Found this in the basement of my old house. I know nothing about guns, but love history. I took as many pictures as I thought were useful and read the guidelines for helping to ID the pieces.

1. Box reads "HAND 22 EJECTOR Blued 3 1/2 inch."
2. Number on butt of gun is: 4786 (pic blurry, sorry)
3. .22 caliber
4. 3 1/2 barrel
5. Fixed sight
6. Strain screw: yes
7. No swivel or lanyard swing
8. Only 4 screws. No screw in front of trigger guard.

Other info:

Top of the barrel reads (on two lines just like this; impossible to take a photo clearly):
"SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS USA
PAT'D OCT 24 1899 AUG 14 1900 OCT 8 1901"

As I mentioned, it came in a box (see pic) and included ammunition. Each round has a "H" on the bottom.

Thanks so much, all!
Nifty

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It's an early second model Ladysmith, ca. 1906-07. Best if you do not attempt to fire it. Chambered for .22 Long, NOT Long Rifle. Hitler had one of these.

Welcome to the forum and what a great first post. DWalt has it nailed as usual and as he said do not fire it with 22 LR as it WILL damage the forcing cone if you must shoot it find some Aguila 22 Colibri as it is fired by the primer only. The box is neat as well and could be restored there is someone on here that does that name escapes me at the moment.

That is one neat, "old" revolver......what a find.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing the pics. I'm sure others will come along soon and add more information for you.


Don

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Laus Deo! <><

Good information above. Three observations - it is in exceptional condition for its age and era; the box may be rarer than the gun; and a factory letter would be a nice addition to its history if you are so inclined:

Firearm History Request - Smith & Wesson

All I find in my unoccupied areas of the house are spider webs . Enjoy!

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I seem to remember loosing a 2nd model just like that in a basement once! Do you need my address?

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Tom
NRA Pistol Inst

Welcome to the forum.

That is a remarkable find. Your .22 Hand Ejector was also known as the Ladysmith as DWalt posted above. It's built on the M size frame, and is the smallest hand ejector model made by S&W and only in .22 cal. Produced from 1906 to 1921, in three different versions that all look very similar, with several barrel lengths.
Please share with us how you came to find this very desirable collectible model in the basement of your old house! It's value is roughly between $1500 to $2000.

Was it secreted away in a hiding place? Did you inherit the house from family members that may have owned it? How long did you live in the house before you discovered it?

Thanks for sharing it with us. Do you own other guns or other Smith and Wessons?

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Jim
S&WCA #819

What may be the rarest out of the whole package is the ammunition. I have never seen a box of .22 S&W ammunition..... If that is indeed what it is? I would love to see detailed pics of the ammo.

Chad

i think the H head stamp on the ammunition means it was by winchester.
great find, looks to be in good shape, but get some oil on the rust pls.


jim

I agree its Winchester ammunition. Winchester actually made .22 S&W ammo. It was shipped in a green box and it read
".22 caliber S.&W. Long"

Chad

The fact that you have both the revolver and the box makes it an unusual and desirable find. It's a good idea to not attempt firing it for another reason, namely that these revolvers have a reputation for having a somewhat delicate mechanism. If you happen to break something, it will be nearly impossible to have it repaired, and its value will be impaired accordingly. It's long been folklore that these revolvers were intended for use by women, specifically by Ladies of the Night, for protection. Undoubtedly some of these revolvers had such owners, but the story is largely a romantic fabrication. Is there any printing on the ammunition box which would indicate the manufacturer? Without its being a complete and full box in pretty good condition, I wouldn't get too excited about its having much value. H was the headstamp used by Winchester on rimfire ammunition for a great many years, and old .22 ammunition having that headstamp is very common. The value is more in having a good condition box.

Thanks so much, everyone, for your replies. As I mentioned, I know absolutely nothing about guns, S&W, their history, etc. In trying to find out about this piece, though, I've gotten an education!

I have an old house, built in the late 1920s, in the Hudson Valley region of NY. I've been getting into the history of the previous owners recently, but it was most likely from the original owners who built the house. They stayed 50 years. I have only been in the house 3.5 years now.

The gun/box was tucked away in the basement joists. Never would have found it if I weren't looking for a place to store some loose scrap mouldings. I have no other firearms and to be honest, wasn't sure what to do with it. I don't know the legal ramifications of having this without proper paperwork, etc.

For now, I'll hold onto it in a safe, safe place while I do some more research. I will try to post more images when I get home. I was only allowed 5 attachments.

And no, I will not attempt to fire it! I am not an expert! I would love to clean it up more (though it seems to be in very good condition - everything works in terms of mechanisms, parts, etc.)

Simply put, the only usual issue with these marvels of yesteryear is they are gummed up and dirty. Old oils of its time do not match the quality of these old guns nor the science of today, and actually dry up and harden to the point of impeding operation and accelerating wear. The simple solution does not need a gunsmith. Just one of a few premium modern gun products from any sporting goods, gun store or hardware store.

Most are both cleaning and preserving agents; Breakfree, Kroil & M-Pro7 are some of the best, but there are others. Disassembly is not necessary. With grips removed and a spray can version of the product, flood and flush the revolver thru every opening and crevice until the black gunk stops flowing out, let it drain for an hour and wipe it down thoroughly with the same product.

To remove grips: loosen the grip screw completely and carefully push down on the screw head until the bottom grip separates, then remove. Now carefully push the top side grip off with a finger or toothbrush from the backside thru the grip frame. Scrub barrel bore and cylinder chambers with a simple cleaning rod kit found at the same places as the cleaning agents above; patches cut from rags is all you really need. And scrub any observed exterior and crevice crud with an old toothbrush with bristles cut off short for stiffness.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

A cheaper method is go to the auto parts store and get the cheapest spray can of brake cleaner or carb cleaner. Or remove the grips and soak the whole gun overnight (or longer) submerged in a pan of mineral spirits.

There's no point in stinking up the gun with inappropriate cleaners these days. Plus it's false economy; you still have to spend more money on a proper gun oil and preventative once those harsh chemicals remove everything! And never use WD-40 on guns.

On guns, I only use proper Gun products and they do all three, clean, oil and preventative maintenance. They are steeped in the proper chemistry for use in guns, especially the premium products I recommended above.
My favorite is M Pro 7 because it's odorless.

But everyone should do whatever they want on their guns, there's no gun oil police.

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Jim
S&WCA #819