World's Smallest S&W Collection

[DARE]

1. Model of 1905, 3rd change, Target model. Shipped May 1913. Has German proof marks. Probably shipped to a German importer. No SN on the grips. Did they do that when this gun was manufactured? Also looks to me like the Model of 1905 was one of the 1st 5 screw S&Ws? Have ordered a letter for this gun.

2. Pre-war K-22. Nice gun, grips match, shipped April 1937.

3. .357 Magnum Reg. #657. Shipped Dec 24, 1935. Probably belonged to Texas Ranger and FBI agent James C (Doc) White. Have a letter and S&WHF documents. Grips mismatched. Having a set of magna stocks made for the gun.

4. Model of 1955 .22/32 airweight kit gun. Grips match. Shipped July 1955. My dad got S&W to add RRWO sights to the gun.

5. Pre 39 SN 1313. Shipped Nov 1955. My dad liked the number 13. He ordered a Seecamp 32 with this SN and his friend at Seecamp sent him this gun also.

6. Model 53 shipped May 1961. My dad always liked the 22 Jet.

Got all of these guns from my father. Had some others I probably should have kept, but pared it down to six.

 

[Welder1]

Good choices and awesome that they came from your dad.

 

[delcrossv]

Nice pieces! I clicked on here thinking it would be an M frame thread.

 

[SS336]

Looks like a great collection to me. Everyone a great S&W handgun.
I would take anyone of those revolvers instead of 10 modern SS ones.

 

[robvious]

that is an enviable half dozen

 

[USBP SW]

A father and son with very good taste! They are all works of art, congratulations!

 

[merl67]

Every one on here probably started with one. Small your collection might be, but your dad had really good taste. I'd say for a starter collection much better than ones I started with.

 

[Waveski]

...your dad had really good taste.

He certainly did.
If your collection expands no further you can and should quite satisfied.

 

[RKmesa]

Some of my favorite guns in that fine collection.

Thanks for sharing,

 

[22shtur]

small collection

You pared down to a nice collection. Congratulations on that achievement.

 

[RKmesa]

1. Model of 1905, 3rd change, Target model. Shipped May 1913... No SN on the grips. Did they do that when this gun was manufactured?

In 1913, the factory was writing the SN on the inside of one of the grip panels (I think it was the right grip) in pencil. Over the years, pencil fades. Sometimes if you remove the grip panel and hold it in just the right light, you can still see the pencil numbers.

Good luck,

 

[rct269]

With your Model of 1905 3rd Change, you may have the dubious distinction of owning a revolver carrying the "Large Screw Spring Up" rear sight----pretty much a cinch if the number is over 195504 (and under 379988). All is not lost, however, because some of them actually work as intended. (I had three of these things in my collection. One was way too strong, one was way too weak, and one was just about perfect----kind of like the Three Bears).

All rear sights before and after this one were raised raised and lowered by what I'll call a jack screw. This sight is raised by the power of the spring which serves as the tang---or leaf (the post of the T). It was curved slightly, and tempered (as a spring). It was held in place the same as all others---with a small screw towards the front; but held down at the rear by a large head cap screw which also screwed into the frame. The sight was raised by loosening this cap screw which allowed the rear of the sight to rise----assuming there was enough spring power in the tang (rather often not the case). This frequent failure was in use for an astounding 12 years, owing to S&W's slavish obsession with using up stock on hand before making a change. I'm told the typical 10% of production being target models shrunk to 2% during this period---a sad state of affairs.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[StrawHat]

Nice pieces! I clicked on here thinking it would be an M frame thread.

Nope, that is your thread to start!

Kevin

 

[s&wchad]

Wow, your dad had great taste in guns! That's quite a collection…

 

[gkitch]

Is that a 5" barrel on the Registered Magnum?

 

[DARE]

.

Thanks, Richard. I see some very faint pencil on the right grip, but cannot read the number. Are the gold medallions correct for 1913?

Thanks, Ralph. SN 210874. Here is a pic of the rear sight (top view).

Yes, gkitch. 5" barrel and McGivern gold bead front sight on the RM.

 

[glowe]

With your Model of 1905 3rd Change, you may have the dubious distinction of owning a revolver carrying the "Large Screw Spring Up" rear sight----pretty much a cinch if the number is over 195504 (and under 379988).

Ralph Tremaine

I have always found this topic of interest, mainly because there are so many exceptions to this rule. I learned years ago from Ralph how to adjust the "2 screw" rear sight. Apparently, over time, the single screw rear sight would drift out of adjustment and so the second screw was added that I call a jam screw, since it jams the threads of the elevation screw to keep it from turning, so keeps everything in place. As I look through my target revolvers, I can find only one example with 2 screws and it is way later than Ralph's serial number range. All I have from 1905 up to 1925 just have the single screw, sometimes the screw is big and sometimes it is small.

Ralph's serial numbers relate to production from around 1911 to 1921. I have a few made in that time-frame and all are single screw, possibly due to excess inventory of rear sight assemblies. it is interesting to note that I have a pair of K22 Outdoorsman's revolvers, one first year 1931 and the other shipped in 1936. The first has the single screw and the second has the 2 screw adjustment rear sight. This, of course changed in 1940, when the re-designed K22 Masterpiece came out with the micrometer adjustment screw.

Anyway, an interesting bit of minutiae from S&W old-time design changes to constantly try new (or old) things to make their revolvers shoot straighter.

 

[RKmesa]

Thanks, Richard. I see some very faint pencil on the right grip, but cannot read the number. Are the gold medallions correct for 1913?

For a hand ejector shipped in 1913, I believe the gold medallions would be the period correct grips.

 

[rct269]

Thanks, Richard. I see some very faint pencil on the right grip, but cannot read the number. Are the gold medallions correct for 1913?

Thanks, Ralph. SN 210874. Here is a pic of the rear sight (top view).

Yes, gkitch. 5" barrel and McGivern gold bead front sight on the RM.

Count your blessings(!!!)------and buy a lottery ticket---you have the preceding sight---not perfect, but way better than what you could've had.

Actually (if there are any sight nuts in the audience), the first perfect sight came along in 1932----the so-called "two screw" sight. It was perfect only because it won't shoot loose (if you set it up correctly to begin with)---and it only took them 50 years to get the job done.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[DARE]

Thanks, etc.

Thanks, Gary.
Thanks, Richard
Thanks, Ralph

I always learn a lot in one of these threads. Lots of knowledge in this group. Here is a pic of the rear sight on my K-22 shipped in 1937. Same as on your 1936 gun, Gary?