Found this odd duck in a local store. A friend who posts here answered a few questions and gave me items to check. It's got some issues but I love King sighted service guns and the price was right.

It's got King sights in a config I've never personally handled before - a small gold dot front and a completely closed wide V rear. The sight install is clean and King-like.

The trigger broke at 2.75, 3.25 and a hair over 3 so I'd call it 3 pounds. Feels great. Lockup feels like a Colt with the trigger pulled back -very tight with no movement. But the cylinder is a bit hesitant to open when released. I'm not a S&W guy so I don't know if there's a problem here but the timing appears correct.

Frame has Canadian markings and just aft of the barrel are the crossed arrows (?) marking.

The barrel is marked 44 special on the right side. Smith & Wesson on the left. The cylinder and barrel are NOT marked with a serial. Serial is 65991

Finally the crane has the gun's serial when you look through the cylinder with a light.

So what do I have here? I know it's a Canadian gun with King sights and a really nicely tuned trigger. Any other thoughts? It appears refinished but the finish doesn't perfectly match and it appears to have been done long ago.

















I'm told this is cut off but there's nothing else stamped on this side














The light makes these look silver but they are black. I was asked about the color.

You have a 455-2nd that someone outside the Factory put a 44 barrel and cyl on. They installed the sights, or had King do it.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

I like it!

I just love recycled guns! That is very cool.

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Randy
Provenance nerd

Can anyone shed any light on the stocks? I feel like my knowledge here is failing me. The black washer says to me older, but I don't know what the ink stamp means.

Any notion what era those are? Or if they are factory at all? (obviously modified)

I like the whole package, especially the grips relieved for the lanyard loop.

yeah, that was pretty witty, and well done. I find this gun more interesting than my 6 1/2” 24-3. Nice gun!

I have a 4" 29 -2 made in 1966 that has presentation target stocks on it with the stamping NT 4112 on both stock panels . The wood appears to be Goncolo Alves with very nice grain . I am the 3 rd owner so I know where its been for at least the past 20 years . Hope this helps .

Very nice custom presentation case as well.
The whole rig may not be original but a really classy and unusual package nevertheless.

The black washers may not be original as the medallion post have been repeened.
The ink stamped panels are part numbers that I’ve seen on 60’s and 70’s era target grips

Thanks for the info everyone!

I removed the side plate. It was dirty inside, but had some oil. I cleaned up a bit without disassembly, put some oil in and confirmed the # on the inside of the plate matches the crane and yoke #. I was unsure cause the plate has more visible wear than frame.

After reassembled I took several trigger readings and now it’s breaking consistently at 2.25 pounds. I have some nice King modded guns but no DAs quite that low. My favorite shooter is 2.75 and feels like magic there. Should be fun to get some dies and shoot this thing. If I can get projectiles I suppose... I can post better pics of sights if anyone wants.

So the box and likely grip mods were made by an older collector selling out years of collecting. I bought his S&W 1917 with King sights and custom box he made,from the same store, also posted here. I’ll need to figure out what the car and pins are about next, not too sure what that theme is.

I like it for all of the mentioned reasons. I think the car is a Packard.

Has the cylinder been replaced or was the original reamed for .44 S&W? Apparently, .44 S&W, even magnums, can be fired in a .45 cal. LC cylinder with minor swelling of the casing...like .38 Special in a .38 S&W cylinder, but not as severe. There is no SN on the face of the cylinder and it appears to have been milled to me. Interesting gun!

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

We chatted about that, a .45 case won't fit in there, so I believe it's a proper .44spl cylinder.

The statements in your posts about the seller (to the LGS) suggest that he is still living and was a serious collector. In your shoes, I’d make every effort to get in touch with him and get (then record for posterity) as much information about the history and building of both of these pieces.

If the previous owner is like most of us old farts, he’d probably enjoy talking guns with a fellow enthusiast.

