A "Trophy" 1955 Model Target 45 ***Pictures of 1958 Trophy gun Added***

29-1 · #1 02-28-2009, 09:32 AM

In early March 1955, S&W Sales Manager, Fred Miller carried at least 4 new Model of 1955 .45 Cal target revolvers to the National Mid-Winter Pistol Matches in Tampa, FL for award by Carl Hellstrom, President of S&W. Each gun was factory engraved on the side plate for special award to the individual class winners - Master to Marksman - in the Smith & Wesson Trophy Match,Center Fire Aggregate Championship. S143567 pictured below was awarded to Joe Marke in the Marksman class. I have posted some other associated memorabilia/provenance from the 1955 Matches and these trophy revolvers as well. I'm sure many of you will recognize several of the names listed in the match results below of some of the world class shooters of the past. So far, the whereabouts of three of the four is known with only the Sharpshooter trophy gun still waiting to be discovered. Those of you in the SWCA can read more about these trophy revolvers in the current issue of the SWCA Journal. Thanks to DOC44 who co-authored that article.
Enjoy
Chuck

29-1 · #2 02-28-2009, 09:32 AM

Duplicate post deleted.

NT430 · #3 02-28-2009, 09:57 AM

Chuck, If only??
Thanks for sharing a true rarity! I know how hard you've tried to piece all this together.

I'm amazed at the photo quality, the provenance you've accumulated, and the fact that you've stepped outside the lines of the ".44's". (I imagine that the thing we'll see next from you are pictures of "Nickel .53's, or early 57's) You're stretching yourself to thin!

Where on earth did you find that "Tampa Pennant?"

j38 · #4 02-28-2009, 10:00 AM

Chuck,

What a fine revolver with some interesting history behind it. Thanks you very much for this post and pictures - and also your well-written article in the SWCA Journal. It's posts like yours that make this Forum such a treat to be a part of.

Jerry

MKT · #5 02-28-2009, 12:38 PM

Very nice package, I say this as both an affecionado of S&W (and SWCA member) and a competitive shooter. Oh, how I wish the factory still provided awards like the one pictured.

29-1 · #6 02-28-2009, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pre-64

Chuck, If only??
Thanks for sharing a true rarity! I know how hard you've tried to piece all this together.

I'm amazed at the photo quality, the provenance you've accumulated, and the fact that you've stepped outside the lines of the ".44's". (I imagine that the thing we'll see next from you are pictures of "Nickel .53's, or early 57's) You're stretching yourself to thin!

Where on earth did you find that "Tampa Pennant?"

J.C., it came out of a collection of shooting memorabilia from one of the contestants at those matches. I am trying to not stray too far from the pre-29s,-1s, but thought folks might like to see a little more about the 1955 target/ matches that I haven't posted before. I'll try and get back on track though in the future!

Chuck

jeremyws1 · #7 02-28-2009, 02:48 PM

Chuck, do you know the current whereabouts of the Master and Sharpshooter prize guns? Hopefully, all four will be reunited at some point.

29-1 · #8 02-28-2009, 03:43 PM

Jeremy, I know where the Expert class gun resides but not the Sharpshooter. But, 3 out of the original 4 is still pretty good. Jerry Miculek has Jim Clark's.
Chuck

DGNY · #9 02-28-2009, 04:06 PM

This is a superb post, its contents confirming the rarity of this forum as to the knowledge and good will of its contributors and its host.

We are in your debt.

Regards,

Dyson

gunbarrel · #10 02-28-2009, 05:25 PM

Chuck,

Thank you for a great post and the revolver...what a beauty! The post brought back memories; no, I wasn't there--I was born in 1954 :-) However, as a member of the Lakeland (FL) Rifle & Pistol Club pistol team I shot on the last two Mid-Winter matches in Tampa in the 90's. I still have my team windbreaker and my Mid-Winters hat pin. Maybe the paper work, too. Anyway, the Mid-Winters were wonderful matches surpassed by no other bullseye pistol match except for Camp Perry (or, so the old timers said). The excitement in the air was tremendous. As a new bullseye shooter I thought I was in pistol-shooting heaven, although somewhat intimidated by all the "big boys" there. In addition to competing against shooters from all over the US, you got to see all the latest offerings from S&W, Springfield Armory and such. One of our team members had a very early Registered Magnum (original owner) that he took to show the S&W guys, and they were delighted to see it. As a new reloader, one of the things I really liked was shooting next to a shooter from the US Armed Forces, as they shot new match ammo and they let you keep the brass :-)

Unfortunately, even with added safety brows, the range fell victim to encroaching from civilization and careless police shooters practicing on the premises when a couple of stray rounds hit nearby housing.

