Family heirloom

[daveboy]

Here is my .44 Special that I inherited from my father. He got it from his father, who got it from an uncle (sorry for the family tree) who was a lawman. Story is that a drunken, card-playing gambler didn't want to cash out when my uncle ordered the game shut down. That was the last mistake the gambler ever made. Not sure if any others met their maker thanks to this piece.

I am pretty sure it was refinished at some point (it wore this finish when carried by my uncle), because I don't think S&W nickled the trigger and hammer.

Can anyone tell me the approximate date it was made? Also, I added these stocks because it came to me with a Hogue monogrip (ugh) and I added these cheap replacements. What would the original stocks have been? S/N is 31857.

I've fired a few cylinders full, and she is pretty sweet.

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[StrawHat]

I believe it would have come with Service Stocks but wait for a 44 Soecialist to come along. They KNOW this stuff!

Kevin

 

[22hipower]

Those 3rd Model 44 Wolf & Klars are much loved here. I have SN 28757 which was shipped in April 1927 to Wolf & Klar in Fort Worth. Yours likely went to Wolf & Klar too although perhaps a year or two later. If it shipped in 1930 or later it would have had stocks like these with the medallions. My four inch, SN 38302, left the factory in 1931 so I suspect yours was before 1930.

You'll need a letter to know exactly when it shipped and it will tell you where it shipped to as well and perhaps a description of the stocks.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

https://flic.kr/p/2nPnxgE https://www.flickr.com/photos/194934231@N03/

If it shipped before 1930 it would have had non-medallion stocks like this one.

https://flic.kr/p/2pMx6wx https://www.flickr.com/photos/194934231@N03/

And if the original owner was feeling flush it might have left W&K with Wolf & Klar's signature mother of pearl carved stocks regardless of what stocks shipped on it from the factory.

https://flic.kr/p/2pMtT2c https://www.flickr.com/photos/194934231@N03/

 

[quinn]

To add to Jeff's stock options, W&K also offered smooth mother of pearl stocks (no steerhead), carved ivory, or one of the more common ones was the jigged bone (poor man's stag).

If you look inside the ejector rod shoud, if there is a "B" in front of the serial number, the gun would have shipped finished in blue. No "B" means the guns shipped nickel. These guns were favorites of lawmen as the shroud protected the ejector rod from getting bent as a result of a little head knocking.

Shown here is a W&K 3rd model 44 with jigged bone grips and the W&k Plain and Fancy Mexican holsters for which they were also famous.

 

[stansdds]

I agree, it looks like it was refinished. The sharp edges do not look all that sharp in the images. It's still a handsome revolver and really no reason to not shoot it, just take good care of it as it has a lot of sentimental value.

 

[daveboy]

Those 3rd Model 44 Wolf & Klars are much loved here. I have SN 28757 which was shipped in April 1927 to Wolf & Klar in Fort Worth. Yours likely went to Wolf & Klar too although perhaps a year or two later. If it shipped in 1930 or later it would have had stocks like these with the medallions. My four inch, SN 38302, left the factory in 1931 so I suspect yours was before 1930.

You'll need a letter to know exactly when it shipped and it will tell you where it shipped to as well and perhaps a description of the stocks.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

https://flic.kr/p/2nPnxgE https://www.flickr.com/photos/194934231@N03/

If it shipped before 1930 it would have had non-medallion stocks like this one.

https://flic.kr/p/2pMx6wx https://www.flickr.com/photos/194934231@N03/

And if the original owner was feeling flush it might have left W&K with Wolf & Klar's signature mother of pearl carved stocks regardless of what stocks shipped on it from the factory.

https://flic.kr/p/2pMtT2c https://www.flickr.com/photos/194934231@N03/

That's all great info. Thanks!

 

[daveboy]

Well, you've definitely given me something to think about. When I got the gun it had some sort of old, stag-like grips on it. But, they didn't seem to fit right, and thinking they were added later, I replaced them with the cheap, white plastic until I could determine what it would originally have had. Maybe I need to dig out those old grips and take a closer look at them.

 

[handejector]

Maybe I need to dig out those old grips and take a closer look at them.

Show them to us!
Very neat to have such a great heirloom. It is definitely refinished, but the buffing job is WAY above average.

 

[daveboy]

Show them to us!
Very neat to have such a great heirloom. It is definitely refinished, but the buffing job is WAY above average.

Well, it's been years since I saw those old grips and I wasn't sure I still had them. I got my hopes up that they might have been valuable! But, I dug them up and they appear to be cheap plastic.

 

[daveboy]

If you look inside the ejector rod shoud, if there is a "B" in front of the serial number, the gun would have shipped finished in blue. No "B" means the guns shipped nickel.

