38/44 ODs - Sorting things out....

[Peter M. Eick]

I did something I really rarely do. I pulled nearly all of one type of revolver out and tried to find them all in my safes. I was sorting 38/44's trying to find all of my Outdoorsman's. I am still missing I think 1 or 2 in the safes somewhere.

Funny thing when I actually pulled them all out to look at them. I realized that:
1) I had two post war glossies (high polished not the matte version).
2) I had multiple Humpback Outdoorsman's One with radial cuts one without
3) I knew I had 2 transitions, but I did not realize both were nice ones.
4) I never really thought about how many postwar "nice" ones I had. (4, 2 of which are unfired)
5) I never realized how many variations post war there were with the hammer and triggers.

Now I really need to find those other couple of them in the safes. Kind of weird that I can't locate them since they are both prewars as I remember them. I suspect they are buried in the back behind 38/44 Heavy Duties so I will have to just completely empty them out and do a big sort. I have shelves that are guns that I will never fire and they are packed in really deep and tight so I suspect they are in the rear of the pile somewhere.

Ok, now to the hypothetical question.

If YOU were going to pick which ones YOU MIGHT sell in the future, how would you pick them out and how would you high grade things?

(I make no commitments on what I am doing and why. Just soliciting thoughts and comments).

 

[Iggy]

Holy Smokes, Peter, no wonder none of us can find any ODs.

Got to say you have some dandies there.

 

[DCWilson]

Peter, I guess you and GLL pretty much have about half the available supply tied up.

De-accessioning (as they say in museums) is a painful prospect, but here are my thoughts:

I think I would set aside the transitional ODs and never sell them; they are in my estimation about the best revolver S&W ever made, and there aren't that many of them.

I guess the prewar ODs could be culled by selling off the lesser specimens.

But I would do most of my culling in the pre-23 category. Model marked 23s are uncommon and should be retained. But how many stock pre-23s does one person need?

I think I have six ODs with representation from all varieties, but I like them too much and can't see myself letting a single one of them go. They are something my inheritors are going to have to deal with a decade or two from now.

 

[410bore]

I'd sell one with a hbh....to me

 

[Peter M. Eick]

David,

You are thinking like me.
Keep both Humpbacks.
Keep both Transitions
Keep two of the best Pre-Wars (magna grips)
Keep one Pre-war service grip
Keep 1 post-war unfired
Keep 1 post-war glossy (my favorite shooter)

That would get me from 14 (or is it 16 if I can find the others) down to 9 in the first culling. I was also thinking of letting my estate sort it out, but the one thing this culling has taught me is that is much harder than it looks. Finding the boxes, factory letters, spare grips, sight adjustment tools etc. is not easy. I had a hard time doing it for modern guns like my Springfield EMP.

I truly dread sorting out my 38/44 Heavy Duties.


Iggy,

Yeah, I have some really nice ones. There are some really really impressive pieces out there that blow mine away, but I have been pleased with what I was able to collect and protect for now. It has been a lot of fun and a neat topic to collect. The 38/44 Outdoorsman is one (most?) favorite guns to shoot.

 

[Iggy]

Peter,
I have a pre-war and loaded with "almost" Elmer's loads, that thing shoots like a rifle.
They are very fine handguns. Sorting and parting with yours will no doubt be difficult.