.357 Combat Magnum Coming Home

[DARE]

The story begins with my finding a box for a Combat Magnum in an old bunch of stuff from my dad's gun store. I posted a thread asking the age of the box. Doc44 says there may be a SN in white grease pencil on the bottom of the box. There was, K261590. Dates the box to 1956. Next I get a PM from tt66 (Tim) in Alabama. He owns K261590 and would like to have the box. I sent it to him.
You can read all about this in the thread "Combat Magnum Box Update." Tim posted a thread, ".357 Combat Magnum w Box & Custom Holster and a Good Story." Tells the story from his viewpoint. That one is a notable thread.

Going to Glendale to display for the 1st time. My table title is Dad's Guns. The guns I will display all belonged to my father. Looked through a bunch of old boxes for things to add to the display.
Found a list of dad's personal guns in his handwriting. One on the list is:
S&W 19 .357 Mag 4 in, blue #K261590 1st year mfg.
Well, that is not a Model 19, that is the Combat Magnum that Tim has.
I know my dad had the gun as early as 1966. He always referred to it as 4 screw 19. I never saw the box. He had the gun for many years and the gun and the box were never together. I think he probably forgot he had it.

A few years ago I was not shooting my guns. I was not even looking at them. Needed to raise some money for a house remodel and sold the "Model 19" along with a few others.
Sold it at a gun show in north Texas to a guy that said he owned a gun store in southern Oklahoma.
Somehow the gun got into the hands of Charlie Sides (Absent Comrade) who sold it to Tim. Tim has agreed that the gun can come back to Texas.
Said he bought it because it was nice and an early one. Really prefers N frames so OK with giving it up.
Regretted selling the gun, so happy that it is coming home.
Thanks to Tim I have a Combat Magnum to add to the display of "Dad's Guns."

 

[brucev]

What a wonderful story!!! Very happy for you. Remember how thrilled one of my brothers was when he saw a M-1 Garand at a gun show that he had once owned. He bought it back and called long distance. Hope you will have just as much joy with this revolver. Sincerely. bruce.

 

[Truckman]

What a great story!...It went around, and now it's coming around......Ben

 

[SS336]

Ok, that made my day.
What a great story. Sir, you have the luck of a leprechaun

 

[tt66]

.357 Combat Magnum w Box & Custom Holster and a Good Story

This has been a neat story from the beginning. According to Mr. Jinks, this Combat Magnum was shipped August 1956. Serial #261590. From my understanding, the initial run was for 2500 guns starting at Serial #260000. I am not a big .357 fan but I like early serial numbers so when Mr. Sides posted this one for sale on the forum several years ago, I was fortunate to be the first one to post an " I will take it". Charlie laughed later saying that there were a couple of PM's before mine, but nobody posted the famed " I will take it." After that, Mr. Cohrs, snw19_357, helped me find the correct SAT and tool kit. With that and the holster from Greg Sanders, bamabiker, it is a really nice package that presents itself very well.

David sent me a message last night about finding his Dad's inventory list of his personal guns in preparation for his trip to Glendale. His display is going to be a tribute to his Dad's guns and what they have meant to him. On that list was K 261590. So that Combat Magnum is on its way to TX, to rejoin family and be another part of Davids display of his Dad's guns.

This story could not have been written any better if you tried.

Tim

 

[6string]

That's a great gun and a great story!
It also shows what an outstanding forum we have here!
Having met Charlie Sides once before, I can say what a wonderful guy he was.
Really makes my day, so I had to give this thread 5 stars!

I hope DARE revisits this thread with some pics once he has his Dad's Combat Magnum back home.

 

[boykinlp]

It is really cool when things work out like this! Having these items reunite in the way they did must be very slim chances.
Larry

 

[raljr1]

So cool to see it reunited with with the box and the previous owner's son.

 

[spin132]

I love the story, the beautiful CM and the happy ending! I lucked into an old CM recently whose serial # is close to that one. This one shipped in April of 1956, so only a few months apart. The handwritten serial number on the box even looks like it was written by the same person!

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[DARE]

Lots of twists and turns. The box was separated from the gun and waiting to be discovered for upwards of 50 years.
For 20 years the gun and the box were within 12 feet of each other.
The gun was in my safe and the box was in a tote with a bunch of stuff from the gun store.
Will order a letter when the gun gets back to Texas. Maybe I will have some more good luck.
Thank you for all the kind words.
Hope to meet a bunch of you in Glendale.

