Reg Mag's - Cheaper by the Dozen? ... I Don't Think So...

RKmesa

RKmesa

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Unfortunately for me I did not make it to the SWCA annual meeting in KC this past month. I would have loved to go, but work and family commitments made that an impossibility. I have very much enjoyed the photos of the great displays and have viewed many of them several times. If the annual meeting is ever close enough for me to drive to again (I made it to Tucson a couple of years ago) I have been able to cobble together a few guns that I would love to display.

Over the past several years, I have taken an appreciation for the pre- and early post-war guns and their boxes. So this morning I decided to have a little "show" at my house. I pulled out a few pre-war 357's and their boxes and set them up for an informal photo shoot and since you cannot be at my show, I thought that I'd share some quick and dirty photos with you of several of my RMs and Non RMs:

"Google Earth" Group Shot ;)



Zoom for Column 1:



Zoom for Column 2:



Zoom for Column 3:



I also took some un-staged, totally natural BRIGHT AZ sunlight closer-up shots of the individual guns if anyone is interested.

Thanks for letting me share,
 
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Fantastic! One of these days I hope to find an RM......oh, I noticed that two don't have factory stocks. If they embarrass you, please feel free to send them my way!:D
 
Oh,...you thank us for letting you share ? I believe it is the other way around. Thank you.
I was only aware of the Registered Magnum,from hearing an old Uncle speak of them, probably in the late 40s. He thought they were the best revolvers S & W ever put out...Except for what I have learned here in the last year or so I know very little about the R. M.... Appreciate your photos. Regards
 
handejector said:
How much per pound?
Click to expand...

... Well, I've never seen them priced that way, but... they range anywhere from 43 oz. for the 3.5" to 48 oz. for the 8.75", therefore, depending on the "cut" and the quality, I would expect them to be priced from $800 to $3,000 per pound. Packaging would be priced separately at a much higher price per pound, but still based on the "cut" and the quality.;) BTW: I have never seen them priced by the dozen either...:)

FYI: there are 8 different barrel lengths in the photos above, with three of them being 6.5", two being 6.0", and two being the rather uncommon pre-war length of 8.375". Can you guess the lengths of the other five 357s?
 
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You can have your show at my house any time you please. Great display. I know this may be a difficult question, but.......Which is your favorite and how about some closer up pictures of it showing why it is your favorite?
 
I never,ever, get tired of seeing extremely neat revolvers. Thank you so much for sharing/displaying. Joe
 
1blindref said:
How much for column 1, gun 1?
Click to expand...

Rick:

That is a 1st year RM (December 1935) that shipped to a Police Inspector in Omaha, Nebraska in the exact configuration that you see. All parts of the gun number. It has been owned by several prominent collectors, including Gary Garbrecht and at some point was also fitted with an 8.375" post-war 357 barrel that is also numbered to the gun.

The box, on the other hand is only the 2nd small box that I have ever seen in person. The box is most likely not "correct" for a 1st year vintage gun, and in fact, the number on the bottom of the box indicates that it shipped with a post-war 3.5" 357 in the S76XXX SN range. But it is so cool to have a short box with a short gun that I have now paired the two together.

Unfortunately, RM 649 it is one of my favorites and currently not for sale at any price (by the pound, or otherwise).;) But on the bright side (both literally and figuratively) I can share a couple of closer-up photos from today's shoot:



 
boykinlp said:
I know this may be a difficult question, but.......Which is your favorite and how about some closer up pictures of it showing why it is your favorite?
Click to expand...

You are correct, that selecting a favorite is a difficult choice and it varies from day to day and week to week. Several are relatively uncommon barrel lengths, one of them is part of a relatively complete package (box, tools, paperwork, brochure, extra sight, certificate) and it will always be one of my favorites, just because it is rare to find a package so complete. Several of them are 99%+ in condition and that makes them fun to take out, polish up and put back in their case.

BUT - right now, at this very moment, a couple of my "box-less RM's" not pictured above are my favorites.

First is RM 3261. It is an 8.375" barrel and was shipped to the King Sight Co in November 1937. It sports a King front sight and a Cock-Eyed Hammer (most likely done by King). It was refinished sometime in its history and is currently fitted with a set of Keith Brown Kearsarge style carved stocks. It also has a threaded hole drilled in the back of the trigger guard for the fitting of a trigger stop. It is far from the most beautiful RM that I own, but it is the FIRST RM that I ever owned and the first long-barreled S&W that I ever owned. As such, it started my addiction with RM's and long-tubed revolvers. Here are some older stock photos of the gun in front of the box for my 7" RM:





My Second Favorite of the Day is also box-less. RM 2102 also shipped to a "King". In this case it shipped to Dr. R. M. King, of the Dedham, MA Police Department in March 1937. It left the factory as a 6.5" gun, but somewhere along the way, someone shortened the barrel to 5". It currently sports a set of KB Ropers. I purchased this gun with a letter for the SN of the gun, which showed it shipping on my father's birthday in May. Sadly, when I received the gun and the letter, the SN was correct on the letter but the REG number on the letter was not (Roy researches and drafts his RM letters based on the REG number). I re-lettered the gun using the correct REG number, and Roy stated that the gun was shipped in March to Dr. King. Furthermore, when I received and inspected the gun, I found a very slight ring/bulge in the barrel about one inch from the rear of the barrel. The inexperienced seller had no idea of either the barrel bulge or the REG number mix up. He was great to work with and we came to an agreement that resulted in a few $'s coming back my direction and me keeping the gun (we both ended up being happy).

The reason that this is one of my current favorites is that I shoot the heck out of this gun. It has one of the nicest actions of any of my guns and when I do my part, it will send a steady diet of .38 specials down range with surprising accuracy. Once again, not the prettiest to look at and not the most "righteous", but I have No reservations at all about shooting it. Here are a couple of Glamour Shots (better looking in the photos than in person) in front of the same box for my 7" RM:





There you go - my Favorites for the Day.:)
 
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RKmesa said:
You are correct, that selecting a favorite is a difficult choice and it varies from day to day and week to week.

BUT - right now, at this very moment, a couple of my "box-less RM's" not pictured above are my favorites.
Click to expand...

Great choices. I think it is so cool that with all the "perfection" in your collection, your favorites at this moment are not perfect. They are, of course, more than perfect in my eyes. Also, what a way to start out your "long tom S&W" collection. KB's grips add imeasureably to the package. Seeing guns like these, and the ones from the other displays at the recent show, that have been shown lately is why I love this place so much. If not for the forum, where else would the average joe (me) be able to see such guns on a regular basis? Thanks.
 
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