In preparing a display of 1st year (1956) S&W .44 Magnums, I thought that the .44 Mag folks on this forum might like to see pictures of some of the items that will be incorporated into the display that I hope to be able to show at the annual S&WCA meeting in Michigan this coming June. Also, today is the birthdate of S130938 that shipped Jan 31, 1956. It is one of 5 .44 Magnums built in January, 1956, 3 for commercial sale, one to Elmer Keith and one for Julian Hatcher at the NRA, which he tested and reported on in the March,1956 American Rifleman. I am fortunate to have been able to acquire some nice provenance to go with this early gun to include the original correspondence from Badger Shooters Supply to the purchaser, L.A. Remark in Lexington, KY along with Mr. Remark's canceled check. As each month arrives this year, I'll post information about the .44 that was produced in that particular month. I also plan to produce a 12 month calendar sometime next year.
Enjoy
Chuck

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Chuck,
Fantastic display! You should be very proud. I for one am grateful for your time and effort locating and displaying these. A ton of hard work and patience putting this together.
You are a true asset to the continuation of S&W Collecting.
Thanks! I'm always on the look out for these beauties to add to your display. Been unlucky this far but looking nonetheless.



Regards,
Steve

That is one beautiful gun! I will look forward to each and every gun you post. The related papers documenting the guns history are very interesting to see and read. Thanks you very much for taking the time hunt them down and put it all together in one display, Hopefully I'll be able to see them up close sometime.

Keith

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kbgrips.com

Fantastic...and my birth month and year. Thanks for posting.

Chuck,
Absolutely breathtaking!
I can't wait to see your display this Spring in Michigan.
Thanks for a first-class post.
Don

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OGCA Life
NRA Life

Wow! I'm not sure what else to say except a big Thank You for sharing!

Chuck,

That is a gorgeous gun, but the history you have put together about the piece really puts it over the top!

Thanks for your efforts,

Jerry

These are the reason's we come to the S&W Forum. Please keep up the great displays and wonderful information.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Hi Chuck:

Great start to what I am sure will be a great 44 Mag. display. Look forward to seeing it all in June.

Bob

very nice, very nice indeed, on a side note, now I know why I can't find one.

No wonder I can't find an older 29....you have them all

Stunning to say the least.

Thanks for sharing.

Dhasso

Absolutely amazing!!!!

...I love that second letter to Mr. Remark...it translates as:

...we shot four or five rounds through it between the three of us...and we don't want anything to do with this MUZZLE BLASTING HAND MAIMER. Please take it and the rest of the box of ammo off our hands at a 25 dollar discount...POST HASTE!

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A Country Boy Can Survive

Great stuff, Chuck. Can't wait to see the display.

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Pace

Thanks folks for the nice comments. In his post on 38/44s, Tom hit the nail on the head about this forum. The one constant over the years that keeps folks signing in to it day in and day out are the postings that not only show off a person's collection, but more importantly, helps us all learn a little more about S&W. For me, everyone has something to offer and I really appreciate all the postings you folks make and Lee for keeping things going for us all. More to come....
Chuck

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This is an awesome endeavor you've undertaken, Chuck.
It affirms once more that this Forum is THE place to see, share, and learn about Smith & Wesson handguns.
Folks like you contributing their knowledge and information make it my #1 stopping place every day.

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John

Chuck,

I think I have opened up your thread at least a dozen times since you posted it this morning, and I keep lookng at it in amazement.

I finally realized that what you have here is a complete collection all by itself in this one package. I am envious to say the least.

If by chance you feel you could also bring it to Tucson in 2010, I'd be able to see it, and I hope maybe you'll consider coming to AZ then.

Congratulations on what an incredible package you have there that you were willing to share with all of us.

Thanks for taking all the time to put it together for all of us to see and to be able to learn from.

Thank you for enriching the knowledge of all and for delighting the eye with your superb pictures. Such excellent, shall we say nonpareil, hardware, with a fine story to boot. Doesn't get much better

We are in your debt.

