the most beautiful ever built

[ENNE-FRAME]

My Smith & Wesson collection started in the far 1989.
As soon as I managed to get my concealed carry license I started collecting SW, the first purchase was a 629 4", followed immediately after by a 29-2 with a 6.5" barrel... I soon realized that they were never enough for me and I bought a 629 3"...
I'm a big, massive man and I really liked making a lot of noise shooting to the gas cans (empty of course) at more than a hundred meters in double action and with a full charge, of course.
I've never liked shooting at a sheet of paper, just the first few drums to zeroing the sights with the right reloded ammo, then that's it.
How well carried the 6.5" well with its nice long barrel tucked into the trousers with the nice tight belt keeping it in place... without the holster it was perfect, you couldn't see anything and it never fell over with its 17 centimeter of steel inside the waistband.
It's been 35 years now and I own much more now.
I love them all.
But some are special.
They know how to speak directly to my soul, addressing it on a first-name basis.
Tastes evolve and the essence of some special object is captured, because you understand that it is not just forged steel, but has a history and a soul, the soul of those who built it, conceived it, invented it.
Choose just one, and make the effort to tell me which one is the most beautiful Smith & Wesson ever built.
For me the most beautiful Smith & Wesson ever built is Smith & Wesson 44 Hand Ejector 1st Model New Century blue finish, The Triple Lock.
Say me the yours

(sorry for my English, I think it's not very fluent)

 

[Claymore33]

Gun ownership in Italy

Can any civilian own guns in Italy ?

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

Can any civilian own guns in Italy ?

According to the latest census there should be around 10 million weapons out of a total of 20 million adult males. Are 58 million inhabitants that Italy has, including minors and women.
If you have not committed crimes of violence, the gun license is easy to obtain, just a little long due to the bureaucracy, about 2 months. The only banned firearms are the full auto and the suppressor.
Small example of how many weapons there are in circulation, look at this site to buy and sell used weapons, there are many other sites like this, I selected Smith & Wesson with 1800 firearms listed today, instead if you select used rifles more than 15000 ads, will be displayed only on this site, think also in the others sites how many legal firearms are on the civil market outside of the gunshops.
Just a moment...

 

[tlawler]

My Smith & Wesson collection started in the far 1989.
As soon as I managed to get my concealed carry license I started collecting SW, the first purchase was a 629 4", followed immediately after by a 29-2 with a 6.5" barrel... I soon realized that they were never enough for me and I bought a 629 3"...
I'm a big, massive man and I really liked making a lot of noise shooting to the gas cans (empty of course) at more than a hundred meters in double action and with a full charge, of course.
How well carried the 6.5" well with its nice long barrel tucked into your trousers with the nice tight belt keeping it in place... without the holster it was perfect, you couldn't see anything and it never fell over with its 17 centimeter of steel inside the waistband.
It's been 35 years now and I own many now,
I love them all
but some are special
they know how to speak directly to my soul, addressing it on a first-name basis
Tastes evolve and the essence of some special object is captured, because you understand that it is not just forged steel, but has a history and a soul, the soul of those who built it, conceived it, invented it.
Choose just one, and make the effort to tell me which one is the most beautiful Smith & Wesson ever built.
For me the most beautiful Smith & Wesson ever built is Smith & Wesson 44 Hand Ejector 1st Model New Century blue finish, The Triple Lock.
Say me the yours

(sorry for my English, I think it's not very fluent)

That is a beautiful revolver! Hard to say which S&W revolver would hold the title of most beautiful, but the TL is certainly high on the list.

 

[OutAtTheEdge]

Like asking a father which is his favorite child. Still, if I was forced to choose from among the guns I own, I'd say it's this beautiful 5" nickel .38 M&P 1905 4th Change.

There's just something about that 5" barrel...

 

[lestert357]

Hard to argue with that post OP, in fact so hard that it deserves better than a thumbnail…..

But I happen to think that my 1948 vintage 8-1/2” .357 Magnum Transitional is the most beautiful ever built and the pinnacle of .357 Magnum production…..

Photo credits - Salt Lake Collectibles

Having said that I know that RKmesa will post something that will blow all of our socks away.[emoji1]

 

[Truckman]

they know how to speak directly to my soul, addressing it on a first-name basis

How well I know the feeling, Marcello...Some of them start speaking to me as I walk through the front doors of gun shows and gun stores...At times they are fairly screaming in my ear for attention, leaping into my hands begging to be adopted...

Such was the case with this 3 1/2" Model of 1950 .44 Target when I saw it with some of its 4" and 6 1/2" brothers under glass as an estate display...A sort of homely, yet dignified critter even with its finish-challenged appearance...The thing wouldn't leave me alone as it whined and whimpered on the table, and as I held it in my hand it let out a contented sigh...How could I refuse?...So to make it economically possible, I worked a deal for it, two of its 4" brothers and a 6 1/2", all early fifties vintage...

After sending off to SWHF for its pedigree, I learned it was a single gun order (suggesting someone knew exactly what he wanted), but it left the factory with a 5" barrel and Baughman Quick-Draw sight, after being cut from a 6 1/2" barrel with Patridge sight for an additional charge of $10.50...Strangely enough after being owned in this configuration for two years it was sent back to the factory to be converted to its third barrel length, the present 3 1/2" with the addition of the red sight insert...

At some point in its career, its original square butt Magna grips were altered to the familiar PC (Plain Clothes) contour favored for undercover carry by many detectives...The grips still carry their original stamped serial number same as the gun...This owner apparently liked a wider trigger also, and installed a grooved trigger shoe which I have left on the gun...

My research on this one has left me at a dead end following its delivery to the JT Lloyd Company in Little Rock, as I have not been able to trace its ownership after that...I suspect being a single gun order, it may have gone to a ranking law enforcement officer (maybe a Chief of Detectives?) or maybe a businessman accustomed to carrying large amounts of cash...The research on that continues...

