factory letter on pre war .38/44

rajah · #1 10-09-2007, 08:15 PM

I paid my $35 for a factory letter on a pre-war .38/44 that I picked up at the Glendale CA gunshow last year for $300. It is a 6.5" that was modified with an undercut front sight and the rear strap was notched and a larger fixed blade installed. Nothing extraordinary in the letter, it confirmed that the revolver was originally a 6.5"/blued finish with checkered walnut grips, shipped August 9th 1934 to Harper and Reynolds Co., Los Angeles CA, part of a 10 unit shipment. Anyone heard of Harper and Reynolds? It is interesting that the revolver has stayed in the Los Angeles area after all these years!

rajah · #2 10-09-2007, 08:15 PM

I paid my $35 for a factory letter on a pre-war .38/44 that I picked up at the Glendale CA gunshow last year for $300. It is a 6.5" that was modified with an undercut front sight and the rear strap was notched and a larger fixed blade installed. Nothing extraordinary in the letter, it confirmed that the revolver was originally a 6.5"/blued finish with checkered walnut grips, shipped August 9th 1934 to Harper and Reynolds Co., Los Angeles CA, part of a 10 unit shipment. Anyone heard of Harper and Reynolds? It is interesting that the revolver has stayed in the Los Angeles area after all these years!

1Aspenhill · #3 10-09-2007, 08:27 PM

rajah,
Is this a Heavy Duty or Outdoorsman?
Thanks,
Bill

rajah · #4 10-09-2007, 08:34 PM

Hmmm - ok, I'm ignorant..I guess I thought they were the same (cringe). Can you educate me please?

rajah · #5 10-09-2007, 08:39 PM

Here is a picture of the revolver the day I got it. I have replaced the grips with some service type grips since then.

rajah · #6 10-09-2007, 08:42 PM

I just looked at the FAQ section and learned that the HD is the fixed sight version which is what I have. Phew, no longer glaringly ignorant!

JayCeeNC · #7 10-09-2007, 09:16 PM

Heavy Duty with fixed sight in front, Outdoorsman with adjustable rear sight in back.

bettis1 · #8 10-10-2007, 02:43 AM

Roger,

We'd love to see some close ups of the rear and front sight installations.

Bob

GLL · #9 10-10-2007, 07:12 AM

I agree with Bob ! We need a few close ups ! I would like to see details of the front sight and the trigger.

If you have not already done so please contact Bill(1Aspenhill) about your HD. He would appreciate the serial number for his files. Bill has a "thing" for those pre-war 6.5" guns !

Jerry

opoefc · #10 10-10-2007, 10:56 AM

Harper & Reynolds Co. was a long time S&W distributor in Los Angeles. I believe they may have been absorbed by Cheshire & Perez after WW2, but that's off the top of my head. Ed.

1Aspenhill · #11 10-10-2007, 12:21 PM

I believe I got it when it was on the auction site-43928. The folks in LA were buying a lot of the long barreled guns in those days!
Bill

Texas Star · #12 10-10-2007, 05:00 PM

Your sights are "funny" and the trigger and grips are of much later production. Bettis is on the right track, but those issues are obvious from the present photo.

I don't think that the Ranger or Combat trigger came along until the 1970's. That may also be the wide Target trigger, and I think it is. Also of postwar production. Is the trigger face grooved?

Is that front sight a Call gold bead one? What happened to the rear sight? Just a bad photo, maybe?

T-Star

bettis1 · #13 10-10-2007, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Your sights are "funny" and the trigger and grips are of much later production. Bettis is on the right track, but those issues are obvious from the present photo.

There are at least two other guns with "interesting" rear sight blades added which have turned up at Tulsa the last couple of years. My memory is vague but I believe that they also have a link to Calif. We had a lot of good discussion about just who might have done the modifications. I would like to see a close up of the installation to see if this one is similar.

Bob

rajah · #14 10-10-2007, 08:18 PM

Front sight modification

rear sight modification

The trigger is a grooved 'target trigger' no doubt of recent vintage. The hammer appears to match the revolver. Too bad the piece was altered.

Muley Gil · #15 10-10-2007, 08:31 PM

Last month, I looked at a 1905 M&P that had the same type of rear blade.

opoefc · #16 10-10-2007, 09:49 PM

I have seen about 1/2 doz of this type of modified rear sight in the last couple of yrs. All were K frames, except one Model 1917, which I own, Now this gun is the 2nd N frame to have the rear fixed target sight to come along. The installation of these fixed rear sight blades is very similar in all the guns I've seen but the gunsmithing to do that work is not complicated, so I don't think they all came out the same shop. I have fantized that my Model 1917 ( a military shipped gun) was modified by the Army for the Army shooting teams, circa preWW2, as Match rules for service handguns then allowed installation of fixed rear target sights, but haven't been able to prove that yet. K frames and a OD with fixed rear sight blade wouldn't have any connection to Army match rules. Ed.