Well, there is no 'B' in front of the S/N in the shroud. So, I guess this gun has a factory nickel finish? I only questioned the finish because the trigger and hammer are also nickeled and I was under the assumption that S&W left them unfinished. If that assumption is correct, I guess this gun would have been refinished at some point. And, it does appear to me that the some of the stampings don't appear as deep as they should, probably the result of aggressive polishing during the refinish.

 

[daveboy]

Here is a display case I made for it. I reload, so I loaded some empty cases with bullets only for the display. I got a pair of handcuffs to add. My dad was a reserve deputy sheriff for a short time, and I added his badge to the display.

Thanks for all your help with the answers you've given. BTW, she shoots really sweet, too.

 

[D Brown]

Here is a display case I made for it. I reload, so I loaded some empty cases with bullets only for the display. I got a pair of handcuffs to add. My dad was a reserve deputy sheriff for a short time, and I added his badge to the display.

Thanks for all your help with the answers you've given. BTW, she shoots really sweet, too.

Your display is nice, but to make it more period correct I suggest you load some cast or swaged lead bullets. Back in the day, jacketed revolver bullets were not very common.

 

[Bald1]

Great display. I'm sure you're proud to own it.

 

[Dosgatos]

Here are two more Wolf & Klars which will get you a bit closer to the date of yours. The scratched-up one is 34451 and dates to 3/30, the bottom one is 29179 and dates to 4/27. The gold medallion grips are incorrect - I suspect they came from a triple lock. The letter states it shipped to Wolf & Klar with silver medallions.

 

[handejector]

Well, there is no 'B' in front of the S/N in the shroud. So, I guess this gun has a factory nickel finish? I only questioned the finish because the trigger and hammer are also nickeled and I was under the assumption that S&W left them unfinished. If that assumption is correct, I guess this gun would have been refinished at some point. And, it does appear to me that the some of the stampings don't appear as deep as they should, probably the result of aggressive polishing during the refinish.

Your gun was originally nickel. Nickel 44-3rd Models are quite common. W&K ordered somewhere near 50% of them in nickel. Your gun has definitely been refinished. That is not unusual for working guns when they got scruffy looking. Yours may be done in chrome. It has the whiter look of chrome.
Correct on hammers and triggers- they were always case colored.
{Some 'expert' will probably chime in that they did plate them on special order. Right- I know of one gun that is documented with a plated hammer and trigger.}

 

[Tom K]

Here's a similar .44 HE Third Model that I acquired from a Forum member in 2015. It shipped July 5, 1932 to W&K, SN 41332. There is no "B" in the ejector rod housing, so likely it was originally nickel (although has obviously been refinished). It came to me with modern Altamont imitation ivory grips, which I think suit it pretty well.

 

[raljr1]

Here is mine. Refinished like many others, action is smooth as glass. It came to me with fake pearls which I swapped out for this set of aftermarket grips that I like. If the finish was original I might have sprung for original grips. Shoots well, target was at 25 feet indoors. And only 5 shots because that is all this club allows to load, no matter the firearm. Sn 28616 shipped March 1927...

Sorry, Tom, for forgetting protocol.

Robert

 

[Hawg Rider]

That's a nice .44 HE 3rd Model (W&K Model of 1926), daveboy! And a great story! Lots of W&K fans here on the Forum, and a lot of good information about those revolvers. I picked up a 4" nickel one a few years ago at a local gun show for $900, which included a letter from Mr. Jinx, incorrect stocks, and incorrect mahogany presentation case. But I figure the stocks, letter and case are worth around $350 so I got the W&K for about $550. My W&K was modified sometime back in the day when the original half moon front sight was removed and a barrel rib and Baughman front sight were added. The revolver was then re-nickeled. Mine (s/n 29803) was shipped in May 1927. I asked Phil Grashorn to make a set of elk antler stocks for me, which I later "aged" with some dyes. Since your family heirloom has some great provenance, you might want to consider obtaining a S&W letter to include in your display case. Enjoy!

 

[daveboy]

Your display is nice, but to make it more period correct I suggest you load some cast or swaged lead bullets. Back in the day, jacketed revolver bullets were not very common.

Yes, I know you are right. I also have some cast. 44 slugs so I don't know why I did that. When I finally get the correct grips, I will correct that also.

 

[daveboy]

Here's a similar .44 HE Third Model that I acquired from a Forum member in 2015. It shipped July 5, 1932 to W&K, SN 41332. There is no "B" in the ejector rod housing, so likely it was originally nickel (although has obviously been refinished). It came to me with modern Altamont imitation ivory grips, which I think suit it pretty well.

I like those grips quite a bit, too.