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S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961 All 5-Screw & Vintage 4-Screw SWING-OUT Cylinder REVOLVERS, and the 35 Autos and 32 Autos


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Old 03-21-2020, 11:56 PM
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Default "Lend lease" .45 Hand Ejector surprised me !

I was thinking this nickeled and converted to .45 acp might go considerably lower than the $742 for which it sold. Was I wrong to be surprised ?

Smith and Wesson 1917 lend lease WWI 45 acp 6 1/2 inch - Revolvers at GunBroker.com : 860246229
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Old 03-22-2020, 12:04 AM
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Very little surprises me these days. There's a buying frenzy going on.
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Old 03-22-2020, 12:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigmtnman View Post
I was thinking this nickeled and converted to .45 acp might go considerably lower than the $742 for which it sold. Was I wrong to be surprised ?

Smith and Wesson 1917 lend lease WWI 45 acp 6 1/2 inch - Revolvers at GunBroker.com : 860246229
Well, you are not alone. I feel the same way. Perhaps we are missing something.
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Old 03-22-2020, 12:38 AM
Muley Gil Muley Gil is online now
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The seller doesn't know much about Lend-Lease guns. The .455 S&Ws were bought by the British starting in 1915 to supplement their supply of handguns. L-L didn't come into being until WW II.

Hopefully, the buyer won't shoot a bunch of .45 ACP +P rounds in this revolver.
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Old 03-22-2020, 02:05 AM
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Hm. That’s clever. I haven’t seen the second 5 on the original .455 caliber stamp just crossed out to change it to .45

Sure has a nice collection of crossed-pennant proof, sold-out-of-stores arrows, pre-1955 Birmingham proofs. The heavy refinish, accentuated by the Pachmayrs, unfortunately makes this gun pretty much a zero-interest proposition for a collector.
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Old 03-22-2020, 02:33 AM
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I'd guess that 455 2nd Model acquired most or all of its British stamps before conversion to 45 ACP and the nickel finish.

I've seen the last 5 crossed out in the cal stamp but not as neat with an X. I wonder if the conversion was done in England by one of the shotgun makers like Cogswell. They always did nice work on Victory Model conversions; properly sleeving the chambers for 38 Spl, etc.
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Old 03-22-2020, 04:39 AM
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Having value only as a shooter, it's a little surprising that it sold for that much. Guess some people are desperate.
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Old 03-22-2020, 05:00 AM
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Two that I watched, which were converted but still in blue, brought low $300 two weeks ago on GB. I hope that buyer or his brother is still in the market next time I list something.
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Old 03-22-2020, 01:41 PM
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A few years ago I decided to sell my converted .455/.45acp S&W revolver that I had purchased rather inexpensively.

It has been refinished during the conversion but still had it's original checkered/gold medallioned grips.

I decided to price it similarly to what I had paid for several true S&W M1917 examples I had at the time thinking I would go less if someone decided to haggle a bit.

The first guy that looked at it purchased it for my original asking price no questions asked. I did explain to him it was converted to fire .45acp and refinished before he agreed to purchasing it...………..but he still seemed tickled to death to have it.

I think there is some mystical allure to the old British .455 S&W revolvers, even if converted to fire .45acp or .45Colt...…….heck I kinda wish I still had it!

Dale

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Old 03-27-2020, 08:01 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Muley Gil View Post
The seller doesn't know much about Lend-Lease guns. The .455 S&Ws were bought by the British starting in 1916 to supplement their supply of handguns. L-L didn't come into being until WW II.

Hopefully, the buyer won't shoot a bunch of .45 ACP +P rounds in this revolver.
The British started purchasing these revolvers before 1916. I have an unconverted .455 S&W that shipped in 1915 to Remington Arms, the British Army purchasing agent. It was carried by a British officer in the RGA (Royal Garrison Artillery) in France. I shoot a few hundred rounds per year through the gun and it works perfectly.
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Old 03-27-2020, 08:12 PM
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I don't know anything about these guns, okay? I will say that the nickel looks nicely done. I hope whoever bought it ditches those Pachmayrs as soon as he gets it. I consider rubber grips an abomination, no matter who makes them.

I also wouldn't say it has zero interest to a collector. We all know some people collect anything...anything that might be outside the norm is gonna ring the cherries for someone.

I'd have no earthly use for the gun, but I'd like to have it...just not for that price.
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Old 03-27-2020, 11:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HKSmith View Post
The British started purchasing these revolvers before 1916. I have an unconverted .455 S&W that shipped in 1915 to Remington Arms, the British Army purchasing agent. It was carried by a British officer in the RGA (Royal Garrison Artillery) in France. I shoot a few hundred rounds per year through the gun and it works perfectly.
Which Model 455s are your referring too, 1st or 2nd models? Or just in general? I believe Muley Gil is referring in general to the subject of this thread, the 2nd Model.

The very first 812, (146 of which are commercial guns [S&W N&J pgs. 203 - 205]), were new .44 TLs factory converted to .455.

There were 666 shipped earliest in 33 different groups ranging from 4/8/14 to 4/28/16 with the majority delivered 10/21/14. The extra 146 in serial range #s 9858-10007 went to the commercial market; 123 of those commercial guns went to England Oct 1,1914.
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Old 03-28-2020, 01:29 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hondo44 View Post
Which Model 455s are your referring too, 1st or 2nd models? Or just in general? I believe Muley Gil is referring in general to the subject of this thread, the 2nd Model.

The very first 812, (146 of which are commercial guns [S&W N&J pgs. 203 - 205]), were new .44 TLs factory converted to .455.

There were 666 shipped earliest in 33 different groups ranging from 4/8/14 to 4/28/16 with the majority delivered 10/21/14. The extra 146 in serial range #s 9858-10007 went to the commercial market; 123 of those commercial guns went to England Oct 1,1914.
My revolver is a 2nd Model. I'll dig out the factory letter tomorrow and get the exact shipping date.
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Old 03-28-2020, 01:06 PM
HKSmith HKSmith is offline
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According to my letter from Roy Jinks, my 2nd Model .455 HE shipped on October 14, 1915. Serial number is 20753.

There’s a slight inconsistency in the letter, which states that a total of 74,755 revolvers were produced in .455 caliber, of which 5600 were 1st Models and 69,755 were 2nd Models. As you can see, the numbers don’t quite add up.
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Old 03-28-2020, 02:02 PM
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Production of the 2nd Models began in Jan, 1915. The Brits had asked for a lighter and simpler model before the War even began in 1914, but they entered the War soon after that request (in Aug) and agreed to take TLs till the 2nd Model could be produced.
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