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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 10-14-2021, 11:16 AM
INSAGENT76 INSAGENT76 is offline
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Default The 1926 Model .44 Special CTG

Just got my hands on this one and wondering about value and grade. Cant find anyone local who knows much about them. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks in advance.
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Old 10-14-2021, 11:24 AM
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Welcome! It appears to have a good nickel refinish (as evidenced by the plated hammer and trigger). These were initially exclusively offered by Wolf and Klar, a major dealer/distributor in Fort Worth, TX but eventually other dealers sold them as well.

I can’t see many details on my phone screen so will defer to others on condition and value.
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Old 10-14-2021, 01:21 PM
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That looks like a Wolf & Klar sold gun right down to the refinish and MOP grips. A lot of Texas and southwestern lawmen carried these. Your holster is also very interesting but is a model or design that does not appear in the Wolf & Klar catalog. Together, gun and holster could qualify as a BBQ rig! Congrats.
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Old 10-14-2021, 02:22 PM
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I was thinking it was a factory nickel finish. The attached came with the gun. The serial number is 606XX. I'll do some research on Wolf & Klar. IMG_7268.jpg

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Old 10-14-2021, 02:37 PM
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Mine has been clearly blinged up.

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Old 10-14-2021, 04:13 PM
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Originally Posted by INSAGENT76 View Post
I was thinking it was a factory nickel finish. The attached came with the gun. The serial number is 606XX. I'll do some research on Wolf & Klar. Attachment 537373
Welcome to the Forum.

The factory didn't nickel the hammer and trigger.
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Old 10-14-2021, 04:31 PM
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I was thinking it was a factory nickel finish. The attached came with the gun. The serial number is 606XX. I'll do some research on Wolf & Klar. Attachment 537373
The closest serial number I have to yours is in the 59xxx range which shipped in 1939, to a Captain in the Memphis PD. This is well past the time when Wolf & Klar was the exclusive distributor for the 3rd model 44s (1926). INHO, yous would be worth a 'factory' (SWHF) letter when they resume in January.
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Old 10-14-2021, 06:44 PM
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As quinn says it may be too late to be Wolf and Klar but it may have gone to some other interesting location. Key to value is whether it is original nickel finish. You might look for a B in the barrel shroud near the SN, if you find one that means it was originally a blue gun. You might also check the left side of the frame under the stocks for a N which would tell us it was originally nickel. Five inch guns are more common than four or six and a half. I saw a refinished five inch a few weeks ago for which the owner was asking $900 which I was willing to pay but he decided not to sell. In original nickel should be worth several times that. I wouldn't sell this four inch nickel that went to Wolf & Klar in 1931 for less than $5k, not that I'd sell it for any amount as far as that goes. Neat guns and they don't show up all that often. Enjoy it, and I too suggest you get a letter when they are again available.

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Old 10-15-2021, 01:23 PM
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I have an "A" in the barrel shroud and i have attached a photo of what is on the frame behind the grips.
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Old 10-15-2021, 01:53 PM
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Well, the diamond stamp (grip frame) says it's been back to the factory for service of some sort (which may or may not have included refinishing). The 4.42 and 1 48 say it's been back to the factory twice (April 1942 and January 1948).

As to the nickel plated hammer and trigger, Muley Gil probably meant to say the factory didn't do that very often----and pretty much always resisted doing it----and almost always charged extra for doing it-------but every now and again, like with Registered Magnums #1067, 2161, 4677, 4716, and 4893, they did it------which is very likely why we try to never say never or always about what S&W did or didn't do.

Ralph Tremaine

Oh, and with RM #4677, they did the cylinder too.

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Old 10-15-2021, 03:36 PM
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[QUOTE=INSAGENT76;141282483]I have an "A" in the barrel shroud and i have attached a photo of what is on the frame behind the grips.

I don't think that A means anything, just an inspector/fitter stamp. Look to the left of the serial number in the barrel shroud, is there anything there?

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Old 10-15-2021, 04:26 PM
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[quote=22hipower;141282567]
Quote:
Originally Posted by INSAGENT76 View Post
I have an "A" in the barrel shroud and i have attached a photo of what is on the frame behind the grips.

I don't think that A means anything, just an inspector/fitter stamp. Look to the left of the serial number in the barrel shroud, is there anything there?

