.455 calibre World War 1 revolver

[bcc]

I inherited a S&W .455 revolver from my grandfather who was an officer in world war one. It is in excellent condition. Does anyone know what this revolver will be worth?

[weyerbacher]

I sold a Webley Mk IV with a six inch barrel in 455 on gunbroker last year and got $800. It did have all matching numbers. Now that I think about it, this post wan't helpful. Sorry.

[Doc Nonverbal]

Bcc,

Welcome to the forum. You've posted in the Classified section, so a moderator will probably move your post to an appropriate section (edit: Wow! That was fast!).

Your best bet for finding the current value of a handgun is probably to check GunBroker and other gun auction sites for recent sales.

My unsolicited $0.02 is to keep it. You have an irreplaceable family heirloom in that revolver. What a fantastic gift that would be to pass along to your children someday. Once you sell it, you lose a piece of your family history forever.

Best wishes,


David

[Pook]

I saw a S&W Hand Ejector No. 2, .455 cal., in a local gunshop a few months ago. As I recall, it was 90 to 95 percent and was $1195.00. I suggest you keep yours. As an heirloom its worth is more than its cash value, IMHO.

[DCWilson]

Welcome to the forum.

There were actually two different .455 Hand Ejector models during WWI. The first model has a heavy shroud under the barrel that encloses the ejector rod. Only 5000 of these were made (round number). The second model has no ejector rod shroud. The British preferred this design because mud and debris could not get stuck in the shroud and tie up the gun. (Trench warfare, remember.) There were about 70,000 units produced in this later design.

The first models are rarer and somewhat pricier.

Check to make sure your grandfather's gun has not been converted to fire .45 Colt and refinished. That happened to a lot of British contract revolvers that were certified for civilian use (they will be covered with proof stamps) and returned to America, where the .455 cartridge was basically not used. These guns have drifted back and forth across national borders over the decades. Some went to Canada.

If you can post pics, we'd all love to see them.

[murphydog]

DC has all the correct information as usual. Its value would be dependent on condition (cosmetic and mechanical) and whether it has been modified, but personally I would never sell a family heirloom such as this. Interested to see the photos.

[Jack Flash]

Assuming it was your grandfather’s service arm in WWI, and that it is in original, unmodified condition, it would be worth quite a lot. If it is also the earlier first model, it’s worth even more. Collectors are always interested in original-condition service arms with provenance.

A year or so back, I saw one of the more common WWI .455 second model S&Ws in unmodified, excellent condition at Cabella’s for about $800. It was there a month or two then someone bought it. Of course, no one can say anything definite about price until they know the exact condition, what model it is, etc., but my guess is that yours would sell faster and for more money than the one I saw.