The Model of 1950 .45 Target

Hondo44 · #51 12-28-2014, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drdan314

After getting some help from the forum members on trying to identify whether my .45 acp/auto rim Model 1950 Target with factory swivel (S85XXX) was an early 'military' 1950 Target or a factory ordered Pre-model 26, I read your 2013 article...learned a lot. Was wondering if you might be able to add some info on the question.
Thanks

You can determine if your swivel is original to the frame or added by Smith in response to a special order BEFORE shipping the revolver new.

Factory swivels original to the frame and factory swivel installations are always 1/10” forward of center. The serial number on the butt will be stamped off center if original to the frame. Also a swivel may be drilled thru the factory serial # for installation of a lanyard ring either before initial shipping or if sent back to the factory for a swivel. But in those two cases the s/n is re-stamped on the left side of grip frame, under the left stock.

If a small order came in for a gun or a few guns with swivels, and those guns were already built w/o swivels, they did NOT build guns to fill the order. They drilled existing guns in inventory in this manner.

Also-
A factory swivel will NOT always letter. IF S&W threw it in on the deal for free, it is NOT on the invoice, so there is currently no way to document it unless SWHF research turns up correspondence about the order.

mbliss57 · #52 12-28-2014, 07:23 PM

David,
Thanks for the lesson. it was very informative and new to me. This is what I love about this forum.

Walter Rego · #53 12-28-2014, 09:24 PM

I have a fairly early, 4 digit LERK K-22 Masterpiece shipped in August 1947 with a lanyard ring that didn't letter as such. The ring seems to be mounted the same as the Victory Models were (although I have never measured the exact placement of the hole in the bottom of the frame and the cross pin hole) and since it was only a 4 digit serial number the hole for the loop didn't interfere with any of the numbers so they were not re-stamped.

Hondo44 · #54 12-28-2014, 09:44 PM

Walter,

Notice my example above is only a 4 digit number also but was drilled thru. If it's the proper 1/10" forward of center, that tells me your frame was made and drilled for the swivel initially, the serial number having been stamped off center to miss the swivel hole. That's why it didn't letter: it was not special ordered or added as an extra, therefore not listed on the invoice.

So by virtue of it not being drilled thru the number, and not "lettering", you know it can only be a factory original!

drjjpdc · #55 12-29-2014, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc44

1950 Target 45 with a 5-inch barrel and target stocks. One of eight shipped to H. H. Harris in Chicago in 1960 and one of nine known.

Bill

Bill,

All I can say that is a beautiful gun.

John

S&WIowegan · #56 12-29-2014, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wundudnee

A few years back I was looking for a model of 1955 and had to settle for this model of 1950 ,45 cal. It has turned into my favorite S&W. I need to get serious and get it lettered. It appears to me that it is bright blue and I don't believe it has been redone.

I have got some flack about my flowery picture, but I think beauty compliments beauty.

Just FYI: I have several of these pre-26s and one is clearly bright blue. I've been told that was a special order option.

drjjpdc · #57 12-29-2014, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 45Wheelgun

I am less concerned about the flowers and more concerned about the "Bordello Red" velvet sheets.

Well it is Christmas time and red is a Christmas color. Here is my Model 25 in a .45 LC with an 8 3/8" barrel. Boy is this sucker fun to shoot (like any S&W isn't).

Fishslayer · #58 10-09-2016, 05:44 AM

What a great writeup! How have I missed it all these years? Thanks for sharing and thanks to all the members who make me jealous of your beautiful pre-26s.

My pre-26 was my second S&W Revolver. I love the thing. It comes out of the safe from time to time. Not collector grade but I like it.

StrawHat · #59 10-09-2016, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishslayer

...What a great writeup! How have I missed it all these years?...

Don't feel too bad, I missed it too. Thank you for reviving this thread.

Kevin

BUFF · #60 10-09-2016, 12:41 PM

My 1950 .45 Target has the soft blue and shipped with diamond Magna stocks in the maroon box. S100373, shipped in September 1954.