GB

Jebus35745 · #11 02-28-2009, 06:04 PM

That is a nice gun and you have a lot of history of it. I read the article on this gun in the SWCA journal first bc it cought my eye. What a prize to have in a collection. Larry

pace40 · #12 02-28-2009, 07:13 PM

Great stuff and fabulous gun, Chuck. Thanks for the lesson.

S/W - Lifer · #13 03-01-2009, 06:34 AM

Although I'm not a S&W collector in the purest sense, I found the article delightful. It brings to mind that period when revolvers were esteemed, to include use in formal competition.

My love with Smith & Wesson began as 17 year old with bullseye shooting and a 6 inch K-38 revolver. Although there have been many years and many guns since, the love of the S&W target revolver has never left me.

I purchased a Model 25 some years ago but have not had time to work with it. I look forward to retirement and the opportunity to get to know it better.

bettis1 · #14 03-01-2009, 06:36 AM

Thanks Chuck. Great post, great information, and tremendous gun.

Bob

29-1 · #15 03-01-2009, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunbarrel

Chuck,

Thank you for a great post and the revolver...what a beauty! The post brought back memories;

Gunbarrel, thanks for the post and more insight on the Tampa matches. In researching this particular revolver, it was tough to find out as much information as I would have liked about the Mid-Winter Nationals. I was able to find most of what I have from the AMU at Ft Benning who sent me a copy of the match results and the newsletter that went along with that year's competition. The Jim Clark family connected me to the 1984 HG Quarterly with Jim's excellent recount of how the Model of 1955 came to be in the first place. Interestingly, S&W (Roy Jinks when he was the production manager) in the early 1970s actually borrowed Clark's trophy gun so that S&W engineers could try and discover why there were so many complaints from the shooting field at that time over the 25-2. S&W wanted to take a look at one of this model's earliest examples to try and discover what had changed for the worse over the previous 15-20 years. Roy told me that when the gun came in and the factory test fired it, it was a 10 ringer every time, and Clark told him that he had never changed anything on the gun from the time Hellstrom had awarded it to him in March, 1955. Roy went on to say that engineers discovered certain tolerances that had in fact changed over time and that as soon as the original specs were brought back, so was the guns performance and hence customer satisfaction. GB,I apologize for going on and on here. This is just FYI stuff, and again, thanks for your input. There are quite a few of us here on the forum who really get down in the weeds with this stuff,but for me that's what keeps my interest in this hobby. I like to show the guns off like anyone else, but the paperwork and other provenance, if available, just completes a particular gun, IMHO. Your recollections from Lakeland and actually being at the last two MW Matches are important and I'm grateful to you for sharing them.
Chuck

45Wheelgun · #16 03-01-2009, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 29-1

I apologize for going on and on here.

Thanks for the great thread. Please continue to "go on and on", I am loving every minute of it.

At least there is one more left in the wild for me to find! As a collector of all things .45Wheelgun, I really enjoyed this thread and your pictures. Great job!

29-1 · #17 03-01-2009, 08:49 AM

45wheelgun, thanks. You asked for it! Here is S165579, a 1958 example of the S&W trophy gun that was awarded to the Master Class winner. I am just now getting around to researching this gun so the process starts all over again. All I know thus far is what the factory letter tells me and that is that the revolver was taken to Jesse Harpe INC, S&Ws major dealer in Florida, on 1/20/1958, again, for award at the Mid-Winter Nationals. This one though went to the Master Class winner, whomever that shooter was. If anyone knows, don't be shy. I always appreciate all the leads I can get! The side plate engraving on this gun has been jazzed up a bit from its 1955 older brother, but not much else appeared to have changed. One of my questions about these guns is when did S&W first award revolvers at the Mid-Winter matches and when did this practice stop? That would give a good estimate of how many were produced over the years. One could make a collection of just these Tampa trophy guns I suspect.
Chuck

tt66 · #18 03-01-2009, 07:23 PM

Thank you sir for the great post ! I was recently able to become the caretaker of #S165687. I had been looking for a nice 25-2 to shoot. I called Mr. Carroll and although he didn't have a -2, he thought he might have one that I would like. The original grips are long gone and a small amount of blue is gone on the left front of the muzzle, from what looks like poor storage. The gun is unbelievable !!! I will never forget the first six shots and will probly never shoot that good of a group again. It would be interesting to know where it has been the last fifty years. Thanks again for sharing that piece of S&W history. Tim

tinbender · #19 03-02-2009, 07:54 PM

Chuck, Thank you for the interesting history and the breathtaking photos. Magnificent!