According to input from other more knowledgeable people than me, only 6 other guns of the 1950 .44 Target variety left the factory with 3 1/2" barrels, all of them on one government order...This little fellow is now begging me to start carrying it on me in the holsters I already use for my 3 1/2" .38/44 HD, but I'm a little hesitant as I don't want to start any quarrelling among the safe residents as to who accompanies me on my outings, and not being as strong as I once was, I can't carry all 100+ at once......Ben

 

[H Richard]

I'm rather partial to the 3 1/2" Pre 27's.

 

[Imissedagain]

"My English is not very good looking."
Celia Cruz?

 

[quinn]

Hard to chose one, but there is a difference between beauty and character. So, in the "factory" beauty category, this is mine: a lettered pre 27 pinoto, literally new in the box and shipped to Rex Firearms.

 

[StrawHat]

…(sorry for my English, I think it's not very fluent)

Your English is fine, you get your point across. Much better than the Italian I learned from Dean Martin.

…
but some are special
they know how to speak directly to my soul, addressing it on a first-name basis
…

This is the one that spoke to me!

And this is what I saw it become.

So, yes, I get what you are saying.

Kevin

 

[Tiger2Tank]

Neat thread. Probably around the 1992 time frame I owned a “Dirty Harry” S&W .44 magnum. I really liked it and it shot well. I traded it for a Desert Eagle .44 magnum at the time. At the time, I wasn’t a “type collector”, just bought guns to shoot. I figured a semi auto .44 mag with more rounds was a better choice than a revolver. I wished I had never traded that S&W. It was a really cool handgun.

So, I guess my favorite S&W would be that gun. And!, that type of pistol was Dirty Harry’s. Who couldn’t admire that?

 

[RKmesa]

Lots of beautiful guns out there, and I love all the ones posted above. But I agree with several of the above posters, as there is a huge soft spot in my heart, and a lot of S&W steel in my safe that is convincing evidence (to me) that The .357 Magnum, starting with the Registered Magnums of the 1930s through the 27-2s of the 1970s is THE Most Beautiful Revolver ever built. I like all barrel lengths, but the 3.5" and the 8"+ barrel length are my favorites. Here is one of each that shows their beauty.

A 1959 3.5"er Factory Engraved by Siegfried Rentzschke:





... and a 1951 Waffen-Bock Engraved 8 3/8" beauty once owned by famous trick shooter Ernie Lind (just a few photos as I have not officially unveiled her yet):







I am looking forward to the guns that others share.

 

[mrcvs]

My Smith & Wesson collection started in the far 1989.
As soon as I managed to get my concealed carry license I started collecting SW, the first purchase was a 629 4", followed immediately after by a 29-2 with a 6.5" barrel... I soon realized that they were never enough for me and I bought a 629 3"...
I'm a big, massive man and I really liked making a lot of noise shooting to the gas cans (empty of course) at more than a hundred meters in double action and with a full charge, of course.
How well carried the 6.5" well with its nice long barrel tucked into your trousers with the nice tight belt keeping it in place... without the holster it was perfect, you couldn't see anything and it never fell over with its 17 centimeter of steel inside the waistband.
It's been 35 years now and I own many now,
I love them all
but some are special
they know how to speak directly to my soul, addressing it on a first-name basis
Tastes evolve and the essence of some special object is captured, because you understand that it is not just forged steel, but has a history and a soul, the soul of those who built it, conceived it, invented it.
Choose just one, and make the effort to tell me which one is the most beautiful Smith & Wesson ever built.
For me the most beautiful Smith & Wesson ever built is Smith & Wesson 44 Hand Ejector 1st Model New Century blue finish, The Triple Lock.
Say me the yours

(sorry for my English, I think it's not very fluent)

This is your Triple Lock revolver? Wow!

Condition? Check.
Original box? Check.
Early concave non medallion stocks? Check.

Where did you find it?

 

[mikepriwer]

I'm partial to the shorter-barrel targets. I have several that I like a lot. The one I'm showing here is a 3" 1899 .38 blue target revolver.

Regards, Mike Priwer

 

[22hipower]

Hard to pick a favorite but I suppose my newest favorite is this 29-2 factory engraved pinto by Russ Smith which originally shipped to England in 1965. At least a couple Forum members will recognize it as they were previous owners.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

This is your Triple Lock revolver? Wow!

Condition? Check.
Original box? Check.
Early concave non medallion stocks? Check.

Where did you find it?

Dear mrcvs
no, this Triple Lock is not mine, it is a photo taken on the Web, I own a very nice Triple Lock, in approximately the same condition as the one in the photograph, it is a 455 caliber serial number 3270. I don't have the box.
I'm not capable of taking nice photos with my mobile phone, I'm be able only with a reflex camera on a tripod with auxiliary lights and a limbo backdrop, but it's always too complicated to take a nice photo for a post.
I plan to organize a fixed photographic set soon so I can start publishing my albums with my S&Ws.

 

[RKmesa]

...The one I'm showing here is a 3" 1899 .38 blue target revolver.

Regards, Mike Priwer

Hey Mike,

Are there any roll marks on the top of that barrel?

Thanks,

 

[pasound]

Marcello -
My 1923 6.5" .44 spl HE. Not the prettiest on the planet, and currently wearing different shoes because I don't want to disturb the factory originals. It turns 101 on 9/12/24. Shoots cowboy loads to POA, fixed sights and all. They knew how to build them back then.

 

[Krogen]

I love this group! This is like a beauty pageant! Unfortunately, our contestants can't step up to the mic and tell us all about themselves like a Miss (whatever) does. We've said it before - I wish these guns could talk. Especially those in this pageant.