I just recently became the new caretaker of this great Super King Target. I was very excited to get this gun as it has a few differences from my other one that I am very fond of.





It shipped directly to King gun sight company as a Heavy Duty in March of 1938. Also it shipped as a 6 1/2 inch bbl. It also has numbers matching magnas. I found it interesting they did not convert a OD. Maybe the customer wanted a smooth back strap. I intend to ask for a invoice check to see if maybe it will shed some light on that. I am in contact with a relative of the original owner.











The smooth back strap ,cockeyed hammer and red post sight are for the most part the only differences I have noticed so far.

I am very much looking forward to shooting this one as it does have some freckling on the backstrap area.

May I be the first to credit your good taste. That sort of quality is certainly a thing of the past. Did King work the triggers over while doing the revamp?

I have not shot either gun yet but it seems the cockeyed hammer gun is very smooth. Both are long action.

That's quite a pair! Very nice.

As you likely know, King sold Super Target conversions from inventory, as well as converting customers' guns. The selection by King of a heavy duty instead of an OD to convert for inventory (assuming that's the case) is very likely due to the cost differential between the two guns. (The effort/cost to perform the conversion on either gun being essentially the same (not counting the slight head start provided by S&W on the OD).)

The Super Target option was a free standing item (rib and sights). Other options included short actions, cockeyed hammers, "honed" actions, "adjusting" trigger pulls, "balancing" mainsprings, etc,----pretty much whatever you wanted. The retail price of a King Super Target 38/44 was $61 (in 1939). I don't know how that compared to a stock 38/44 plus $20 for the installation of the rib/sights.

The bottom line is you could have pretty much anything you wanted from the pistolsmith's bag of tricks from King.

Ralph Tremaine

Ralph,
Do you think a OD has to be milled on top or is the width of the factory sight groove wide enough to accommodate a rib? Seems using a OD would be less risky of error. Maybe eliminate all milling on the back half of the gun.

I know the OD has to be milled!! The channel cut in the top strap is HUGE (compared to that for a S&W target sight)--and the notch at the rear of the frame is likewise larger.

My limited exposure to King Super Targets (one gun) suggests there was no risk of error----other than failing to secure the gun in its jig (which would likely get you a sound thump on the head, and a demotion back to grinding off hammer spurs for cockeyed hammer conversions).

The first thing I did when I got mine home was to take it all apart to see what the big deal was. The only visible big deal was the milling (likely jigged off the bore) which just barely touched the barrel on either side of the front sight boss (nee stock front sight) to ensure the finished height at the front would be just so. (Other than that, nothing special/no surprises----unless you count installing the cylinder stop plunger spring in the sight (where it worked fine), and sticking the sight spring on the cylinder stop plunger (where it didn't work at all).

Ralph Tremaine

Two fantastic guns Rich and I'm happy you were able to put them together. I can't tell you how much I appreciated seeing them in person. Congrats!!

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Rick
SWCA #2727 , SWHF #435

They are both magnificent. The pre-war .38-44 Outdoorsman is one of my favorite S&W models, not only as a magnificent and accurate shooter (as they are) but with the elegance and grace of that pre-war era. Being "Kings" is just another layer of icing on the cake.

You're becoming a contender for the S&WCA's successor to, and candidate for, the "Gary Garbrecht / Ray Cheeley" Award for most quality outstanding (big dollar and unique) S&Ws discovered and owned.

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ANTIQUESMITHS
LM1300 SWHF425

You suck,I hate you,and we're not talking anymore. There I'm done venting.
You adding Ropers ?

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

Paul,
I am definitely on the hunt to pair this gun up with some Ropers.
To me these King guns almost demand it.

Since I will be shooting this one I actually need a set as factory targets are a bit too wide in my hand.

You could always just whittle them down. I

Attached Images

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

Beautiful!! Congrats

Way way high on the cool meter.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Very nice pair.

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Ken

It appears to me that there is an additional difference - one has a "U" notch in the rear sight. I think that's the one you had first ...

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NHI, 10-8.

Those roper stocks are beautiful.

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No gold. Only lead. Bobby

I apologize if my question is silly: am I wrong , or something is strange about the matching of the diamond magna stocks on the backstrap?
Another question: please, educate me: was the factory backstrap serrated on Heavy Duty/Outdoorsman?

After my questions, I must congratulate with paplinker: two wonderful sisters! I love these old sixguns, with their aftermarket accessories, typical of the American revolvers golden era. Here they never were imported, I can only eyeball them!

Grooved grip straps: Outdoorsman, yes---front and rear. Heavy Duty, don't know, but deemed unlikely.

I recall neither the point in time nor the reference, but it seems to me all hand ejector targets were grooved starting at such and such date. You likely could find the specifics in the listing of engineering changes shown in N&J. In my collection, M&P Target # 404219, shipped September 9, 1922 has smooth straps--------next closest #594161 (also M&P Target), shipped August 23, 1928 has grooved straps.

Ralph Tremaine

And to narrow it down a bit further, this from S&W's 1925 catalog---under the heading "GROOVED TANGS": "A loose but non-slipping grasp is essential for good shooting, and for many years sharply checked front and rear tangs were considered necessary. Such a checking eliminates slipping but its file-like action on the hand when the recoil takes place makes the hands sore. The grooved tang eliminates slipping even when the grip is very light, and does not make the hand tender."

Very, very nice !!

Ralph

Up earlier in this thread, you talked about examining a King revolver, and made the following comment:

What 'sight' are you referring to, and what 'sight spring' are you referring to ? Does the King rear sight assembly have some sort of coil spring in it ? The cylinder stop plunger spring, presumably, is not related to the King Super Target rib, is it ?

Regards, Mike Priwer

I had a King converted 38/44, it only had the front and rear sights. My eyes require me to adjust the rear sight further to the right than normal, I ran out of adjustment and during disassembly of the rear sight found a coil spring. I did some adjustment with a different length screw and length adjustment of another coil spring and got the adjustment I needed. As I recall the spring was installed, then the blade, with the adjustment screw holding everything under tension.
These Super Kings are truly magnificent revolvers.

I inserted the photos of Ralph's TL KST in the above to throw this great thread to the top.

A link to Ralph's thread on the gun is here:

A KING SUPER TARGET

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan