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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 09-19-2007, 10:01 AM
arbhrse arbhrse is offline
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My father left me a 44 Special S&W CTG, ( stamped on left side of barrel ), Ser# 11013, 71?2 or 8 inch barrel blued. Can anyone tell me anything about this revolver and value. Thanks for any info I can get
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Old 09-19-2007, 10:01 AM
arbhrse arbhrse is offline
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My father left me a 44 Special S&W CTG, ( stamped on left side of barrel ), Ser# 11013, 71?2 or 8 inch barrel blued. Can anyone tell me anything about this revolver and value. Thanks for any info I can get
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Old 09-19-2007, 10:47 AM
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Sorry about your father.

Welcome to the board.

Does it resemble this gun? If so, I suspect it is a 1st Model Hand Ejector .44 Special. These were made 1907-1915 and most have a 6.5" barrel like the one pictured. These are called "Triple Lock" due to a third lock in front of the cylinder that was deleted on following models.

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Old 09-19-2007, 11:02 AM
Muley Gil Muley Gil is offline
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I believe the triple lock was available with a 7 1/2" barrel.

Are the sights like the ones on SP's gun or does the rear sight have a blade and screws?
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Old 09-19-2007, 11:46 AM
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Here is a relatively rare 7 1/2" Target version originally made for A.L.A. Himmelwright.

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Old 09-19-2007, 11:48 AM
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I said most were 6.5 but other lengths available. Best bet is that he is off on his estimate.
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Old 09-19-2007, 02:26 PM
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Jerry,
That 7-1/2" bb. target is incredible.
Thanks for a look at something few of us will ever see.
Don
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Old 09-19-2007, 02:48 PM
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Don:

Although I tried to buy this gun it is not mine !

I chickened out at what was actually a reasonable price range for such a gun with great history !

Jerry
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Old 09-20-2007, 07:03 AM
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Saxon, what kind of grips are those on your Triplelock?
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Old 09-20-2007, 10:10 AM
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I believe them to be horn. Came on the gun. The emblems were sloppily installed after the fact and I sold them for $40.
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Old 09-21-2007, 05:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally posted by MOONDAWG:
I guess of forefathers put more stock in deliberate long range single action accuracy than they did in quick draws.

I can't understand for the life of my why those long barrels were so popular from 1900 through the early 40's as they are consideralbly more cumbersome to tote on a belt than a 4 or 5 inch model.
MOONDAWG, as you mentioned, some of the best explanations I have heard revolve around single action shooting which was the preferred style of many into the middle part of the last century. Another part of the equation is probably the blackpowder holdovers. Some might have actually used blackpowder loads (of which there is some evidence...there are some old .44 Special cartridges factory loaded with blackpowder floating around out there as previously demonstrated on this Forum) others might have just been holding on to the idea of longer barreled guns being more efficient because the efficiency of smokeless powder was not yet fully realized by the masses. Either way, long barreled, fixed sight guns were indeed very popular through the 1920s and beyond.

Another interesting question is the original meaning of the term "Special" when used to describe cartidges. The three "specials" that immediately come to mind are the .32 Special, .38 Special, and .44 Special. All three cartridges were introduced at roughly the same time...around the beginning of the 20th century. I have seen Winchester advertising touting the versatility of the .32 Special as a cartridge factory loaded with smokeless powder but readily reloaded using blackpowder. I suppose that is what differentiated it from the .30-30 Winchester early on and what ultimately caused it to decline in popularity. I have also seen photographs of .44 Special cartridges factory loaded with blackpowder on this very Forum.

My theory is that the "Special" designation was originally used to indicate that a cartridge could be loaded with either smokeless powder or more common blackpowder. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has something to add to this theory or a better idea about the original meaning of the "Special" designation.
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Old 09-21-2007, 07:50 AM
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arbhrse:

44 Special S&W CTG denotes the cartridge your revolver is designed to fire. It is not the model name of the revolver. Smith & Wesson devoloped the cartridge and named it 44 Smith & Wesson Special, and still stamps that legend on the side of revolvers they make that are chambered for that cartridge. Most other gun manufacturers and ammo manufacturers simply refer to the cartridge as 44 Special.

Smith & Wesson developed a new 44 caliber Double Action revolver in 1908 and released it with the new 44 Special cartridge. The big 44 went by several names, 44 Hand Ejector, and New Century. Today it is mostly known by its nickname, the Triple Lock. The 44 Hand Ejectors were released in several different models over the years, so the Triple Lock came to be known as the 44 Hand Ejector, First Model. The hallmark of the Triple Lock is the latch built into the frame just in front of the cylinder that latches the cylinder rod in place in the frame. Except for the very early ones, all modern Smiths secure the cylinder in the frame at the rear and the very front of the cylinder pin. The Triple Lock secured it in three places and is the only revolver Smith ever built with that feature.

