While doing one of my daily perusals of my favorite online auction site, I stumbled onto an auction with a very non-descript title and no thumbnail image; “SW Hand Ejector 32 SW Long” with an opening price of $800.00. Now, normally I wouldn’t have clicked on this, as I would assume it to be pretty much what it says it is; an I frame .32 Hand Ejector and for the asking price it would have been far too much for one. But, for some reason I clicked on it and an early 1905 Target model appeared before my eyes. I first assumed the seller incorrectly ID’d it as a .32 Long rather than the fairly scarce 32-20; .32 Long would be quite rare. But even for a desirable 32-20 Target, the finish appeared to be on the poor side and the price seemed close given the condition, but I kept scrolling to the end of the modest 5 picture ad…….

And, like a slap to the face, there was the serial number, all four digits of it, with that beautiful ZERO prefix! I didn’t know a person’s brain could relay a message to an appendage as fast as it did. And just like that, the Buy It Now was hit and I had just purchased my first, and likely only, Club Gun. But, not just only a Club Gun but a rare caliber as well. See, once I had bought it, I asked the seller if he was sure the caliber was .32 Long. He replied and told me that the barrel had NO CALIBER rollmark, the barrel was indeed .32 caliber, and that only .32 Long would fully chamber in the cylinder. I thought to myself, this is sounding very interesting; I couldn’t wait to order the letter (In fact, I sent the letter request to the SWHF out the same day I sent the funds for the revolver).

As I mentioned, the pictures in the ad left me feeling the gun was in less-than average condition; there was what appeared to be a large gash in the metal on the sideplate and quite a bit of blue wear. But, condition aside, I still knew it was a keeper.

Here are a few pictures from the ad;










When it arrived, I sped home on my lunch break to check it out. When, I finally got it out of the packaging, it almost didn’t look like the same revolver! Most of the large gash (or what I thought was a gash) on the sideplate was gone; it turned out to just be a gob of dried gunk. So, the seller must have took the time to wipe some of the gunk off before sending it to me. After, a thorough cleaning, a very respectable condition revolver was found. It is also ALL numbers matching, INCLUDING the gold medallion service stocks (Now, please forgive me, I have not gotten all of the gunk – the same gunk that was on the gun – out of all the checkering on the stocks; I removed a LOT but not all thus far – tedious work!).

















Notice, NO Smith & Wesson rollmark or caliber rollmark; only the patent info on top

















At this point, I’ll take a step back and fill you all in on a little bonus I was filled in on when I called the seller to make payment. He stated to me that this revolver came in to his shop with another gun and that they came with a homemade wooden case; and since I had purchased the first gun, he was sending the case with the .32 Target!!! It’s truly a very neat homemade case. Inside it, were some cleaning patches, a screwdriver, a pair of vintage glasses (with the RH lens knocked out and the LH lens painted in black to only allow one eye to be used without having to actually close the other), and a score sheet from the Engineer Rifle and Pistol Club from 1941, and pencil-written in the top right hand corner, the name WOODWORTH. VERY COOL!!!! Also, you can see on the typed portion the full name, C. Woodworth.















Now, for the OTHER gun! When the seller told me about the case and the “other” gun I naturally was very interested. He had it listed separately on the auction site and I took a look at it after I hung up the phone. It is a 3rd Model Perfected Single Shot .22 with Olympic Chamber. Being in rather poor condition, I still thought it needed to come reside with the .32; even though they weren’t from the same era, they were linked together by the case, and that was reason enough for me. So, I took receipt of the .22 a week or so after the .32. When, I unpacked it, I found it was in perfect condition functionally, but the finish had lots of areas where the blue was gone but the surface was smooth and free from pitting; something must have gotten on it that did not agree with the blue! I also discovered that the butt of the extension target stocks had an inscription; K.B.W. – potentially K. B. Woodworth???





And here they are, back together in their case…….Now, we wait for the factory letter.







A few weeks have passed and at last, the letter has arrived! Reading it was like music to my ears






I believe the record could either indicate Al OR A. L. Woodworth, but I could find no definitive history on either via the internet, besides the following entries;

- WOODWORTH, ALBERT was born 18 December 1903, received Social Security number 023-10-9244 (indicating Massachusetts) and, Death Master File says, died June 1985
- WOODWORTH, ALVIN was born 26 February 1901, received Social Security number 020-22-6062 (indicating Massachusetts) and, Death Master File says, died January 1975


Mr. Al (or A.L.) Woodworth must have been either a prominent shooter of the period, or had some serious pull at S&W to receive such a gun. I also gather from the “puzzle pieces” laid out in front of me, that the .32 had a lengthy stay in the Woodworth family – Al (or A.L.) Woodworth, C. Woodworth, and what we can assume is K. B. Woodworth.

