New old iron part 2

Shotguncoach · #1 07-07-2018, 05:10 AM

Here is the gun from the 2 gun lot that I was really bidding on. The 38/44 has it's own thread...

I knew this 4" 1950 Target in .44 special had a bit of wonkiness going on with the front sight when I bought it. During the cleanup and photo shoot, I discovered that it also has an odd rib. Or maybe it has the correct rib and my other gun is the wonky one. I don't know. Please feel free to expound.

The markings look nice and clear, and the screw heads aren't buggered up too badly. There was a bit more rust under the grip panels on this one than the 38/44 had, but it also wiped right off.

Barrel, cylinder, and frame serial numbers all match. The grips are from an older gun. Send me a PM if you have the gun that these grips belong to.

Frame markings. Note the large logo on the right side. We'll come back to that.

Now for that weird front sight:

The wonky sight makes me think that the barrel may have been cut, so I brought out my other two 1950 Target .44 specials. (It's really neat to be able to say that

)

The 6.5" gun is serial number S134199. The other 4" gun is serial number S118227. The newly acquired one (S98758) is the oldest of the three.

In examining all 3 side by side, I found that the oldest and the newest both have the large logo on the right side, but the middle one has the small logo on the left side.

I also noticed that the middle gun (S118227) has a different rib and a different type font used in the barrel stamping.

The S98758 and S134199 both have wide ribs. S118227 has a significantly narrower rib. This may mean possible cutting on S98758....or maybe that one is "right" and S118227 is the weird one. Or maybe it's just Smith & Wesson being Smith & Wesson.

The rib width and wonky sight say that S98758 may have been cut, but the position of the barrel markings matches S118227. S134199 has its' markings much farther away from the frame.

Only a letter will tell. Now that I have it in my possession I'll get a letter off to Mr. Jinks asap.

Here's a pic dump of the front sights, barrel rib measurements, crowns, and barrel markings on all three.

Rib widths:

S98758 (wide):

S118227 (narrow):

S134199 (wide):

Front sights:

S98758 (wonky):

S118227 (copper insert):

S134199 (standard patridge):

The two 4" guns side by side:

Crowns - different rib widths really show here:

Barrel markings - note different font on S118227:

S98758

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/***aL5B.jpg[/IMG]

S118227

S134199

Weird. Interesting. Fun.

However the letters on both of these 4" guns turn out, I'm happy to be their caretakers.

Hopefully a range trip will happen tomorrow.

Here's another family photo, just because:

Hondo44 · #2 07-07-2018, 07:04 AM

Cool Pre Model 24.

The "wonky" sight of course was modified from a long barrel's Patridge sight and the base is miss-shapen from amateur polishing, then cold blued. That has to go. It needs a replacement proper Baughman ramp sight.

The narrower rib is indicative of it's early vintage and not unlike the first rib used on the 44 Target Post War Transitional Models. A neat early feature.

The roll marking on barrels varies in placement even on same barrel lengths, but its barrel marking location has that going for it. The changed sight goes against it.

Might just as well wait for the letter. So I need not speculate.
You'll get opinions enough on the 4" originality. Suffice to say you got a great 44 shooter and maybe collector.

Other threads discussing 4" barrel marking and verifying originalness:

.44 Special ctg?!?

Was this Barrel Cut? 1950 Target

44 pre-24 Four Inch

410bore · #3 07-07-2018, 07:46 AM

Your previous 4" is a legitimate 4" gun. It falls into the serial range that lots of known 4" were in (118xxx). I own one with RR/WO and smooth target stocks. That is how I suspect yours to letter. The copper insert was added later by choice or after the red ramp fell out. The small left side logo seemed to be used on special feature Revolvers (special sights and/or stocks) and is very apparent when looking at 44 Targets. Your newest 4" could be an original but I'd need more pictures to help with that. If it is, I'd guess it shipped with a plain Baughman ramp sight and either checkered target stocks or magnas, which would line up with the (standard) large right side logo. I owned a well used example like this before I found my current 4".

Here is my 118xxx 44 tgt

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