handguns!

I am envious of both those purchases.

Excellent. Welcome. You gonna shoot those pistolas?

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S&W Accumulator

Now we are all waiting for the range report! Beautiful set you have there! I would like to have heard that gun trading session between Elmer and Ed! That same K-22 wound up back in Keith's collection that was auctioned. Not sure about the $5 gold piece

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PTLAPTA!

I believe this is the one he referred to as having the bullet jump the crimp. He pushed it back into the cylinder and when fired, it "lifted the topstrap." Airspace over black?

There was a gunzine cover picture of two SAAs with rather indifferently installed King sights that were stated to have been blown up by Elmer, then repaired by welding in new topstraps and fitting new cylinders. Wish I still had it to refer to the article.

Heck, I'm glad to have stumbled onto this thread. Nice story and pictures...it's always a good day when a person learns something.
Thanks and welcome...

Welcome to the forum. Good guns, good pics, good narrative-- can't beat that anywhere.

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David Wilson

Nice recap on Elmer. Having known Elmer for many years, he was the real thing. I could not convince him to join the S&WCA, however as he said he was a "shooter" not a collector! Ed.

Thank you for sharing, Beetledude. Excellent writing and photos, and congratulation's on your wonderful acquisitions. Thanks again for such interesting, articulate and inspiring research. -S2

I accidentally took a longer lunch break reading this thread. What a great story....... Didn't know what a triple lock was, nor who Elmer Kieth was. Schooled!
Thank you
Bob

That was truly excellent!

Welcome aboard!

Nice entrance write up. A short blurb on how the bidding went and how you ended up being successful might be another short piece.

On the dresses comment. At the turn of the last century it was custom to dress boys in dresses. I saw the baby photos of all my older uncles, their pics were in a dress. They too were from Missouri, any negative comment on a dress might become a bone of contention.

I asked my maternal grandmother about my uncles in dresses, she said it was the style of the day.

Excellent!! Thanks for sharing!

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Joe S.
Central MS

Hi Everyone.

Thanks for the kind comments. Half the fun of being a collector is being able to share!

oops you are correct. third degree burns. the guys chin was basically fused to his chest! I would say those were some gruesome burns.

Bibliography - See all of Elmer Keith's books!

I tried to find one but gigantic cowboy hats are not readily available in my neck of the woods! I thought it was a 10 gallon hat, but have no experience with this sort of thing. ha ha!

Yes I'll probably put a few rounds through it and try to channel some of Keith's spirit. Perhaps I may even hit something!

Not much to tell really. I had them call me for a telephone bid. The first lot I was interested in was Keith's Colt 1905 with shoulder holster (my main area of collecting is early automatics and 1911s). But it quickly got into the realm of "serious money" and i had to conserve as this was the lot I really wanted. Then when this lot came up I told the agent to "keep me in until $X". A couple of times I thought I had it but then it crossed over my stated max. One interesting thing I seem to remember was that Julia did not stick to their bid increments so there were some off bids (increases of $500 instead of $1000). Anyways I think I bid one or two more times after my stated "max" and the next thing you know the agent told me I had won it.

Every week when I go to one of my buddies house for Friday PM drinks after work, I see the picture of him and Elmer Keith taken when he stopped by Salmon ID and visited him. My buddy, being a plumber, happily fixed Elmer's toilet for him. They had no appointment, but just stopped by Elmer's house and he invited them in.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Beautiful , Beautiful , Beautiful , what a pair and excellent article....Thank You

Great stuff beetle. Congrats and thanks for sharing. One question though, Did you use the same belt hole as Elmer? Man what a feeling it must be wearing those around the house. I'd sleep with them on! Cheers, Theo

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Take my advice Im not using it

Well done and a hell of an entrance!

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Rather be outdoors

No I don't think it is the same belt hole. Based on the wear marks I'm guessing Elmer was a svelte 30" waist. I'm about a 32". He was using one of the inner holes while I'm using the outer ones.

Yes I had the holster set on pretty much the whole day. My wife just rolled her eyes. LOL

Beetle, After showing us these great guns that Elmer wore around his waist i have a rather rookie question to ask.

The triple locks seem to show little holster wear. Would you attribute that to only being used on occasion or did he wear his rig quite often.

Second could you tell me if its a lined holster. Could the holster design influence light wear?

I'm pretty sure that Keith used the holster with different guns back in the day. I recall him writing that he used the Berns-Martin speed holster with a 1917. In addition John Taffin shows this same holster with a pair of Keith's SAAs.

The holster itself is not lined, but the way it is designed results in very little contact with the gun. Essentially the barrel free floats inside the hoster, and the gun is held in place just by the cylinder.

My guess is that Keith paired the triple locks with the holster later in life and did not use/carry it much.