My 1950 .45 Military has the bright blue finish, S94954. Shipped April, 1952.

I always felt very fortunate to have managed to obtain and hand on to both of them.

Hondo44 · #61 10-09-2016, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUFF

My 1950 .45 Target has the soft blue and shipped with diamond Magna stocks in the maroon box. S100373, shipped in September 1954.

My 1950 .45 Military has the bright blue finish, S94954. Shipped April, 1952.

I always felt very fortunate to have managed to obtain and hand on to both of them.

In 1952 the Bright blue was an approximate 25% premium if special ordered. So your 1950 Military should have a large B following the serial # on the barrel which confirms the Bright blue option was specifically ordered on your gun.

iskra · #62 10-09-2016, 10:50 PM

Some beautiful and rare guns here & thanks for posting all! I have but one Pre Mod 26, SN 793xx, with the satin blue finish. I'm into the 44 Special Smiths and really not paying a lot of attention to the .45 offerings. But over a lot of years collecting, to affirm personally seening very few Model 26/'pre' Smiths. A pix of mine below. I'd say about 98-99%, w/o box. Also have a single Mod 25 with the "Model of 1950" nomenclature.
Nice handguns... Just not 44 Spl!

My take

Frank46 · #63 10-10-2016, 01:24 AM

Regarding the shallow rifling in the 1950 Target. Maybe BS but have heard that some shooters cut and chopped the barrel of a thompson machine gun because the rifling was deeper. Just remember reading about it and have no source or documentation. Frank

CptCurl · #64 10-10-2016, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCWilson

Interesting. The lowest serial number I know on a Pre-26 is S78950 . . .

David,

I happened on a pre-26 back in August. Mine is # S78502, and Roy says it shipped in April 1951. You may have seen it go through the SWCA "Ship Date Request Forum" just before Labor Day.

So that's a new data point concerning these fine revolvers.

Mine is a standard M1950 Target: satin blue, standard hammer and trigger, magnas, 6-1/2" barrel. All numbers, including the magnas match. It has seen very little use. I have neither photographed it nor shot it, but I will. Sorry, no pic today.

It's been a couple of years since your statement quoted above. As you certainly know, the third edition of Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson brackets the serial number range S76212 - S211000.

I'm curious whether you or anyone else have encountered anything lower than my S78502 since your quoted post.

Curl

DCWilson · #65 10-10-2016, 09:38 AM

Curl, I haven't been paying close attention, but I have not yet seen or heard of a Pre-26 with a number lower than yours. They undoubtedly exist, but I suspect there may not be many of them to find. I invite anyone with an S76xxx or S77xxx Pre-26 to mention its existence. Don't be shy about posting pics.

JohnnyMac · #66 10-10-2016, 02:16 PM

I was out shooting number S77409 yesterday. I will try and post pictures tomorrow. It is strange because the SN on the barrel matches the gun and is marked smith & wesson on the left side of the barrel but has no markings on the right side of the barrel. I guess it may have been polished off at some point but I wonder if any were shipped without markings on the right side of barrel? It is a 45acp.

BlackAgnes · #67 10-10-2016, 03:06 PM

David--

Mine is S 77421.

Tim

federali · #68 10-10-2016, 03:32 PM

I truly great post worthy of many likes.

JohnnyMac · #69 10-10-2016, 03:51 PM

Wow pretty close to mine. Is your barrel marked on the right side?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackAgnes

David--

Mine is S 77421.

Tim

DWalt · #70 10-10-2016, 05:09 PM

I shot Bullseye between the late 1960s and the late 1970s. I don't remember ever seeing anyone shoot the .45 stage with a revolver, and I went to lots of matches.

BlackAgnes · #71 10-11-2016, 10:16 AM

Johnny Mac--

Yes, mine is fully marked.

Tim

JohnnyMac · #72 10-11-2016, 05:29 PM

Here's a picture of mine, as you can see it's seen better days but it is a great shooter.