 

[mikepriwer]

Tim or David

Do either of you have a picture of the left side of the gun, with the grips on it? I'd like to see the style of the stocks when the gun was shipped.

Great story!

Regards, Mike Priwer

 

[Green Frog]

Anyone who doesn't believe in Karma should reread this thread. The good (or bad) we do tends to come back to us when we least expect. Congrats and well done to all involved!
Froggie

 

[DARE]

Mike,
Tim has a pic of the left side of the gun in his thread .357 Combat Magnum w Box & Custom Holster and a Good Story
Diamond Target w/football cutout; I assume that is what you wanted to know. As far as the grips being original, I know the current grips have been on the gun since 1966. Looking at threads on grips it looks to me like the football cutouts may have started in 1958. Since this is a 1956 gun, that would make the grips not original.

edit: Just looked at the Jim King article about grips in S&W 4th. He says Cokes and Diamond Targets with cutouts as early as 1955.

 

[heeter3]

Great story DARE and a true reminder of what I learned the hard way x 4 ...never never let any of them get away it's something that I have always regretted and something that wont happen in my case ever again.

 

[DARE]

Picked up the package at the LGS. Here are some pics. Mike Priwer had asked for the grips from the left side.
Thought the hole in the grip frame was interesting. I have never seen that on a Smith.
Many thanks to tt66 (Tim Thomas) for selling it back to me. He did not have to do that.
Will get a letter ordered today. Will post the result when I receive it.

 

[Doc44]

In late 1959, S&W changed its tooling for aligning the grip frame during manufacturing with the elimination of the jig hole in the grip frame. I assume this occurred at the same time for both N and K frames, but I am not certain about the latter.

Bill

 

[paplinker]

.357 Combat Magnum w Box & Custom Holster and a Good Story

This has been a neat story from the beginning. According to Mr. Jinks, this Combat Magnum was shipped August 1956. Serial #261590. From my understanding, the initial run was for 2500 guns starting at Serial #260000. I am not a big .357 fan but I like early serial numbers so when Mr. Sides posted this one for sale on the forum several years ago, I was fortunate to be the first one to post an " I will take it". Charlie laughed later saying that there were a couple of PM's before mine, but nobody posted the famed " I will take it." After that, Mr. Cohrs, snw19_357, helped me find the correct SAT and tool kit. With that and the holster from Greg Sanders, bamabiker, it is a really nice package that presents itself very well.

David sent me a message last night about finding his Dad's inventory list of his personal guns in preparation for his trip to Glendale. His display is going to be a tribute to his Dad's guns and what they have meant to him. On that list was K 261590. So that Combat Magnum is on its way to TX, to rejoin family and be another part of Davids display of his Dad's guns.

This story could not have been written any better if you tried.

Tim

Class act Tim.. Class act.
Makes me glad to be associated with the forum and the SWCA

 

[NavySCPO]

Incredible story! This could only happen on the S&W Forum, what an insane tribute to a couple of great guys.

So happy your Dad's gun is coming home!

 

[wheelgun610]

... Diamond Target w/football cutout; I assume that is what you wanted to know. As far as the grips being original, I know the current grips have been on the gun since 1966...

Dave, if the set of stocks it now wears is the same ones it wore when your dad had the gun, I see no reason to suspect they're not the factory originals. All Combat Magnums had stocks with that style of relief cut. It was necessary to allow the .357 cartridge cases to fully extract without hitting the wood. There were even a few sets of those stocks that were serial numbered to early Combat Magnums in the 260000 range.

Mark

 

[DARE]

Bill, thanks for the info. I guess the jig hole was on post-war N and K frames? None of my pre-war guns have it. My 1955 .22/32 Airweight Kit Gun does not have it. I think that was one of the early J frames.

Mark, I agree the grips are probably original. They look the same as on other Combat Magnums I have seen. No serial number, but I understand that most do not have.

Rich, agree with you that Tim Thomas is a class act. When I found the list of dad's guns I did not contact Tim to ask for the gun back.
I thought it added to the story we were telling. Now we know why I had the box. Was asking him about his opinion on whether we should add to my thread, add to his thread or start a new thread.
He offered to let me have the gun back. Much appreciated.

 

[DARE]

Learned how to post a link. Here is a link to the thread about the box.
Combat Magnum Box Update

 

[Flygas]

Has anyone considered that maybe we should ask Lee Jarrett if he could create an additional section here in the Forum for members to try and match up original serial numbered boxes and guns? I'd think that would be a popular feature.