After receiving the .32, I reached out to Mike Priwer and he provided me with some information on the production of early (pre –war) K Frame revolvers in .32 Long, AND a list of special revolvers (either in chambering, Zero Prefix, or both) that he has had for over 20 years;

[QUOTE]-------------------------------------------------------------------------

[QUOTE]

I’m very happy to have found the .32, and to have been able to put these guns back together. In the near future, I plan to letter the .22 and see if perhaps it shipped, directly to a Woodworth.

I hope you enjoyed the read,

Kris

__________________
Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

Just wow! That is a great story! What a find. Very cool that you were able to keep them together and preserve that interesting bit of history. I love reading posts like this. Thanks for sharing it here.

That is the coolest thing I have read in a long time, congratulations on a special revolver.

Too bad it's not a K-32.......... I know you've been looking for one


LOL




SWEEeeeeet...... that had better be at the spring "Bunching"!!!!!!!

Congrats great score

Nice photos.

I love this stuff. It's what keeps me coming back! Thanks for sharing this great story, 410bore.

Cheers,

Bob

__________________
Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob

Really nice set of S&W's great back story as well. Thanks for showing us.

Great story and well done to put those two back together!

__________________
Life NRA, Life TSRA, C&R FFL

What a splendid story. Congratulations to you. The Stars were in fact perfectly aligned for you on this one. Think of all the places where if you hadn't been in the right place at the right time, and hadn't done the right thing, all of the pieces would not have fallen into place.

By the way, if that case is "homemade", it was the home of a very accomplished woodworker. That appears to be mostly some very nice black walnut, and the fittings are inlet and the corners dovetailed by someone with substantial skills. I would be interested in the provenance of the case as well....perhaps some of the period shooting catalogs might reveal some sources of pre built commercial cases, or perhaps it was fabricated by a cabinet maker.

Just a stunning find!!

Best Regards, Les

__________________
SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

If I could hit the "like" button twice here, I would have!

__________________
NICK-SWCA-NRA BENEFACTOR LIFE

Not a bad set of guns. Yea, you did all right. A big wink. Beautiful. Best

__________________
Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

Congratulations! This is one of those examples where we need a "love" button when a "like" just isn't enough!

Unbelievable find!!!! Can you believe how nice that gun cleaned up. Also thank goodness for Mike P's documentation on that specific gun. And aren't you glad you followed your hunches when it was posted for sale. Sounds like the seller knew it was going to the right buyer who would appreciate it for what it is. I love the single shot too.

Roger

__________________
Eph 2:8-9

THIS is why I'm here. Thank you! Can't wait to read more about the 22.

What a great find! You have to be giddy over that set. A great history to boot.
Something about knowing how a gun was used and by who really brings a lot of satisfaction to collecting.

Other than the extreme rarity of a .32 S&W Long chambered 1905 Target, one thing I am curious about and wonder if Mike Priwer has a comment. This is the cylinder/extractor style, with the circle-cut arms, belonging to a 1905 1st change, which was changed to the pinned style in Sept 1909. Why does it appear in a gun put-up 10 years later as a "Club Gun" that should be in the 4th Change range based on the shipping date cited in the letter? Is this explained by the "Condemned parts" mentioned in the letter?

Possibly the use of "condemned" referred to "not of correct style for current production" (obsolete), rather than defective as it is usually taken to mean?

__________________
Gunsmithing since 1961

1912 Springfield Ma city directory;
Woodworth Albert L emp USA h 69 Pineywoods av.
Pehaps Springfield Armory?

Fantastic Post!!!! Thanks for taking the time to share and a big CONGRATS!!!

__________________
Richard
Engraved S&W fan

I wish I knew the historical details the way you guys do, but you've provided enough of a yarn to appreciate the tale that's been spun. It's heartening to see a diligent and appreciative collector land a big one.

I had a feeling there might be a bit more to the story, so I've been excavating on Google and believe this info is about the original owner.

From the book "The Springfield 1903 Rifles" by William S. Brophy

A.L. Woodworth was a Springfield Armory proof assistant, who together with Capt. Grove L. Watkyns, Capt. G.A. Woody (inventor of the Woody trigger), and Col Townsend Whelen, created the .22 Hornet cartridge. This was an unofficial endeavor that they undertook using the Army facilities available to them.