MikeyL · #20 03-02-2009, 11:20 PM

Chuck: I read the article in the Journal, and then tonight picked up on this thread. What great history!

My first N-frame Smith was a Model of 1950 in .45 ACP with a 5" barrel. It shot well with my 200 gr. H&G lead bullets, but was not a tack driver. I have acquired, over the years, three 1955 Targets: S-1445xx (1956), S-2110xx (1960) and a 25-2, N-3386xx, (which is marked as a Model of 1950!) The 1960 gun is the most accurate: Truly, one-hole groups at 15 yards, and 1-2 inch groups at 25 yards. It is a most marvelous weapon.

I also think it is interesting that the target grips on your gun do not appear to be "Cokes", although they were all the rage in the early to mid 1950's. My 1956 gun has Cokes, but the others have later targets.

Thanks for bringing these neat shooters back into the public eye!

MikeyL
"Life's tough. Tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne

whelenshooter · #21 03-03-2009, 01:48 AM

Wow! Thank you for all the great information! I'm new to this forum, though I'm not new to Smith & Wesson handguns. This is the kind of information I love!

I'm lucky enough to have a very nice 1950 Target in .45 ACP that I've owned for a couple of years. I haven't yet had a chance to fire it, so I don't know how it shoots. I also have a 5-screw 1955 Target in .45 ACP that I've owned for about 15 years. The person who owned it before me scratched the finish a bit, but its inside are darned nice. I've shot the heck out of this revolver, and it shoots great! When we lived in Sitka, my wife once shot an indoor timed-fire target with this revolver that was just one big hole slightly off center on the x and ten-ring line. That target sat under the glass on her desk in her office at the bank for several years. She was proud of the target, and I was proud of her! The only bad thing about those two revolvers is the guys I bought them from didn't have the original grips. The Smith & Wessons from right after WWII until they started giving them model numbers are my favorites.

29-1 · #22 03-04-2009, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeyL

I also think it is interesting that the target grips on your gun do not appear to be "Cokes", although they were all the rage in the early to mid 1950's. My 1956 gun has Cokes, but the others have later targets.

MikeyL, the stocks on the early .45 pre-25s were all walnut target, non-relieved such as you see on the 2 revolvers in this post. If you find any other N-frame from the 1950s with oversize targets of Goncalo Alves, they were most probably special ordered after the fact or taken from a pre-29 which the "cokes" were originally intended for.
Regards
Chuck

gunbarrel · #23 03-11-2009, 08:12 PM

Chuck,

Thought you'd like to see this small article on the Mid-Winters on the April 1955 issue of the American Rifleman. I'm also posting a couple of ads for everyone's enjoyment.

GB

gunbarrel · #24 03-11-2009, 08:14 PM

gunbarrel · #25 03-11-2009, 08:14 PM

gunbarrel · #26 03-11-2009, 08:15 PM

29-1 · #27 03-12-2009, 02:06 AM

gunbarrel-Thanks for this! I have been racking my brain the past several months trying to remember where I had seen this article before. The ads are neat too. If only........
Chuck

1968hawkeye · #28 03-12-2009, 07:09 AM

Very nice revolver, beautiful in fact and the provenance makes it all the more interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Hawkeye

Hamden · #29 03-12-2009, 08:09 AM

So as to not mess up this threads fine picture quality, here is a link to a couple group targets from 1955 Model 45 autorim S130xxx fired offhand at 50 yards. These 45s can shoot!

This 1955 has proper size throats. Load was 200gr Hornady JSWC, rimmed cases, and Bullseye powder

29-1 · #30 03-12-2009, 02:42 PM

Hamden, please post your photos directly on this thread if you want. It certainly won't hurt my feelings. Great shooting by the way!
Chuck

JayCeeNC · #31 03-12-2009, 03:10 PM

I met N.F. Strebe (see above ad) in the late 1960's. There was some discussion here about him a year or so back but I can't locate it right now.
My dad was in charge of the Armory for the local police department, and Strebe bought all of their Model 1897 Winchester pump shotguns when they changed to another brand. I was just a teenager but I got to ride with Strebe over to Davidson's, Inc., to pick up some shipping crates and he treated me to lunch at the local BBQ place and regaled me with stories of his WWII OSS service as armorer and some other stuff from his life. Pretty interesting guy.

MikeyL · #32 03-12-2009, 04:18 PM

Chuck: Thanks for the heads-up on the Cokes. I always thought they were specific to the .44 Magnum due to the palm swell, which does help with recoil. I suppose Cokes were put on a lot of the N-frame targets because they were so very cool! I appreciate knowing the facts on these pieces!