According to Supica and Nahas, Serial Number 11013 would have been manufactured in 1912. 1912 started with SN 9100 and 1913 started with SN 11150. First Model 44 Hand Ejector Serial Numbers run from 1 to 15375. There is some overlap of serial numbers with the Second Model. Does your revolver have the large underlug surrounding the cylinder pin as shown in the two photos?

Triple Locks were built with 4", 5", 6 1/2" or 7 1/2" barrels as standard lengths. The proper way to measure a revolver barrel is from the muzzle to the front face of the cylinder.

The Triple Lock is probably the most sought after by collectors of all the modern large frame Double Action revolvers that Smith has made over the years. It is impossible to determine the value of it without being examined by an expert, but they usually start around $1000 and go up from there. $2000 is not unusual these days.

My condolences on the loss of your father. He left you a fine revolver. I am still trying to find one that I can afford.
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Old 09-21-2007, 11:07 AM
arbhrse arbhrse is offline
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Thank you for the information, I have learned alot on the web site, lot nice people. It does not have the large underlug or the buckle under the butt. It has the half moon site on the front of the barrel and fixed rear site. Including the cylinder it is 7 1/2", measuring the barrel to the cylinder 6 1/2". To my knowledge it has never been reblued, how would I tell if it was factory reblued i heard S&W stamped the revolver if they dod this. I can find no scratches etc on the revolver, just a small amount of wear on the tip of the barrel from the holster. Again Thank You for the info
arbhrse
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Old 09-21-2007, 02:52 PM
bk43 bk43 is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by arbhrse:
It does not have the large underlug...
Makes me wonder. A .44HE 2nd would not have a large underlug, just a little piece in front of the ejector rod. They can also have 5 digit assembly numbers. The serial number is the one on the bottom of the grip frame. The number in the crane cut on the frame is an assembly number. Just checking to see if #11013 is not the assembly number. If your gun is a .44HE 2nd it also will not have the "triple lock" which is the little piece you see in the frame near the bottom of the ejector rod shroud in the pics here.

A factory refinish could be marked with a star on the frame where the serial number is. There could also be a month year, like 3.50 on the lower right side of the grip frame under the grips. These markings do not mean for sure refinished but probably.

Having just lost my father a few months ago I can understand how you must feel. He has left you a wonderful gun no matter which model it turns out to be.

Welcome to the forum.

Bob
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Old 09-21-2007, 03:33 PM
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Moondog & others, The questions above about why S&W made 7 1/2 in. barrels for the N frames ( and longer for some models ) relate to a type of shooting match entered into by the "Long Shooters" wherein targets were over 300 yards , and farther, downrange. S&W magazine ads in the 20s & early 30s mention these matches and reference Capt. A. H. Hardy, and other famous shooters of that time, who were know as " Long Shooters " and participated in those matches with S&W long barreled target revolvers. Ed.
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Old 09-24-2007, 07:35 AM
Driftwood Johnson Driftwood Johnson is offline
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arghrse:

Here is a photo of a 2nd Model 44 Hand Ejector for comparison. Notice it does not have the lug under the barrel, only a small piece at the end of the ejector rod for the rod to latch to.


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Old 09-24-2007, 09:04 AM
arbhrse arbhrse is offline
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Driftwood, thanks, the pic shows the same rejector rod latch under the barrel as mine. So does 2 model mean it was a change in the way the weapon was constructed. arbhrse
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Old 09-24-2007, 02:27 PM
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The main difference between the First Model and the Second Model is the First Model had the Triple Lock feature, and the heavy lug under the barrel. The Second Model did away with the third latch, so the ejector rod only latches at the front and the rear, and did away with the heavy lug under the barrel, leaving just what you see in the photo of the Second Model. The Third Model brought back the heavy underlug, but the Triple Lock feature was gone. The ejector rod latched in place only at the front and rear. The only revolver that Smith ever made that latched the ejector rod at the front AND the rear AND the middle (at the front of the frame) was the First Model 44 Hand Ejector, also known as the Triple Lock. There seems to be some overlap of your Serial Number with First Model and Second Model Serial Numbers.
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2nd model, cartridge, ejector, hand ejector, lock, shroud, supica, triplelock, winchester

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