Here's a cool photo of him shooting their cartridge.



Regarding a 30-06 on Page 198 of The Springfield 1903 Rifles, Brophy, pictures a target fired by this rifle, identified by SN, fired from machine rest at 220 yards and signed “FAW” which is the signature of shop foreman Al Woodworth. Mr. Woodworth was one of the most important employees at the Springfield Armory for many years, participating in the development of numerous rifle programs and equipment, especially those involving accuracy.

He worked in the Ordnance Department as a Ballistics Engineer.

He wrote “The Bursting of Rifles in Service” by A.L. Woodworth reprinted in the American Rifleman December, 1929

His Proofmark, ALW, A.L. Woodworth, Colt .38 Revolvers 1905-1928

From Handgun Hunter Magazine: Whelen, Al Woodworth of the Springfield Armory and ballistician Captain George Woody soon had the insight to meld the modified .22 WCF case, DuPont 1204 smokeless powder and jacketed bullets they literally pulled from a pipsqueak revolver round called the 5.5mm Velo Dog. (The curious name stems from the fact that the gun was actually intended to protect cyclists on their velocipedes from angry dogs!) The combination of case, powder and jacketed bullet was a winner and the shooting world hasn't looked back since.

Albert Leverett Woodworth was born on 14 February 1878 in Brockton, Plymouth, Massachusetts. He married Ethel May Bliss, Smith College class of 02, daughter of Charles Edwin Bliss and Sarah Hammond Newcomb, on 2 July 1902 in Attleboro, Bristol, Massachusetts.
Child of Albert Leverett Woodworth and Ethel May Bliss, = Kingsley Bliss Woodworth2 b. 14 Feb 1905, d. 20 Oct 1986
Kingsley Bliss Woodworth was born on 14 February 1905 in Attleboro, Bristol, Massachusetts. He married Esther *Unknown*. Kingsley Bliss Woodworth died on 20 October 1986 at age 81 in Melrose, Middlesex, Massachusetts

On the date of shipment he lived a 69 Pineywoods Ave, Springfield.

Obituary for ALBERT LEVERETT WOODWORTH, Brown Univ, class of 02, in the U. S. Veterans Hospital, Leeds, Mass.. May 16, 1953. A veteran of the Spanish-American War and World War I, he served in the testing department of the Springfield Arsenal, Springfield, Mass., for over 40 years. During World War II, he received, for civilian service, decorations which included a Meritorious Service Award. He was the author of several articles on small arms and belonged to the old Smith Wesson Revolver Club and the National Rifle Association.

I think my OCD is showing. I'm done!

Look who's shooting the M1 Garand next to it's inventor. Looks like you have a couple of keepers.

http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/J...e_Inventor_pdf

__________________
Watch & Pray

Thanks for the comments all, it does seem to be the same A L Woodworth from Springfield Armory. It's funny when I searched " A L Woodworth Springfield, Massachusetts" that none of these articles came up. I have since found some more info that I will be adding


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

__________________
Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

This story was great to start with, and it just keeps on getting BETTER!!!!

AWESOME ! In the truest sense of the word. You must have been a very good boy this year !
And with all the additional mat'ls and info below, nothing short of sensational ! Congratulations and many thanks for sharing it with us.

Larry

A BIG thanks to bigwheelzip! I found NOTHING on several internet searches regarding Mr. Woodworth and he hit a home run! With the info he dug up, we can now confirm that K. B. Woodworth is A. L.'s son!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE HELP!!!

Tonight, I was able to find an excerpt from an American Rifleman magazine from 1921 which showed the results from recent shooting competitions. Mr. Woodworth was a member of the Springfield Revolver Club Team, a VERY prestigious team. He shot with teammate, Dr. I. R. Calkins (who also was very connected to S&W).













A. L. Woodworth was also influential in the development of the .22 Hornet cartridge, this information was found for an auction listing for the gun used in development.







Here are some other articles about Mr. Woodworth;



An article on a shooting rest he developed;







Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

__________________
Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

Wow!.........All I can say is WOW!

__________________
S&W Accumulator

On a page of club tally's like the one you posted, there was a small section of club chit chat, where they said he was in Virginia and couldn't be present, but had sent a large bird for the members to feast on. Sounds like a cool dude.

You really find some cool pieces. Nice read in the original post, the gun even has the rear U notch with the bead front. Like Bam-Bam said, this would be a cool NE Ohio bunch display in the spring. Heck, all I found recently was 2 of the 4" 14-6 PPC Roper Supply guns. The guy had 3 of so I bought 2, one is unfired. Larry

That gun is better than a K-32 for sure. Nice research and great post. Love it.

