Model 2 army prototype

[Dan M]

Got to spend yesterdaay morning with opoefc and Clem M. over in California. Ed always has an amazing gun for me to see and handle. I told Ed I would post this along with his description.
Here ya go Ed

thanks
Dan

"Recently found in a old collection in the midwest. Now in the collection of Forum member Ed Cornett. This is the prototype for the Model 2 Army. It is hand made (not a forging), probably by Daniel B. Wesson, circa 1859-60.

It's like a scaled up size of the Model One, 2nd issue. Several features are present that were not used in the later production models. The grip frame is 3/16th in. shorter than later standard production models, the stocks are much thinner than later production, the barrel has 6 lands & grooves instead of 5 for later guns. Condition of the bore is excellent, indicating little use, other than perhaps test firing. The cylinder pin is longer than standard, and later cylinders will not fit this prototype.

No serial number on butt, however a number 1 is stamped on the left grip frame, rear of the barrel, rear of the cylinder, back side of the right grip panel and on the inside of the sideplate and the bottom left side of the hammer. All screw threads are the S&W proprietary type, used only by S&W. All screws will interchange with later production guns.

These "1s" are the assembly number. While S&W assembly numbers are not usually assigned to any particular worker, it is believed that No. 1 was used only by D.B.Wesson, or a worker under his supervision. The gun has never been blued or plated and is in the white, with 160 years of patina.

It has the S&W standard barrel rib stamping and the 3 patent dates on the cylinder. These were probably added at some later date when the factory sold off this gun, as they were not necessary for a prototype. Prototypes for earlier S&W were made from hardwood and a model maker outside the factory made them for S&W. No wooden model has ever been found for the Model 2 Army.

A small display of this gun, with photos of the gun compared to Model 2 Army, serial number 2, showing the markings and differences between the prototype and the production gun, was displayed at the recent S&WCA meeting in Troy, MI. A close examination of the gun by noted Model 2 authority, Ron Curtis, as well as Roy Jinks, and other advanced collectors, indicate the gun is, in all probability, the Model 2 Army prototype gun. Having no serial number, there is no shipping record in the archives, of course. Ron Curtis's forthcoming book will contain a detailed description of this prototype, as well as information on the Model 2 Army, heretofore unpublished, and will be a Must Have book for S&W collectors."

[Doc44]

I saw the gun at our annual meeting in Troy, MI. Very cool indeed!!

Bill

[moosedog]

I was fortunate enough to be able to see that one up close at the Troy meeting. A very interesting and historical firearm indeed.
Thanks for sharing that with us.

[pace40]

We spoke at length about this in Troy, Ed.

Nice to see it again. Thanks for posting it, Dan.

[opoefc]

Dan, Thanks for the great photo spread and posting my dialog about the gun. I think the Forum members will enjoy the pics and info. You can make a life time occupation out of photoing the S&W goodies in Clem's henhouse( aka: Gun Room!) Bring the camera again and I will dig out some things that never were, but here they are! Ed.

[Dan M]

Hey Ed,

I Spent the afternoon out at Clems yesterday. What a great collection he has. Amazing stuff. I will be going back out there sometime in next couple weeks. Lets see if we cant hook up again then.

Dan

[opoefc]

Dan, I was busy yesterday building a new computer and installing it, then spent the day getting all the usual bugs out of any new installation. You gotta give me a couple days heads up when you are going to the "Black Hole of Holtville." (That's Clem's henhouse & pigeon roost, where all the great S&Ws end up, never to see the light of day again!) You need me there to interpret what each gun really is as Clem has no idea. he justs buy whatever I tell him to. There are guns there that people will tell you never existed, but here they are! You just have to shoo the pigeons off the piles of guns and dig down. The stacks of boxed registered magnums are at about knee level, then under that are the cased Iron frames, but the mice are eating the linings in the cases. Becareful you don't turn the combo on the dozen, or so, safe knobs, as they are currently set to open without turning the knobs. The combos have long since been lost, so if the door locks, you are in deep doo doo. Be careful, however of opening any of the safe doors, as all those safes are like Fibber Magee's closet - jammed full of guns. You can get buried up to your eyeballs if they start to slide. Here's a test: Look for the S&W cannon. It's somewhere in the black hole - Clem says it used to guard the front door of the factory in the Civil War. It was chained to the ground to keep the enemy from turning it around and shooting at the front door. Clem has the S&W padlock ( size of a Frisbie) used to lock the chain, in his office, but lost the key somewhere around the ranch. I have the powder can for the powder to fire the cannon balls. The only other cannon , that I know of, Roy Jinks made about 15 yrs ago. It fired potatos and used hair spray for ignition. There was a competition between factory departmnet to make the best device to fire potatos. Roy's cannon won and he auctioned it off at our next annual meeting. I wanted to buy it, but thought it might be too much trouble to explain to the airline why I was carrying a cannon on board as it was too big to go in my checked baggage. Ed.

[Dan M]

LOL Ed,

Yes we have been through the safes and I understand your warnings. I got to see the Wesson Firearms Co. Double Barrel Shotgun that is talked about on page 334 of the Std Catalog of S&W, this past trip. WoW. He definately has museum quality stuff out there. One of these days I am going to catalog his stuff for him along with pictures . I figure it will take at least 2 weeks (hopefully in the Winter). I will ask to see the Cannon next trip.

Dan

[twaits]

Ed are you speaking literally of this "henhouse and pigeon roost"?
I have this really strange image in my head now. Sounds like something out of the twilight zone. Who is this fellow and whats his background?
How did he end up with all of these fine guns? The way the description sounds they are in rusty piles in an old shed!

[Dan M]

twaits,

I saw nothing rusty, only beautiful old guns and such. this person is one of the early members of SWCA and has won many awards for his dislays of fine Smith & Wesson firearms. Ed likes to poke fun at ole Clem. I will say this, I would be changing the location of my collection if they were mine, and I know Clem has started some of the Organization that his collection lacks at this time. It is a HUGE undertaking, trust Me.

Dan

[opoefc]

twaits, Clem is an old time collector of S&Ws and other fine firearms, who is fortunate enough to have the financial wherewithall to buy anything he wants, but is wise enough to get advice from his experts S&W friends on whether an item is eligible to join his collection. When he buys, he buys, and he never sells, so we call his collection the Black Hole of Holtville, as guns go in but never come out! He is on all the big dealers & auctions VIP lists.

Rust is not a problem in Holtville, it's probably the driest area of the USA. Dans offer to photo & catalog the accumulation is very generous, it will be a lot of work. Plans are underway to get construction drawings and estimates to build a separate gun room, air conditioned & climate controlled, etc. Combining that with a detailed inventory & photos will be a great step forward, as it has always been a problem locating where to look for a particular gun that i know was purchased at one time, but has disappeared into the Black Hole. Security is not a concern as there are packs of pit bulls 24/7, land mines & IEDs all over the ranch! Ed.

[twaits]

Thanks for the clarification guys. Sounds like a very interesting fellow.
Will any of his interesting items make it onto a photo thread here?
I'd love to see some of that stuff!