Froggie

Stocks with the inked part #s were sold after market in the blistered clear plastic package at gunshops. They could be from any time between when the football cutouts were introduced to the end of the black washer period.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Yeah Sixgun suggested I try to get in touch with him because he has an apparent mountain of a collection he's selling in bits and he likes King modded guns like me. There are about 10 more boxed S&Ws and Colts , imo all overpriced, but there.

The problem is he also apparently sells all his stock at this place so unless I get lucky running into him in the parking lot I seriously doubt the store people will point me his way as they get commission plus simple privacy issues. Also big city, store across town, lots of logistical issues.

I'm going to try to go by there more often and talk with the counter folk about the collection, maybe get more info but I think it's a longshot it goes anywhere.

A few more pics for posterity's sake



I'll be surprised if this is good windage but this is how it came so I'll leave it for now.


Interesting front sight too and in great shape.

Handsome S&W. That's also a good looking 1932 Packard 900 Light Eight
soft top!

My handguns with adjustable sights look similar, I adjust nearly everything to the right, usually hold low right with non adjustable sights. I rarely pick up some else's handgun and find the sights to my liking.

That is a great looking setup, I'm a 2nd Model fan.

I've often been able to get in touch with the owner of consignment guns one of two ways: when I wanted to make an offer or wanted some provenance on his gun for sale. I give the clerk my phone # to provide to the owner who will contact me or not. Usually they do.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

What a great idea. He must be an interesting guy. I’d love to be able to hear his story and share the appreciation of revolvers we have in common.

Some of the box themes he made are police from the period of the gun, period black and white nudes with several pocket pistols representing the arms one might find at a bordello of the day, military themes or just brands like S&W patches or whatever. The Packard is an odd choice but at some point you probably run out of ideas.

That's a King Reflector sight. I have one on a 1903 Springfield. Mine is the only rifle sight anybody I know has ever seen.

Sent from my SM-A115U using Tapatalk

I’m familiar with King reflectors and have a few but none with the small gold dot like this and the closed V rear. All mine have square inserts or a blade at the front.

Id love to see one on a 1903. Is it a King rear also?

Hope it is not in bad taste to bump an old thread for a range report.

I traded some grips to a friend for 44 dies and cash, and he threw in some brass and really nice old boxed cast bullets. They weigh 247gr. I loaded up 15 rounds with 6.4gr Unique, starting load according to the book I have.

I got out to shoot it last weekend at 25 yards standing, aiming at a 2" green circle dot on a target. The first three shots made a nice group either in or touching the dot. I'm not some crack shot either, just a frequent shooter. The front sight post covers that green circle target dot perfectly so that worked out. Clearly the gun is capable of some fantastic accuracy. It locks up tight, has King sights and a light SA trigger which is what I shoot most of the time.

If it’s ever in bad taste to bump a thread to give a range report, I am changing flavors!

You do need pictures of the targets though!

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Possum—The other white meat!

This is the only one I got. I included the target but it's too small to see the holes.

Never in bad taste; actually great taste.

Unless your rear sight blade is off center because that's where you have to adjust it to hit ctr (like my son), your rear sight makes it appear that the gun does not shoot true. I firmly believe the reason the rear sight is adjusted so far right to obtain a center target point of impact is because of the custom sights installation. They're not quite straight. People will say that's what adjustable sights are for. Well they will compensate of course but those sights are well off center!

Although not hard to fix: the sights are off to the left and the reason the rear blade is adjusted so far to the right. Slightly moving the front sight blade to the left (the simplest way to correct the issue) will true them up! Remove the retention screw on the right side of the front blade, remove and shave the left side of the front blade with a few file strokes, reinstall and tighten the screw.

Now the sights will be straight and as true as the gun!!

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Just look at this excellent photo of yours:

The rear sight is milled well off center to the left! Can't fix that w/o it being as obvious as a **** in the punch bowl.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Thanks for the info, will do it if it comes to that. That pic might be misleading given the angle it was taken. I had so few rounds I made an adjustment after shooting at a clay on the berm, then shot at paper, but I never got to really dial it in.

It came home like this but may need tweaking still.