Nickel "Baby" Chief

[dewidmt]

Gentlepeople, I have come into ownership of what I believe from perusing this forum to be a 1950 "Baby" Chief's Special in factory nickel.
I scored it at today's gun show and I need any info you can give me on it.
It has the requisite 3 "N"s on the barrel flat, cylinder and grip frame. Unfortunately, it's wearing a pair of what look like Jay Scott fake pearls from the 60's...
I will be sending off for a letter of course!

https://ibb.co/JKtyLSw
https://ibb.co/0KzXwHQ
https://ibb.co/88BLG1Q
https://ibb.co/4V9gbwn
https://ibb.co/61MggSs
https://ibb.co/WtLBbsB
https://ibb.co/TvbwnPD
https://ibb.co/C6ZPybX

 

[Engine49guy]

Nice Half Penny fs Baby Chief.
While I lost all my serial data I'm thinking it might be a very early 1951 gun but my memory isnt good so I might be wrong.

Original stocks would have been the taller Magnas and IIRC they would have the short lived plastic grip medallions.

 

[CZU]

Nickel baby's are hard to find, half round front sight examples even harder.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

OP, let me help you out here with those pictures.

 

[quinn]

Jackpot! Doesn't get a whole lot better than that. Congrats Bet the serial is under 3K.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Congratulations. That's a dandy.

Two other nickel Chiefs near yours are 1406 and 1416. They shipped in April and February 1952, respectively.

Thanks for sharing yours with us.

 

[chief38]

Nice score!! I have my Dad's Baby Chiefs from 1951 and it is Factory Nickel as well. Mine was used as his BUG and carried every day of his adult life after retirement so it's not in pristine condition. It is however in perfect mechanical condition. Use it well!! I might have a set of factory I/J frame Diamond grips for it if you're interested. If so PM me and I'll look for them.

 

[JSR III]

That is a beauty and very low 4 digit serial number. I would suggest that you purchase a few lottery tickets as the stars are in line for you apparently!!

 

[dewidmt]

Update: Thanks to chief38, she now wears a set of the correct grips as mentioned in the letter from S&W I received today! (Yay!)

Factory nickel, 15 units shipped to Rex Firearms Inc., New York City on April 21st, 1952. I wonder if all 15 were the nickeled versions? And we wish they could talk and tell us how a pistol shipped to NYC in the 50's ended up in Southern Indiana in the 2020's?

 

[JSR III]

According to your letter they were all shipped in the same configuration. One would think that means finish too. It says that you can get a copy of the invoice as well to complete your information.

 

[pasound]

Factory nickel, 15 units shipped to Rex Firearms Inc., New York City on April 21st, 1952. I wonder if all 15 were the nickeled versions? And we wish they could talk and tell us how a pistol shipped to NYC in the 50's ended up in Southern Indiana in the 2020's?

dewidmt, maybe it was a "go west, young man." They do get around. I have a 1950 M&P .38 that was shipped to Louisville, KY, and ended up in Minnesota, before I bought it from a member of the Ruger forum.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Ah, one of the two I mentioned in my previous post was in the same shipment with yours: s/n 1406.

I highly recommend you send for the invoice.

 

[delcrossv]

This one was shipped to Evaluators Inc. Also a 4 digit s/n.

 

[dewidmt]

pasound, I've got a 1952 M&P with Boston PD backstrap markings lettered to their Ballistics Unit also. Yes, they seemed to migrate West!

 

[handejector]

And we wish they could talk and tell us how a pistol shipped to NYC in the 50's ended up in Southern Indiana in the 2020's?

Planes, trains, and automobiles.....