 

[Engine49guy]

Besides the jig hole being an early feature your early production Combat Magnum should also have the rare 6 groove tangs.

Btw, besides having the sharp radius turn on your target stocks checkering which indicates 50's production you will notice they have a small relief notch cut where the strain screw goes, this relief cut is very common on the early style non relieved target stocks, don't think it lasted too long into the football relief cut era but would have to start pulling stocks to compare.
While can't say for sure if those stocks are the ones it shipped with they are correct for that period IMO.

 

[DARE]

Thanks for the knowledge Engine49guy. Had heard about the 6 groove backstrap and front strap. Had not heard about the relief cut for the stocks or the sharp radius turn on the checkering. Jim King and Bill Cross thought the stocks looked correct. They are certainly experts.
I usually learn something here.

 

[DARE]

One more question. Is the SAT correct? Read in a thread that this style started shipping in 1958, so would not be correct for a 1956 gun. The SAT and the tools were added to the package by Tim in Alabama. Helpful Hints was in the box when I sent it to Tim.

Edit: Just read in SCSW 4th that this SAT tool dates to 1958-1961. Guess I answered my own question unless SCSW is wrong.

 

[JayCeeNC]

Dave, an aluminum knurled SAT like yours was shipped with K260006, one of the first CMs. I once owned the box and still have that SAT.

 

[Capt. F.]

The story begins with my finding a box for a Combat Magnum in an old bunch of stuff from my dad's gun store. I posted a thread asking the age of the box. Doc44 says there may be a SN in white grease pencil on the bottom of the box. There was, K261590. Dates the box to 1956. Next I get a PM from tt66 (Tim) in Alabama. He owns K261590 and would like to have the box.
You can read all about this in the thread "Combat Magnum Box Update." Tim posted a thread, ".357 Combat Magnum w Box & Custom Holster and a Good Story." Tells the story from his viewpoint. Also is a notable thread.

Going to Glendale to display for the 1st time. My table title is Dad's Guns. The guns I will display all belonged to my father. Looked through a bunch of old boxes for things to add to the display.
Found a list of dad's personal guns in his handwriting. One on the list is:
S&W 19 .357 Mag 4 in, blue #K261590 1st year mfg.
Well, that is not a Model 19, that is the Combat Magnum that Tim has.
I know my dad had the gun as early as 1966. He always referred to it as 4 screw 19. I never saw the box. He had the gun for many years and the gun and the box were never together. I think he probably forgot he had it.

A few years ago I was not shooting my guns. I was not even looking at them. Needed to raise some money for a house remodel and sold the "Model 19" along with a few others.
Sold it at a gun show in north Texas to a guy that said he owned a gun store in southern Oklahoma.
Somehow the gun got into the hands of Charlie Sides (Absent Comrade) who sold it to Tim. Tim has agreed that the gun can come back to Texas.
Said he bought it because it was nice and an early one. Really prefers N frames so OK with giving it up.
Regretted selling the gun, so happy that it is coming home.
Thanks to Tim I should have a Combat Magnum to add to the display of "Dad's Guns."

I have a similar story about my 3rd issue Colt Woodsman.
Got it back from the gent I sold it to 32 years later. And for the price I sold it for!

 

[Enzo Rules]

That is a great story. Thank you for sharing it.

 

[boykinlp]

Got my letter and the invoice today. Went to Huey & Philp in Dallas, Texas. The letter and the invoice refer to it as .357 Combat Magnum, so modified the title of the thread.

Showed the gun to Jim King and Bill Cross while I was in Glendale. They both thought the grips looked correct.

David, got an idea what kind of business Huey & Philp was? Another thing that I have always wondered when looking at the S&W invoice, is why they didn't list the serial numbers of all the guns in the shipment? I would think that it would make it much easier for the shipping department of S&W, and the receiving department for Huey & Philp to double check the order. Also, I could have sworn that I had actually seen it done on some invoices from them, maybe after 1968.
Larry

 

[DARE]

Huey & Philp Hardware Co. started in Dallas in 1872. By 1934 they had closed their retail business and were wholesale only. I found a 1952 catalog that shows the address as 1900 Griffin St. That's where they were in 1956 when my gun was shipped.
I got an invoice on my Model 53 that shipped in May 1961. It came with another page that was a serial number list. The only time I have gotten serial number information from SWHF.