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Nothing there but the serial and the letter A.
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Old 10-15-2021, 05:07 PM
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[quote=INSAGENT76;141282592]
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Nothing there but the serial and the letter A.
No B in the shroud I think indicates that it was originally nickel. Not sure about the B in the diamond on the frame as I don't remember seeing that before. The diamond means a trip back to the service department as Ralph says above, perhaps he'll have an opinion on the B inside the diamond if that is in fact what is there.

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Old 10-15-2021, 10:13 PM
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Ralph has learned better than to have an opinion about what marks mean what--- simply for fear of being severely chastised---or being stomped on. That said, I do have opinions about what makes sense. Opinions being what they are, I prefer facts. The only facts I have concern two different guns I sent in for refinishing----and the marks they came back bearing.

The easy one first: It was a .44 HE 4th Model Target with the "satin blue" finish (aka the funky finish). The time frame was sometime after 1993 and before 2002. I bought the gun without examining it properly because my guest (THE Boss Lady) was in a big steaming rush to get to the antique show next door-------a poor decision I shall not repeat----EVER!!) Examining this item properly required first removing copious quantities of oil from its surface-----very likely put there to camouflage some serious fault. The vendor willingly supplied a roll of paper towels---a rather strange act considering what was under the oil-----that being a turn line which would remind one of the Grand Canyon. I discovered that after giving the man $800-----after leaving the gun show----even after leaving the antique show. The good news is I called Turnbull, and they said they could refinish the cylinder to match the rest of the gun. We're going to be in Turnbull's neighborhood in 6-8 weeks, so problem solved-----or not. The man I talked to at Turnbull's was not the man I spoke with on the phone---the one who said they could match the finish. The man I'm talking with now is the head of the bluing operation, and he says they can't. What he actually said was they could do the cylinder 50 times----altering the several variables each time---and they "might" get a match twice. Then he asked me how I liked those odds. Now I have this gun sold if/when it's presentable---and it's sold for about half what Turnbull wanted to do the whole gun----so---Plan B.

Plan B is ship it to Springfield, and refinish the whole gun----and do it in Bright Blue while we're at it. Now comes the worthwhile part of this whole story: My customer asked me to see if Springfield would do the deed without any Service/Refinish stamps of any type. I told him I was sure they would not, but that I'd ask. I asked, and the gun came back with no stamps of any kind besides what it was born with. You might keep that in mind the next time you see a really fine, too good to be true old gun that looks like new.

This next one came back with marks on it---S<> and 4 60 on the grip frame, S<> on the cylinder (under the ejector), and S<> on the barrel flat. What they did was refinish from funky blue to Bright Blue, and altered the timing to minimize the turn ring (in response to my request to go through it and make it as perfect as can be). The turn ring is now (60+ years later) a faint line, about 3/32" long at the lead into each cylinder stop notch. I made the mistake of telling Jinks about it, who responded with a conniption fit, and telling me "They never should have done that----it'll skip chambers in rapid double action fire." Well, maybe; but it never did it with me----I probably wasn't shooting it fast enough.

So----S<>----what does that mean? Well, in this case it would appear to mean a customer has sent this gun in for service, and it's to be returned to the Service Department when the Finishing Department is through with it. Is that really what it means? I don't know, but it makes sense. One can also deduce the frame, sideplate, and yoke were finished together----cylinder and barrel separately.

Ralph Tremaine

Last edited by rct269; 10-15-2021 at 11:55 PM.
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Old 10-16-2021, 09:21 AM
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Default Another Blinged Up W&K Model of 1926

This has been shown before, but here's my W&K .44 HE 3rd Model- part of a shipment in May of 1927. Mine was obviously modified with a Baughman front sight and top rib, and then re-nickeled (probably 1940s ?). It came with the magnas, but I had Pat Grashorn provide me with a pair of elk stag stocks. It was originally one of 20 nickeled 4" revolvers that were in that particular shipment (per Mr. Jinx letter), s/n 29803, and all part numbers match. A few years ago I only paid about $900 for the W&K, and that included the Jinx letter and a mahogany presentation case. So I think I did OK. Mine is a nice revolver and accurate shooter, as well as a BBQ gun!
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