44 Triple lock Target with some interesting features (now lettered)

I marked this one on a recent auction. The auction house had posted very poor photos of a very dirty Triple Lock. I took a chance after speaking with the auction house a few times. It was listed wearing an old set of hard rubber Mershon target stocks.

The auction house was very slow with the processing and shipping of the Triple Lock. I was impatiently waiting for my new toy. The TBI decided that I should wait even longer, as they declined my transfer. I have never been declined before and began to worry as to what would happen with my 44. I filed the appeal and had to wait nearly a week for an overturn.

As date would have it, I had to leave town last Thursday and could not make it to the dealer. I made it home today just in time to race down and pick it up before the dealer closed at 6pm. I had two other old S&W's that had arrived in the meantime. I added them both to the paperwork and the state decided that they would take me to the wire on both of the new Smiths ' gun history checks. Finally, everything was given the good to go reply. I settled up with the dealer and headed home.

I made it home without issue or delay. I pulled out the Hoppes 9 and a bore brush and commenced to cleaning the big iron. I was pleased to see that all the mess that covered the 44 came off quite easily and there was no major evidence of significant corrosion.

I still need to give it a super duper cleaning when I have a little more time. All number match except for the missing factory stocks. I have a set of Kieth Brown Ropers that fit remarkable well on the New Century. I have not taken the rear sight off to see if it is a match, but will check it soon. The front sight looks to be a replacement. I think it looks like a USRA style with an insert. The trigger is checked. I remember seeing another triple lock target that had a factory checked trigger. I am unsure if this one is also a factory piece or not? I do not see any return stamps on the grip frame, and there are a couple marks next to the front sight pin that suggests it has been worked on. The action may be the smoothest that I have personally worked. The lock up is nice and tight.

Overall, I am pleased with my new 44. I can't wait for my letter. What are your thoughts?

Looks like a winner to me.
Enjoy Sir

It cleaned up very nicely and the grips look like they were born there...What are the marks that appear on the rearmost top part of the rear sight?......Ben

Nice score!
My 7.5" TL target has the factory serated trigger. Your TL has a little more finish than mine.

Did you find out why the TBI denied you? It's happened to me twice. One was a delay (I had a nuclear security clearance at the time and I've heard that various clearances put a weird code on your file that confuses them).
Second was when I moved back to TN after living in VA for a while. The system somehow showed me having a DL in both states. Had to visit the DMV in VA and fill out a form.

Truckman said:

It cleaned up very nicely and the grips look like they were born there...What are the marks that appear on the rearmost top part of the rear sight?......Ben

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It looks like some file marks to tell you the truth. Maybe working on the sight picture when the front blade was changed. The rear sight is may have needed widening?

cgt4570 said:

Nice score!
My 7.5" TL target has the factory serated trigger. Your TL has a little more finish than mine.

Did you find out why the TBI denied you? It's happened to me twice. One was a delay (I had a nuclear security clearance at the time and I've heard that various clearances put a weird code on your file that confuses them).
Second was when I moved back to TN after living in VA for a while. The system somehow showed me having a DL in both states. Had to visit the DMV in VA and fill out a form.

Click to expand...

The TBI are supposed to be sending a letter of explanation. Hopefully it will clear things up.

That right there pretty much defines the expression "Not too shabby!".

Ralph Tremaine

^^^^ What Ralph said!! Could follow me home any day!

Very nice, though I don't think the front sight started out as a target sight.

I'm trying to remember the only checkered "trigger" (that wasn't a trigger) I ever had. It was the spur on the Russian style trigger guard on a NM #3---.44 Russian with target sights, shipped in 1896---and the checkered spur lettered. I'm thinking the checkering on that one was considerably finer (and almost certainly cut with a machine), but with more than a handful of years between the two guns; who knows?