Congrats on your recent acquisitions. And thanks for the wonderful post, pics, and story. I look forward to seeing more in the future.

Jerry

Welcome aboard. It's going to be real hard to top that entrance post.

To the auction winners I say, I'm green with envy! This all I have that's "Elmer"

Attached Images

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Awesome! Congratulations and thank you for sharing. Amazing stuff there.

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July 4, 1776 not Jan 30, 1909

Thanks for sharing your story and the photos! Congratulations on acquiring the outfit.

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Sheriff Russell Cottle. ret

That pair of TLs is truly iconic! Add me to the list of interested buyers if in the future you want to focus on 1911s. I might want to trade you a 1911 NM toward these...well, probably I'd keep the NM and deal with you on the TLs and holster rig. That will be a while, I guess. Meanwhile, I will enjoy the few items I have in my collection with provenance, but way less significant provenance than yours.

Nice write up.
So you already have a reg. Mag, k22 and now a few of Elmer's.
Go big or go home.
I do not want to say I am jealous, but inspired to round out my collection.
Thank you for the educational and well written post.

Welcome and what a great story....

One thing I do ask...aren't the guns supposed to be down in the holsters a tad more...like the cylinders into the recesses where the springs are and the triggerguards lock in a recess to the rear...

The guns come out through the front, not the top...

Again congratulations...Bob

Hi Bob.

I believe you are correct! After reading your post I know see how the holster is supposed to work. thanks for the insight!

Cheers!
-b

You're just starting S&W collecting. I can't wait to see what happens when you get going.

Congrats on a mind boggling start!

Are there any links to your other write ups that you would like to share? I am sure there are more than a few of us who would like to read them.

Great post!

However, I need to ask, since the information is out there on the James Julia site...

I am a HUGE triple lock fan, not so much a fan of Elmer Keith (to each his own). However, I did see what these cost, others can do so, too, or maybe the OP would volunteer that information (I could, too, but won't at this time)...

Granted, these were Elmer Keith's and they are Triple Locks, but...wasn't that a LOT of money to pay for these???

I have one of those knifes too! They came with a subscription to Guns ans Ammo sometime back in the mid 60's. I remember the picture of Elmer holding the knife in the subscription add.

To those of you that don't know of the Beetle, he is a legend on the Calguns.net forums for his awesome collection. If you go there to the California Handguns sub forum, there is a thread that has all his threads on the history of his various guns.

When I see his stuff, I feel like throwing my paltry collection away.

It was a lot to pay, but it was worth it to him, and that kind of stuff rarely comes around. To each his own. They ARE beautiful revolvers.

If I had had the money to spend, I would have been bidding as well. A lot of my handgunning over the years revolves around the writing of Elmer Keith, Skeeter Skelton, and Bill Jordan. To own artifacts of these men would bring joy to my heart.

I have had friends that sank their money into stereo equipment, cars, clothes, skeet and trap shooting, fishing tackle and boats. None of these things interest me much.

As long as he and his family have a roof over their heads and food to eat, why does it matter what he buys?

Other members of this forum have huge collections of expensive S&Ws and all I can say is, Good for them!

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I was not being critical of what money was spent on. It was just the cost, as in, is it really worth that much. I know I am comparing apples to oranges, but if I can afford to buy a home for $250,000 without a problem, but choose to buy a home in a neighbourhood with $200,000 homes, would it be wise to spend $250,000, just because I can afford it? I guess what I am saying is that there have been several nice firearms I have passed up, not because I cannot afford them, just because I think the price is too high for what it is. Just a matter of opinion...

I think that the great thing about this question is that there's two parts to answering it.

First is the question; "Am I happy with what I got for what I paid?" If the answer is yes, the price doesn't matter (as long as it doesn't mean you have to go bankrupt to keep the gun).

The second part is years later when the gun is sold again. Is it sold for more or less then was originally paid? Did it keep up with inflation?

The first part is answered quite handily already and isn't really up for debate. I think the second can be debated endlessly until the gun is sold again, but it doesn't really matter because answer to the first question is clearly yes.

I tend to think that the future will prove that Beetle made a wise investment here at that gavel price. If I had enough money I certainly would have been happy with the guns at that price. That pair is at the very top of the stack when it comes to collectable S&Ws, right up there with the best of the Registered Magnums owned by famous people and the fantastic Club Guns starting with that wonderful little 0 in the S/N.

Also, and I don't think this has been discussed that much, those Kearsarge stocks are a wonderful and beautiful piece of history in their own right. I know I am a bit of a loon when it comes to them, but I do think they cross the collecting lines of guns, target shooting, fine woodworking, and as good depression era folk art ever gets. Those grips to me are peak Americana in every way.