Regards,

Dyson

Tom, I'm definately going to try and make the Arizona meeting. I loved my year there in Sierra Vista 10 years ago. It sure beats the snow and cold here in NY. You are correct about the 12 gun collection being a stand alone. My collecting interests have evolved over the past few years to basically the 1st year .44 Magnum and the 29-1 variation. I have to compete though with a couple of other pretty serious .44 Mag guys named Bill and Bob, but it's all in good friendship for certain. There's not a gun in any of our collections worth as much as our mutual respect for one another. I actually got the idea for this 12 gun collection from Bill who has been my S&W mentor for many years now. I am ultimately going to simply have a 12 gun pre-29 collection and of course as many 29-1s as I can get my hands on.
Chuck

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29-1,glad to see how far you have come.i have been watching over the past two years as you got closer to your dream project.that is truly a great collection.do you happen to know where i could find the ad that says power and accuracy and shows the 44 in the case.or can you have a copy made of yours?i would be willing to pay for one.thanks curt.

Curt, email me an address and I'll send you one. It was also in the May or June '56 issue of the American Rifleman, off hand not sure which without going to look. The one pictured is an original factory model circular/flyer which is duplicated in the AR ad.
Regards
Chuck

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John, just noticed your location. Stay safe brother.
Chuck

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Beautiful collection and display. Thank you for sharing.

Chuck, as always, Thanks! and once again, I'm in awe.
Put me down for an "autographed" edition of your calendar!
Geez - what an onslaught for the kick-off of what I expect to be the most anticipated monthly postings this Year!

What a way to wake a guy up on a Sunday morning, that's the nicest RACK I've ever seen.
Outstanding beauty, I'll be looking at this thread all day, and can't wait to see the calender.
Thanks for sharing.

Chuck, as I leer at S130938 -the bottom end of the stocks appears to have a slightly less oval shape than it's 11 brothers - is it my eyes?

J.C., no you're eyes are still good. The earliest .44 Mags appear to have been fitted with target stocks cut along the same lines and dimension as the earlier targets with a more pronounced flair on the tail, more oval on the bottom, actually shorter than the regular cokes we are most familiar with. Thay are more narrow/thinner as well. Bill would be the one to describe these in much greater/more understandable detail. I'll definately save a calendar for you.
Chuck

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The profile of the stocks on S130938 look exactly like the profile of the stocks on the 44 Magnum shown in the advertisement that was made December 1955 or January 1956 using S130927, the first production 44 Magnum. This style of stocks was also used on S147213 that was sent to Pete Kuhlhoff in early 1956 (date unknown). From the photo of S130942 (shipped 1/20/56) that appeared in the American Rifleman, this 44 Magnum also had a pair of these early type stocks. By sometime in February, the profile was changed slightly to that seen on the remainder of Chuck's 44s. I have S130847 (shipped 1/31/56), but the stocks were changed to the smooth type on it (or it may have been shipped that way). Regardless, the stocks on the first 44s were slightly different than what came later.

Bill

Chuck - Bill,
Have you ever known there to be any correlation between "assembly numbers" of guns manufactured within the same time frame, ex. these very early .44's? Is there any correlation? Were the inspection numbers assigned to individual assemblers/ testers? Where did the stamping of these numbers fall in the manufacturing processes?

29-1,tried to e-mail you my address,window popped up and says i dont have permission i must not be set up to e-mail other members.i will try and fiqure it out.my address is curt hanshaw,1009 battles ave.akron, ohio, 44314.i would love a copy and i will cover any costs to send.thanks curt.

J.C., there appears to be a closer correlation to a timeframe a gun is produced and then shipped by tracking the assembly number than by the hit or miss serial number method. But again, they are not in an exact sequence either, but do appear to have been closer than the serial number.
Chuck

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Wow.
reminds me of the quotation in Roy's book:
"No thing of importance will come without effort."
Sometimes I thimk people don't realize what you guys put into seeking, assembling, researching, documenting, and displaying these fabulous, historical guns.
Congratulations.
I've already learned something here- I did not know the first month's Cokes were a different variant! Thanks, Bill.
Now, being an unrepentant bibliophile, I have to know more about that book in the first post.
What's up widdat?

