I have one, and another on on the way. The first pistol is the 1st. mod. DA in .44 Russian with a 5" barrel. Obviously a re-blue and probably a complete refurb, given it's condition. Essentially, it looks like a factory fresh pistol. The second one shows some wear, but the grips are very interesting. I doubt they're home made, but if these were marketed as after market grips, I love to know who and where.

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The 44 Russian butt-frame is almost identical to the K frame round-butt frame. The only difference is that the front toe on the 44 is square, but rounded on the Model 1899. The factory made very few target stocks for the Models 1899 & 1902, but yours could be factory, since there were at least two styles made. Yours could have been a third????

Your stocks have the concave top rounds, fine early K frame checkering, with diamonds, but without the two screw design of other stocks. The K frame target stocks I have seen were a very similar shape, and some had a extension on the upper rear of the stocks. There were at least two sets of these early target stocks. First are as a prior post by Mike Priwer with checkering pattern like the NM3, with the rear extension. Second, was checkering as Mike's show, but without rear extension, but I have no pictures of those. Late 44 DAs were sold overlapping with early K frames in those early years and could have seen more patterns. If you have not done so, maybe get a letter??

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Thank you! I don't receive the pistol until Wed. but I'll take more and better pics at that time. I'm torn whether I should keep it or move it along.

Well! The newest one arrived today and I'm elated and saddened. The condition is phenomenal. The bore and chambers are near as can be to pristine. There is, sadly, a mechanical issue. The sear is worn so in single action the hammer can be gently touched and persuaded to fall. I believe those in the know call it "force off" or "push off". Also, the serial number on the barrel latch doesn't match the frame and cylinder. But those grips are lovely and unlike anything I've seen before. Anyway, I'll let the pics tell the story.

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Exmilcop, I suspect the rear sear (single action sear) is bad. It's possible that the hammer sear is no good, but the rear sear is usually the culprit. Remove the rear sear and replace it with a new one from Jack First Gun Parts in South Dakota (66 USD + ship). A photo of your existing hammer/rear sear would help with your patient's diagnosis.

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Mike Maher #283

As I look at the style and workmanship on those stocks, I am thinking custom post-factory work. Obviously perfectly fitted to the gun, but without the serial number being on the front strap, unlikely that the factory made them. The factory was all about symmetry, but that half-diamond on the bottom of the checkering is not aligned with the diamond above, and checkering is not completed around the bottom of the pattern.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Upon closer examination, I've discovered that the barrel is 6-1/2" not the 6" I had thought. I think I'm going to pop for the S&W letter as I have a theory. Given that the barrel latch serial doesn't match the cylinder and frame, it's possible that this started life as a target model, but someone (for whatever reason) decided to turn another pistol into a target configuration by adding the target model front and rear sights taken from this pistol and swapped the parts. I'll see what S&W has to say. Also, I was told that maybe the barrel is not original to the frame and that may be why the serial # is different on the barrel latch. Where is the serial # on the barrel? Thank you all for your input.

You are probably correct. Unfortunately, Jack First Gun Parts doesn't ship out to the US and I'm in the great white north. What are the odds some kind soul in the states would buy if for me and ship it up here?

Looking from the rear at the top-strap while the revolver is open, lift up the latch and look closely at the rear of the top strap between the "ears". If the number is high, you will find some of the serial number on the left side of the top-latch and the rest on the right side.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Found it! Thank you all! The serials match on the barrel, frame, and cylinder, so the only mismatch is the serial on the actual barrel latch. I had a fear that this may have been a case where a nice forward section of a pistol was mated to a good frame. I've seen that before. It's nice to know that this isn't the case.

Don't we all wish Smith would make these again....they'd sell...

Up here, they sell like hotcakes!! Our looney-left "Liberal" government has been waging a concerted war against firearms owners by more and more restrictive legislation. They've just announced a new round of banned firearms. None of their new laws impact the criminal element at all but that doesn't seem to matter to them whatsoever. *UPDATE*! The gent who sold me the pistol was kind enough to order the new sear from Jack First and ship it to me. After some fiddlin' and cussin', I found the push off was a combination of wear on both the sear and hammer notch. I carefully reprofiled the hammer notch, replaced the original sear, and now it works like a charm. The pistol is in phenomenal condtition for its age.

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