It took me long enough but I finally lettered my pre-war .38/44:



And they sent the invoice, too!




And they pointed out that the stocks are after-market:



PS: The original letter does not have my name redacted. That was done for Internet purposes.

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Come and take it!!

I'm diggin' the Bambis!......Ben

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Cogito, ergo BOOM!...

Mine,# 44063, is just like yours, but it has the numbered to the gun, stocks. Also, like many others, it was shipped to Wolf and Klar in Texas, 4-23-1934. Very accurate revolver. Big Larry

The letter mentions magna stocks, were they available that early? I figured it would have been shipped with service stocks.

Magna stocks were introduced around September, 1935.

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

Good eye! I didn't catch that.

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Mike H

So the letter clearly says “square butt magna”

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It is what it is; they know best!

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Come and take it!!

Well now, they know what the factory records say---and they have no valid reason to doubt them. That is, right up until one of us screams like a ruptured mud hen!!

Then they do their damndest to at least explain what's what. Every once in a while---not often, but every once in a while I get so aggravated I'm tempted (only tempted----a personal problem) to tell them I don't care how the cat got pregnant, I want to know what to do with the kittens. Needless to say, the factory records don't have much of anything to say about kittens!!

I can tell you stories that'd make you tear your hair out----not many, and we can thank our lucky stars for that, 'cause keeping your hair is hard enough without any extra curricular problems!

My very best story has never been told before, and probably shouldn't be told now, but facts are facts-----and besides that, it has a happy ending!

I fired off a letter order on a 6" 2nd Model Single Shot. That which is SPECIAL about a 6" 2nd, is that 6" business. Here comes the letter. I was, not shocked, but sat straight up and wondered. That's because I thought the author was in the apprentice stage--and wondered if this was the first letter he'd ever written---'cause I thought it might be worth something extra down the road. Anyhow, and God bless him because he knew 6" 2nds were special, and he apologized for not being able to confirm the barrel length. Now there's no need for such an apology, cause his sources are what they are, and he didn't have anything to do with the sources.

So---what to do? I'd learned via the grapevine that the #1 letter writer was out of town at the time of all this---and PLAN B appeared right before my very eyes! I did nothing---until I knew #1 was back. Then I ordered another letter on the very same gun!! NOW we're going to see what's what!! That was risky, because maybe the apprentice isn't an apprentice anymore, and I could end up with another letter saying the same thing.

First up was the fact this second letter was signed by the other letter writer---and I was a happy camper----never mind what it said, I had a warm, fuzzy feeling! To the letter: That of importance goes like this---EXACTLY like this: "The records indicate that this pistol was shipped with a 6 inch barrel, blue finish, and checkered black hard rubber target grips. This was a special order for a single unit."

I hooted and hollered---loud enough that the Boss Lady came in to see what all the commotion was about. I told her---chapter and verse! She just shook her head---and scowled. (She's really good at scowling!) I told her all was well, and that maybe the first letter writer hadn't been to special order for a single unit research school yet. She scowled again!!

All that said, she's a good old gal---one of what I reckon are few. I came home from a show one time, and was met with her usual "Did'ja get anything?" I told her no, but I'd seen a gun I'd never seen before---and told her I could buy it---for A LOT of money! She asked if it was worth it. I told her I didn't know---that I'd seen one advertised several years before----for A LOT more money! Her reply: "Well, why don't you just go ahead and buy it?" "Yes Ma'am!" says I!

Ralph Tremaine

I commented because, not to long ago I bought an outdoorsman without the original stocks. I was researching here about which grips to replace the magna silver medallions with. Some here commented the mangas weren’t used until 1935. I’m pretty sure my gun was shipped in 31-32. I guess I need a letter to confirm what I’m looking for

My 1931 gun (dated by Roy Jinks a long time before I got the above-described letter) came to me with the stag stocks already on there so (a) I just have to believe what they tell me about the original stocks and (b) I admit to not caring one iota.

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Come and take it!!

You don't "need" to obtain a letter to know what stocks came on your OD. Nothing wrong with wanting a letter, but it is not necessary for that purpose. On occasion, a mistake is made while preparing a letter. As many letters as Don and (formerly) Roy do, it is not hard to understand that a mistake can be made.

My July 19, 1934 .38/44 OD came to me with magna stocks, not numbered to the gun. The letter came to me saying it was shipped with magna stocks. This was a mistake and I had Don send me a corrected letter.

You are correct, magna stocks were not available for N-frame guns until 1935, and then beginning with the .357 Registered Magnum.

The following two quotes are taken from "Smith & Wesson 1857 - 1945" by Robert J. Neal and Roy G. Jinks.

"September 5, 1935: Order to adjust stocking fixtures to manufacture magna stocks with metal stock circle insert for .357 Magnum revolvers per H. Wesson."

"February 5, 1936: Order to make all model .44 H.E., .45 H.E., and .38/44 H.E. revolvers with Magna stocks."

So, at no time prior to 1935 were Magna stocks available from the factory.

Hope this helps.

BTW, pre-war Magna stocks, depending on condition, are quite valuable by themselves. The last two sets I saw sell went for $700+ and $800+. They were both nice, but not perfect.

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SWCA 3297 SWHF 583

Errors in letters happen, sometimes from mistakes in the records but sometimes the kind of human mistakes we all make. I have a letter for my Regulation Police Target shipped in 1927 which says it shipped with silver medallion extended length stocks but those (with silver medallions) didn't come in to existence until 1930 or so. Perhaps, one of these days when I find the correct non-medallion stocks (currently wears silver medallion service stocks), I'll ask Don for a corrected letter.

In another case I bought a Registered Magnum with a letter which said it shipped with a Patridge front sight. It had a ramp front sight but ok, figured someone changed it out later. However, the supporting order and shipping documents confirmed it shipped with a Baughman ramp. The letter has since been corrected and all is good now, in fact, really, really good in the case of the Registerd Magnum. Don, and Dr. Jinks before him, have always been willing and eager to correct errors in letters when they can confirm there was indeed an error.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

I'm with him!

If the stocks are right, but not original, no Crocodile tears are going to be shed-----------you're never going to find the originals.

If the stocks are wrong, the right ones can be had----sooner or later.

I had what turned out to be a factory rebuilt (all new inside) and refinished nickel Registered Magnum----gorgeous gun. It came to me with some funky, almost home made looking wooden targets. I was more than tempted to sell it, but Gary Garbrecht looked it over, and said, "Ralph, I don't know if that gun's been refinished or not; but Ralph, that's a nickel Registered Magnum---you need to take that home and put it on the shelf!!"
So that's what I did--for a while at least. It took me FIVE YEARS and $1,000 to come up with a pair of pre-war Magnas worthy of the rest of the gun, but I figured it was worth it! That was almost 25 years ago, but it was a lesson learned---and remembered!

And after all the smoke had cleared, sure enough---it was worth it!

Ralph Tremaine