Call gold bead

[Shotgunner]

What can you tell me about the name sake of the Call gold bead. I read somewhere that Call was a target shooter but do not know much more then that. We all know who McGivern was, who was Call? Shotgunner

[410bore]

He was a factory employee


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[Waveski]

Interesting that the Call Sight gold bead was issued for just 1 year.

I am fortunate enough to have one. Even had my jeweler friend verify the gold as 14K.

[Donald Paul]

...can't help but ask, what type of bead is this one?
It looks original, and it's on an all original K-22 [type}
with SERNO 6429XX. Roy says it shipped July 1932.
Roy mentions nothing about the bead.

[410bore]

Originally Posted by Waveski

Interesting that the Call Sight gold bead was issued for just 1 year.



I am fortunate enough to have one. Even had my jeweler friend verify the gold as 14K.

It was available for much more than one year


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[Waveski]

I reread my source ; it stated that the gold bead Call sight was available for only a "year or two".

If anyone can definitely tell us in what year(s) Smith offered that detail I would like to know.

[RKmesa]

Originally Posted by Waveski

I reread my source ; it stated that the gold bead Call sight was available for only a "year or two".

If anyone can definitely tell us in what year(s) Smith offered that detail I would like to know.

The engineering order to switch from the gold call beads in the K-22 to the call stainless front sight bead was issued 9/16/1931. I'm sure it took a little time to phase in. Regardless, I believe that you could still special order the gold bead through the 1940 end of production.

[Iggy]

I think the stainless sight was called a "Bright Sight".

[Alk8944]

The stainless steel sight was the "Call Brilliant Bead".

I have a 1948 K-38, K6655x, that has a Call Gold Bead. I know the Call bead was available well into the 1950s if not later.

Waveski, source or not, they need to do some research because they are wrong! Don't believe everything you read in secondary or tertiary sources.

Another example, several sources claim the .38 S&W Special was introduced in 1902! The correct date is 1899 from company sources, ammunition company records and others! It was introduced in the Model 1899, not the Model 1902. Per one well respected source the earliest Model 1899 chambered for .38 Special was SN #8, can't get a lot earlier than that!

Added: Today, after this thread, Mike Priwer posted about a Model 1905 1st Change Target that was presented to Mr. Charles Call on the event of his 25th anniversary with S&W, 4/12/1907. Please read this thread: Charlie Call 25th Anniversary Presentation Revolver

The "Factory Letter" Dated December 27, 2001, and attached in this thread states that the Call Bead was "...still offered by Smith & Wesson to this date". So from a factory source, Roy Jinks, the Call bead was available at least from 1931 to 2001, 70+ years!

Note that in the 2011 Priwer post cited below Mike refers to the Call Brilliant Bead as "The correct nomenclature is a Call Silver Bead front sight." My description of "Brilliant" comes directly from a S&W brochure from 1935-1937 listing all the available sight options for the "Registered Magnum", again, a primary source.

[Waveski]

"Waveski, source or not, they need to do some research because they are wrong! Don't believe everything you read in secondary or tertiary sources. "

That's why I asked the question.

If I now understand correctly , the gold bead ceased to be a standard feature sometime shortly after the engineering order to change to stainless of 9/16/1931 (as per RKmesa - thank you) , but the gold sight continued to be available as a special order item for years thereafter.

Is that an accurate summary?

[Shotgunner]

I have a 1935 Registered 357 and it was sold with a Call gold bead. What I am interested in is not so much the bead, but the man. Can anyone tell me anything about Mr. Call? Shotgunner

[RKmesa]

Originally Posted by Shotgunner

...Can anyone tell me anything about Mr. Call?

From Mike Priwer's post 11 in this thread: Front Sight Question--Is this a Patridge w/a Call Bead?

Originally Posted by mikepriwer

Bob

The correct nomenclature is a Call Silver Bead front sight. Alternatively,
you could say Call Brilliant Bead, but silver implies the correct color.

Actually, all you really have to say is Call Bead. Unless it was something
special, the records will only say Call Bead, if they say anything at all.
The records will be interpreted in the context of what was standard for that
period of time, and what was standard was the silver Call Bead.

It would be incorrect to say Patridge & Call together. It was not known
that way.

For the general information of anyone interested in Call Bead front sights,
it was invented by Charlie Call. He went to work for the factory in 1882, and
on his 25th anniversary with S&W in 1907, he was presented with an engraved
target revolver in early 1907. He went on to work another 39 years for S&W,
until 1946, making a total of 64 years with the company.

There is a display right now at one of the factory facilities in Springfield,
and this presentation gun is part of that display. Here are some pictures of
the display, and the presentation gun:







Later, Mike Priwer

I hope this helps,

[TripleLock]

I found this thread by Mike Priwer from 2011, with a little more information on Mr. Call:
Charlie Call 25th Anniversary Presentation Revolver

[okiegtrider]

Originally Posted by TripleLock

I found this thread by Mike Priwer from 2011, with a little more information on Mr. Call:
Charlie Call 25th Anniversary Presentation Revolver

Great story in that thread and worth a read. Nice find!