Square notch sights, s/n @185k. Ultra tight lockup, no end shake. Seems to have the crane hold open feature. Very accurate with 230gr range ammo. The Presentation grips are mine. Has very good CCH on the hammer and trigger. Grooved trigger, though. Is that correct for a First Contract gun?

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Yes, S&W swapped from smooth triggers to grooved ones in the late '20s.

Grips would be checked service with silver medallions.

Didn't you pick up a fixer-upper .32-20 a while back? How is it coming?

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Gave up on the 1899 32-20. Forgot how much fun Big Iron is.

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Roy Jinks wrote that the First Group shipped in 1938+ with serial numbers in the range 181,983 to 207,043. He said they usually shipped in lots of 1,000 so yours was likely one of the earliest.

Glad to hear it is accurate. They are great guns.

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You're shy a few manners.

Update. I noticed the 1937 didn't like staying cocked. Wouldn't push off, just difficult to ear far enough back to cock. After remembering reading numerous threads here about how junk in the lockwork can make Smith and Wesson wheelguns not work right, I removed the sideplate and sure enough, the lockwork was goopy with thick brown grease.

Chased the hammer notch out with a toothpick, got a little grit out. Blasted it out with carb cleaner, and all seems to be good.

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I think the Brazilian Army SOP for pre-shipment prep was "pack each one full of dirty grease then dump them all in a large barrel."

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You're shy a few manners.

I remember when these were imported into the U.S. back in the late 1980's. I was stationed in Seal Beach, Ca. The importer was not far away and a couple of friends and I went. If I remember correctly the price was $125.00 a piece. Your Choice was $150.00 and they had cases to go through. I did not want one as I was a M1911 IPSC Shooter at the time. 🤷‍♂️

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

When I bought my Spokane police trade in Mod. 15 the store still had them as they were shipped to them. Clean, but no oil or anything, and literally just dumped loose in cardboard boxes. When I went in to look at them, He just put a box on the counter with about 15 of them jumbled in it and told me to choose one. When I went back with my brother 2 days later, they had 3 boxes to look through.
Oh, and it was $149.

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The best I can with what I got

Update- it was hammer/grip interference. Pachmayr Presentation grips are designed around short action guns, at least for N frames. These had already been modified for speedloaders. I have an uncanny ability to find Pachmayr Presentation grips for under $10...

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I think I got mine in '93~'94. $140~$150 at the time.

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- Jeff

I bought 4 of these in 1988 out of Shotgun News, and they were $150 each, delivered. They came out of California. Sold the 2 worst ones and kept 2, which I still have. They were kind of beat-up and the wooden grips were badly dinged, so I went the rubber grip route with one and put S&W target grips on the other. I took the lanyard rings off but saved them. I have fired them several thousand rounds. They are fun to shoot and pie-plate accurate at 35 yards.
Mine are 197K and 199K range.