Here's the right side of the barrel. Not sure what happened there?

StrawHat · #73 07-16-2023, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCWilson

Only recently did it dawn on me how unusual the design of the Model of 1950 .45 target was in the context of what had preceded it. While Smith & Wesson had been making .45 caliber revolvers in significant numbers since the mid-'teens, with rare exceptions these were fixed-sight guns built for military service. The .455 Hand Ejector, built mostly for Commonwealth countries but sold in small numbers in the United States, along with the Model of 1917 that chambered .45 ACP and .45 Auto Rim, were the most-produced N-frame models before WWII. About 75,000 .455s were produced and nearly 200,000 1917s. All other N-frames produced commercially before WWII totaled barely 60,000 guns.

What is significant about the Model of 1950 is that it introduced to the regular catalog a .45 caliber model with adjustable sights. It was S&W's first production .45 revolver designed for serious precision shooters. It is probably no accident that the model was introduced on the new 1950 short-action design, which featured a reduced lock time that could only have been an attraction to the professional target shooters of the day.

Within five years, experience had shown that the Model of 1950 might benefit in competition from the presence of a heavier untapered barrel. S&W then introduced the Model of 1955, which was simply a 1950 with more steel wrapped around the rifling. Both guns continued in simultaneous production for a while, but the 1955 (which in 1957 became known as Model 25) showed greater commercial potential than the Model of 1950 (which after 1957 was called the Model 26 and continued in production only until 1961). In the decades since, the descendants of the Model 25 have become highly regarded specimens within the company's large-bore revolver line-up.

The Model of 1950 .45 Target can be considered a modified 1917, produced in a configuration that added one inch to the 1917 barrel length, topped it with a barrel rib, and installed adjustable sights on a frame that housed the new short-throw hammer design. The gun also has the standard N-frame ejector rod shroud in place of the exposed ejector rod on the 1917.

Fewer than 2800 Pre-26 and Model 26 revolvers were assembled in the course of the 11 years they were in production. Almost all are non-model-marked. Five screw specimens predominate; four screw or model marked specimens are hard to find.

This is S96906, a five-screw Pre-26 that shipped in July 1953. Condition is about 98% on a standard (not high polish) finish. Target hammer, narrow trigger. The box numbers to the gun. On the gun, all numbers match. I haven't shot it yet, but plan to. Maybe a lot.
…

The Model 1950 should not be considered a truly rare gun, but you won't see one too often. For comparison, the total number of Pre-26 and Model 26 revolvers is about 800 fewer than the number of K-32 Masterpieces, a common benchmark for scarcity among postwar models. If you come across a Pre-26 and can afford it, you should consider buying it.

Dave,

I felt this thread should be revived for those who had not seen it. Lots of fun and interesting opinions here.

Of course having a Model 1950 helps me find this more interesting.

Kevin

Kingspoke · #74 07-16-2023, 06:22 PM

A good ol thread, & you have a beauty!

Inland7-45 · #75 07-16-2023, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCWilson

Only recently did it dawn on me how unusual the design of the Model of 1950 .45 target was in the context of what had preceded it. While Smith & Wesson had been making .45 caliber revolvers in significant numbers since the mid-'teens, with rare exceptions these were fixed-sight guns built for military service. The .455 Hand Ejector, built mostly for Commonwealth countries but sold in small numbers in the United States, along with the Model of 1917 that chambered .45 ACP and .45 Auto Rim, were the most-produced N-frame models before WWII. About 75,000 .455s were produced and nearly 200,000 1917s. All other N-frames produced commercially before WWII totaled barely 60,000 guns.

What is significant about the Model of 1950 is that it introduced to the regular catalog a .45 caliber model with adjustable sights. It was S&W's first production .45 revolver designed for serious precision shooters. It is probably no accident that the model was introduced on the new 1950 short-action design, which featured a reduced lock time that could only have been an attraction to the professional target shooters of the day.