A wonderful story, thank's for sharing.

__________________
NOT SO FAST,, NOT-- SO-- FAST

WOW!! Your post and followup stories more that justified my SWCA membership for the year. What a find. You may as well give up collecting, you'll be hard pressed to collect anything better.

Here are some more shooting match results that list Mr. Woodworth that I found in a thread by Goring's S&W regarding a Registered Magnum owned by another contemporary shooter (his name is noted with the red marking).

















Also, I located this photo from bmg60's thread on Dr. I. R. Calkins' 7.5" Nickel Triplelock Target prototype. I can't help but wonder if one of these gentleman is Mr. Woodworth (edit; now, with the photos brought to the thread by bigwheelzip, we can see that none of these men are Woodworth, but still a neat photo containing at least one of his teammates)



And from that same thread, this photo shows two of the four shooters from the Springfield Revolver Club Team (Calkins and Rice)





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

__________________
Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

Fantastic find and post Kris. Thanks for taking the time to research and put together such and interesting story and pair of revolvers.

__________________
Rick
SWCA #2727 , SWHF #435

And lastly, his obituary








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

__________________
Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

This thread is exactly what firearms collecting is all about, in its purest form.

Kudos!

Great find. Did you ask the person who was auctioning this pistol off the circumstances under which he obtained it? That could be an interesting story in itself!
Jim

That Obit confirms a bunch of the puzzle pieces I dug up.
Not that it matters, but I thought I read he went to Oberlin first and then Brown, based on the dates in the Alumni publications.

What a great find from someone who was integral to the development of modern firearms and ammunition. That box and contents is like a museum display you'd see at the Armory. Wow!

Couldn't help myself, my OCD got the better of me.

Col. Woody presenting Woodworth his Meritorious Service Ribbon.



Armory Portrait.

OK, that's it, I mean it this time!!

Shooting House - Bircham Bend - Targeting Nat. Match Rifles (Mr. A.L. Woodworth)

Mr. A.L. Woodworth aiming M-1 rifle in kneeling position

40th Anniversary of Employment at the Springfield Armory

With Ordnance Repair Men At Camp Perry-1937

Visiting the Aberdeen Proving Grounds

Employees at Armory 35 YEARS or more. (20 Oct. 42)

1924 Rifle League Champions (head chopped off)

Machine Rest - Woodworth cradle - V Block, Frankford Base - National Match Rifle

WWI Draft Registration Card

It is an amazing story behind the revolvers that you found. Thanks for sharing it. To think back even 25 years ago, it could have taken years to find out this much information about the revolvers and the man who owned them.

Looks like an article for the S&WCA journal if you ask me.

__________________
James Redfield
LM #497

Kris, will they be in Charlotte this June?

__________________
Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

I've attempted to compliment you for the items you have found in the past and although I meant well I failed miserably. This time you have outdone all the others and there is just so few words suitable to describe your uncanny knack to find these unique items. I now believe you must be part blood hound with some bounty hunter blood. Likely failed again but your "finds" are always very impressive and the story even more interesting. Thanks!

__________________
Sam
S&WHF 333 S&WCA 2198

Great job Kris.

Charlie

Since this time of year is about spreading good will, I will sacrifice myself and take those off your hands, to help you in "spreading" your good fortune!

Congrats on such a great find and well done on realizing there was something special there and keeping it all together, AND starting this thread!

I have enjoyed this very much!

Wonderful historical research Kris, and hats off to the members who researched the name also. I'm glad your curiosity got the best of you and you knew what you were looking at. If someone else had purchased the gun to have a good "shooter" than all of this interesting history would most likely have been lost.Finding and doing historical research is my favorite part of this great hobby!
Bill

Great finds, 410bore; bet you're going to get tired of getting all the "like" messages

Even better is the write up, no guessing, just good research; and most of the complete information in the first post.

Just an FYI, bigwheelzip is a Lady.

__________________
Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

Had one last look for any team photos from the different competitions he was in. Thought maybe he'd have the guns or case visible, but no dice. Just found his service record and some competitions documented with the Adjutant Generals office.

Thanks! I was tipped off via PM to this already; I just haven't had a chance to sit down and edit my posts. I will do that!

No offense bigwheelzip!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

__________________
Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

I will quote for you the first words out of my mouth, but Lee won't:

Un****ing believable!

Great catch!

Nice going Zip! Your research and posts added a lot of value to an already very cool thread.