The letter will almost certainly speak to the trigger--being an extra cost item which will show on the invoice---and I'm fairly certain our esteemed letter writers include the invoice in their research. (And if they don't, you can, again I'm fairly certain, get a copy of the invoice from SWHF.)
And as far as the front sight goes, the notched blade (U.S.R.A. sight) was found only on early Kit Guns (but "was found" speaks to the fact Neal's target sight article was researched by observation---as in if Bob and his legion of helpers didn't see a particular sight on a particular model, he didn't presume to say it was used on anything except what they saw it on.) Again, the letter will usually speak to the sights----but obviously not to a replacement sight; so----------------------????????????????

Ralph Tremaine

And as a belated aside, and as Jinks has noted, the factory kept virtually no records on sights simply because "This is not a surprise as many of what the foreman considered as minor changes is not recorded." ("The foreman" being the plant manager.) They only patented three of the many sights, and only used one of those---the so called "Micrometer" adjustable rear.

Very nice pistola!

I would start with a factory letter.

I have THREE Smith & Wesson revolvers with checkered triggers and I have been told by the very wise members of this forum that two of them contain work that is not factory, even though one of those two letters with a checkered trigger. The pattern of that checkering on the ones supposedly not factory looks like yours. The one that letters as factory work and is definitely factory work is my Triple Lock revolver. Photograph attached. Note the difference in pattern.

The after market sight modification has already been discussed.

I would try and obtain a set of pre war N frame stocks to give your revolver a more original appearance. And keep the stocks on it as well.

Nice score, nonetheless!

Beautiful, definitely worth the wait.
I think I would of gone a little crazy if that chain of events happened to me.

Nice, nice triple lock. There are some file marks on the lower part of the rear sight that are consistent with filing the rear sight notch. A bit ham handed, and my first mentor on muzzle loading rifle building, Clark Frazier would have taken me to task over that. Those marks are oxidized, indicating some time has passed since that was done. That marking comes from not using a safe-edge file, or using a Tri-corner saw file

The marks on the top of the movable sight blade are shiny and sharp. Either handling marks, or more recent filing with a three corner file based on that sharp cut. Or you cleaned that surface up a bit recently, and they are really as old as the other marks.
Really nice photos, Thanks for posting

I've always liked that "half target" front sight. Gives a great precise sight picture.

mrcvs said:

I would start with a factory letter.

I have THREE Smith & Wesson revolvers with checkered triggers.
Photograph attached. Note the difference in pattern.

The after market sight modification has already been discussed.

I would try and obtain a set of pre war N frame stocks to give your revolver a more original appearance. And keep the stocks on it as well.

Nice score, nonetheless!

Click to expand...

There is an obvious difference in the check patterns. I borrowed these gold medallion stocks from another triple lock for a photo to resemble the way it left the factory. It looks like there is some freckling above the stocks.

A bit of bronze wool (0000) and some oil will likely remove/blend the freckling.

And now that I think about it, the cleaner Pre-Lim from the Renaissance folks might be worth a try----it's a "gently abrasive paste"---"By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen".

Ralph Tremaine

They have another product (Renaissance Metal De-corroder). Given that bluing is corrosion, I been hesitant to try it on anything worthwhile, but I have an unopened bottle if you're feeling adventuresome.

Muley Gil said:

Very nice, though I don't think the front sight started out as a target sight.

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I have the same concern, but I guess it might depend on which target sight was attached. I have seen a few that have the concave upper area not milled off, but something definitely looks a little off with the current front sight attachment. There are no signs of the 44 being refinished that I can see. I guess I would expect a refinish if the rear sight was added at a later date. All opinions are welcomed.

The last image was borrowed for an example as to the shape of the front sight base with the concave areas left for a higher base. I am not saying that mine is right, just similar.

Well, correct me if I'm wrong; but any sight blade which was attached/pinned in place would seem to be a target sight by definition. The front sight blade on a fixed sight gun is part of the barrel forging-----right?

Ralph Tremaine

Serial number 14541. A bunch of these in this serial number range were standard Target Model revolvers that shipped 29 Dec 1917 and 01 Jan 1918 that shipped from Shapleigh Hardware in an attempt to sell if most of the remaining Triple Lock inventory.