Within five years, experience had shown that the Model of 1950 might benefit in competition from the presence of a heavier untapered barrel. S&W then introduced the Model of 1955, which was simply a 1950 with more steel wrapped around the rifling. Both guns continued in simultaneous production for a while, but the 1955 (which in 1957 became known as Model 25) showed greater commercial potential than the Model of 1950 (which after 1957 was called the Model 26 and continued in production only until 1961). In the decades since, the descendants of the Model 25 have become highly regarded specimens within the company's large-bore revolver line-up.

The Model of 1950 .45 Target can be considered a modified 1917, produced in a configuration that added one inch to the 1917 barrel length, topped it with a barrel rib, and installed adjustable sights on a frame that housed the new short-throw hammer design. The gun also has the standard N-frame ejector rod shroud in place of the exposed ejector rod on the 1917.

Fewer than 2800 Pre-26 and Model 26 revolvers were assembled in the course of the 11 years they were in production. Almost all are non-model-marked. Five screw specimens predominate; four screw or model marked specimens are hard to find.

This is S96906, a five-screw Pre-26 that shipped in July 1953. Condition is about 98% on a standard (not high polish) finish. Target hammer, narrow trigger. The box numbers to the gun. On the gun, all numbers match. I haven't shot it yet, but plan to. Maybe a lot.

The Model 1950 should not be considered a truly rare gun, but you won't see one too often. For comparison, the total number of Pre-26 and Model 26 revolvers is about 800 fewer than the number of K-32 Masterpieces, a common benchmark for scarcity among postwar models. If you come across a Pre-26 and can afford it, you should consider buying it.

When I became interested in handgun shooting in the late 60s I thought of the S&Ws and Colts the 50s and 60s as something to be bought for a purpose and did not think of future collectibility.

When I saw an S&W catalog that showed a K-32 or Model 46 I just imagined that these were in demand guns that sold in much higher numbers than they actually did. I thought the same of the model 26, HD and Outdoorsman, updated 1917s and .44 Specials the same way. It was not until I really began collecting and bought my first copy of SCSW about 15 years ago that I finally realized how scarce some of these guns are.

Congratulations on finding a good 1950 Target. I always have an eye out for decent older S&Ws. In 2006 I found a very nice first year production 38-44 HD with a 5” barrel. I paid under $400 from an LGS. Even at a total production number of around 20,000 pieces this is not a gun you see everyday so I feel fortunate to have found a good one at a reasonable price.

PeteC · #76 07-16-2023, 10:23 PM

A nice 5-screw one sold on Gunbroker recently, for $1,499. s/n S123004.
Just a moment...
With some nice target grips, too...

sodacan · #77 07-17-2023, 12:49 AM

I'm a huge fan of 45acp revolvers. The models of 1950 and 1955 are two terrific guns. Here is a photo (which I've posted previously) of the two showing the significant difference in their barrel profiles. The results are very different shooting characteristics. The pre-26 is my favorite shooter.

StrawHat · #78 07-17-2023, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sodacan

I'm a huge fan of 45acp revolvers. The models of 1950 and 1955 are two terrific guns. Here is a photo (which I've posted previously) of the two showing the significant difference in their barrel profiles. The results are very different shooting characteristics. The pre-26 is my favorite shooter.

I like how that image captures the difference in the barrel profile.

I agree, the tapered barrel is the preferred type for me.

Kevin

mchom · #79 07-17-2023, 07:47 AM

For informative. And I now appreciate the tapered barrels. The handle very well.

StrawHat · #80 07-25-2023, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sodacan

I'm a huge fan of 45acp revolvers. The models of 1950 and 1955 are two terrific guns. Here is a photo (which I've posted previously) of the two showing the significant difference in their barrel profiles. The results are very different shooting characteristics. The pre-26 is my favorite shooter.

I looked again at this image and noted the frames are also finished differently alongside the rear sights. I looked at my Model 1950 and my Model 25-2s. The Model 1950 is polished in that area. The Model 25-2 has a pronounced matte finish along the rear sight, actually from the rear of the frame to the muzzle.

Kevin