Quote:
Originally Posted by CptCurl
First the butt swivel:
* It appears to be blued. A normal butt swivel from the factory is color case hardened. The butt swivel on my .455 is color case hardened, though my photo is so poor it's hard to see. Every factory butt swivel I've ever seen has been color case hardened.
* The mounting hole is drilled through the original serial number, and an alternate serial number is stamped on the left side of the grip frame. The alternate serial number is misaligned, and the "1" looks to be larger font than the rest of the numbers.
* The mounting hole is located in a different position to the rear of the "factory" location.
* The retaining pin is all clobbered up.
Consider these possibilities of factory installation.
* If it was ordered with a swivel, the factory may have pulled aside a frame in current production and proceeded with installation of the swivel. In that event the original butt serial number would not be drilled. The butt serial number would be offset to accommodate the swivel, like on my .455:
* On the other hand, it's possible the gun was ordered with a swivel, and a completed gun was taken out of inventory and sent to the shop for installation of the swivel. In this event, would the shop drill through the existing number and leave it like that, or would the original number be removed and an alternate number be stamped on the left side of the frame? This I don't know. Perhaps somebody can help.
* Likewise, it is possible the gun was sent back for a swivel after its original purchase. What procedure would that entail? Would they drill right through the original number, or would it be removed for a neater job? What kind of a re-work stamp would be applied?
The serial number stamped on the left side of the grip frame is all higglety-pigglety. Wouldn't the factory do a better job? I don't know, but maybe somebody has insight on this.
How did the swivel get blued? I don't think the factory did it.
Why is the swivel in a different location? I know nothing about manufacturing techniques, but I am confident that the factory installs swivels in the same location every time. They use a template or a jig of some sort. This swivel is not in its correct location.
How did the swivel retaining pin get clobbered up? Surely the factory didn't do this ham-fisted work.
A letter would tell us if this revolver was special-ordered with the butt swivel, but we don't have that information.
Curl
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You and Muley Gil have it right.
The Pre war serial # is centered on the butt, or offset if produced with a lanyard swivel (factory installed swivels after initial production or sent back for a swivel are drilled thru the centered # which is re-stamped on left side grip frame), and reads with barrel to the right including I frame serial numbers on the forestrap. After WW II the serial # is offset to the rear and reads with barrel to the left (except for serial numbers on the forestrap thru 1957). Factory installed swivels are drilled with a jig and always 1/10” forward of center.
When an order came thru for a revolver with a lanyard swivel and there were no assembled revolvers of the configuration as ordered in inventory, a revolver(s) that matched the order was pulled, drilled thru the serial and swivel installed. Serial # re-stamped on grip frame.
Factory installed swivels after initial production on new guns in inventory will not always 'letter' especially if 'thrown in' for free.
Color case hardened swivels usually had few colors and were eventually parkerized for WWII sales. Then blued for commercial guns.
Therefore blued swivels on earlier guns are either replacements for removed originals, non-factory installed, or original swivels re-finished if and when the gun was.