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

J.C. ...Chuck and I have studied assembly numbers extensively and I have discussed their significance with Roy on more than one occasion. Normally, N-frames with serial numbers in the S130000 range have an assembly number in the 45000 range, but the 44 Magnums with serial numbers in the S130000 range have assembly numbers in the 73000-75000 range, suggesting these serial numbers were held back for some of the early 44 Magnums since the assembly numbers date to 1956 when most would have been made. However, it is only the S130000 guns that are unusual since the early shipped 44 Magnums with other serial numbers also have "normal" or expected assembly numbers (i.e. S166065, shipped on 4-2-56, has an assembly number of 79218 and S160304, shipped on 5-8-56, has an assembly number of 74583). Some of the earliest 44 Magnums also have a 7 and the letter X or H stamped in the yoke cut.

You can drive yourself to distraction with all of these numbers .

Bill

Chuck,
Great collection of .44 Mags as well as the history to go with it. I always love to see you and Bill post your .44s as they are always wonderful examples of the best from S&W! Thanks for sharing and a big HOOAH to you!
Bill

Chuck what a beautiful collection. I thought you were still looking for 1 month, guess yopu found it. Put me down for a calendar as well.

BTW I got the sponsorship letter you sent me and will be mailing my check this week. Would have done it sooner, but work has been a "B" lately with sub-freezing temperatures and the 2" of ice that got dumped on us.

Thanks again Chuck you are a credit the gun world.

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Chuck,

As always, very impressive! Thanks for sharing!

Best,

Michael

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Lee, if you are referring to the blue album, I had that made up to keep Roy's factory letters in as well as some other pertinent 1956 paperwork.
Chuck

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Chuck,
Can you tell me the date of the first S&W 1956 Model Circular the .44 was noted in? Is there an earlier one than pictured below?
Thanks,

J.C. the one you picture is the second that I know of. The first is actually dated January 1st, 1956 and the second is May 1. The third change is the Sept 15th price change to 140.00 which is the one you have pictured.
Regards
Chuck

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Thanks Chuck - I have new a new "grail" search in the works......

Chuck,
Fantastic! Just beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing.

Bob

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"Onward thru the Fog"

Chuck, I found this forum and thread today and am very interested in your compilation of the 29-1s, although I don't collect them. The occasional mention of "outed" famous 29s is interesting also. Has General Hatcher's #S130942 been outed? I have some information on that gun that I would add to your collection if the gun is still buried deep. Thanks for reply.

Lowgun, email sent your direction. Thank you for your post. Any info on the early pre-29s is extremely welcome Most importantly, welcome to the forum. Lot's of good folks on here.
Regards
Chuck Odom
1517

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Lucky dog!!

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<-------passed out and fell out of the chair!

GREAT collection.......all I can say is SWeet.....

Semper Fi

Wow!! very impressive collection of historic 44s. Thanks for sharing the information and knowledge on these very interesting Smiths.

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Tom
"Panem et Circenses"

29-1, Great post! Informative and a great archive for other collectors to enjoy!

This certainly inspires me to start collecting pre 29s; I think I can already hear my check book crying

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Rather be outdoors

Chuck, in your search for early 29 paper, has the name Ken Haag, Front Royal Supply, come up? Ken was a fairly high volume S&W distributor in VA from whom I bought my first S&W when I was about 19 years old. I still have the letter he sent me asking whether I wanted my HP with standard grips or target grips. I had asked for a 6" gun which were in high demand, and his note told me that he had a 4" gun with target grips. I took the 4" gun and paid him $69.00 for it. I had been buying ammunition, components, and guns from him for several years at the time and he was very accommodating. He was a big Model 29 advocate, hung his loaded 29 and belt rig over the front seat of his Ford pickup. He was also a serious hunter and told me of his adventures with some famous hunters in Alaska with the .44.

Lowgun, I 'm not sure I have heard of Ken Haag. I certainly may have though and am not remembering it. The only VA distributor I have any real history on is Evaluator's in Triangle/Quantico. I have several gus that went to the Van Orden's at Evaluator's. I will certainly dig into my paper stuff however and see if I can find something on your fellow in Front Royal. Sounds like he was my kind of 44 Mag guy. Do you still have the HP? Regards
Chuck

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