MikeyL
"Life's tough. Tougher when you're stupid." -John Wayne

YeshuaIsa53 · #33 03-14-2009, 07:36 AM

I believe after reading the article and viewing the pics in the S&WCA publication, and looking at this thread a few times, I have changed my next gun I wish to purchase or find in the S&W blued revolver family as one of the old ones similar to these. Thanks to all that have made me make my mind up so clearly. Outstanding history to go along with a new wish. After seeing the capabilities, I will shoot the gun I purchase without question.

29-1 · #34 03-16-2009, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeAmMe

I believe after reading the article and viewing the pics in the S&WCA publication, and looking at this thread a few times, I have changed my next gun I wish to purchase or find in the S&W blued revolver family as one of the old ones similar to these. Thanks to all that have made me make my mind up so clearly. Outstanding history to go along with a new wish. After seeing the capabilities, I will shoot the gun I purchase without question.

MeAmMe, the pre-25 is definately one collectors of early N frame S&W revolvers should pursue. They are reasonably priced and unmatched in quality by today's standards. As far as shooting goes, they are still hard to beat.
Chuck

YeshuaIsa53 · #35 03-16-2009, 07:24 PM

What are they going for nowadays? I think I may have to start a search of sorts....

tommy F · #36 11-25-2013, 11:35 PM

Great post and one of my favorite models

SCCarmy · #37 10-28-2016, 12:08 PM

Well I just got my letter back from S&W. And the letter says that my pistol was one of four donated by S&W on 20 Jan 1958 to Jesse Harpe Company in Tampa Florida to be used as an award gun for the 1958 National Mid-Winter Championships; however I am a bit confused as mine does not have the factory engraving as shown in your picture. Perhaps someone could shed some light on this.

I.jpg

DSC_0071.jpg

D.jpg

Jebus35745 · #38 10-28-2016, 12:25 PM

That's one beautiful gun you have, thanks for letting us look at it. Larry

SCCarmy · #39 10-28-2016, 01:42 PM

Thank you. I am doing my best to learn everything I can about it. I really want to find out who the engraver is.

Well here is the latest and greatest. I thought I had a winner but here is what I received from Mr. Willig.

Hi Mr. Carter.

I am afraid you could be disappointed to learn: THIS REVOLVER IS NOT ENGRAVED BY MY FATHER EMIL WILLIG or by myself. At that time ( the late 1950s) he engraved for Kurt Jäger in Mainz Germany. Kurt Jäger, gunsmith and dealer, was the brother of Paul Jaeger, Jenkintown PA, a well known gunsmith in the USA. Paul ordered engravings in Germany with Kurts help. But I can not remember to have seen your revolver in our shop. The way it is engraved is not the kind of my father. The goldlines are not typical and I was too joung to do this job. Mr. Schildbach is probably the engraver, but I am not sure.

Sincerely Claus Willig

If anyone has any information on Mr. Schildbach, please share.

Thank you.

tipoc · #40 11-01-2016, 11:30 PM

I'm also waiting for a letter. S 165958

Owned and carried by a former peace officer.

tipoc

SCCarmy · #41 11-02-2016, 11:48 AM

Nice piece!! I won't lie, even though have a really nice piece as well, I can't shoot it. Everything I have read says these are "tack drivers". Eventually I will have to buy one or find one that I can take on a test drive. Good luck on your letter and please let us know what it says.

Cheers,

JSR III · #42 11-02-2016, 12:35 PM

What a great old thread. Thanks for bringing it back up as there is a lot of neat information and some real eye candy!!

SCCarmy · #43 11-07-2016, 05:38 PM

Hello Everyone,

Well I think we have a winner. On the advice of the Firearms Engravers Guild of America (FEGA), I emailed Mr. Hendrik Fruhauf in Germany who per the FEGA historian is "along with being, arguably the top engraver in Germany, is also the top historian of German engravers".

To my delight, Mr. Fruehauf, replied to my email very quickly and validated what Claus Willig said about the engraving being the work of Mr. Gustav Schildbach.

Per my last post, Mr. Willig said that Kurt Jager in Mainz Germany was a gunsmith and dealer and was the brother of Paul Jaeger in Jenkintown, PA who was also a well-known gunsmith and dealer in the USA. Paul would ordered engravings in Germany with Kurts help and that Kurt would essentially sub-out the engravings to Emil Willig, Claus Willig or Gustav Schildbach.

So now we know who the engraver is, I started doing some digging and guess what,,,,, that's right, no information to be found anywhere regarding Mr. Schildbach. So now I have to ask you guys if you know anything about Mr. Schildbach or if you have any other examples of his work.

Hopefully someone has info; I am looking forward to it.

Have a great day,