44 triple lock at LGS

[22hipower]

Do two "N" marks indicate a factory refinish?

I don't think so, usually an R/N and there should be a date stamp on the left side of the frame; 1.62 or something like that showing it went back to the factory. And maybe a * in the barrel shroud or on the butt by the SN. There should not be a B on the bottom of the barrel near the SN. Without the B and with the N I think you can be sure it left the factory in nickel. Has it been re-nickeled since, maybe, looks pretty nice to me.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[handejector]

Very nice gun, but it is certainly refinished.

I'm glad you broke the news first. I was dreading doing so. Correct- it is refinished. Probably a later Factory job that is not marked. Show us a pic of the left gripframe with out the grips on it and we'll tell you what we see.

Speaking of which, is there a Serial Number penciled onto the back of your stocks?

This gun is too late for gold medallions. You can also see they don't fit- they are longer than the frame. A gun in the 20000 range would have shipped with non-medallion grips.

 

[handejector]

It does have the hole for a lanyard loop, and the lock pin is still there. The lanyard hole has no wear, so it may have never had a loop.

I have never seen or heard of an S&W shipped with an empty swivel hole. They either installed a swivel or plugged the hole. It would be a very safe bet that it shipped with a swivel. The frame is quite likely to have an eagle head in the yoke cut because it is built on a leftover 1917 frame.

 

[pasound]

Tried and failed to get a good closeup of the frame and yoke markings with my phone. No date stamp, just the "E2" and the "N". Looks to be a partial eagle head and an "S2" on the yoke cutout.

 

[22hipower]

Here are some pictures of my 2nd Model which may help in confirming the items that Lee mentions. I had forgotten that this one only has the N on the right side of the grip frame. This one has the eagle head stamp too; think that means it was originally destined to be a 1917 before the end of WWI cancelled the need for more of them.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

https://flic.kr/p/2n37SSc

https://flic.kr/p/2n3er4B https://www.flickr.com/photos/194934231@N03/

https://flic.kr/p/2n3dcXC \

https://flic.kr/p/2n3er3p https://www.flickr.com/photos/194934231@N03/

https://flic.kr/p/2n3er3E https://www.flickr.com/photos/194934231@N03/

 

[Muley Gil]

pasound, look at the serial number stamped under the barrel. If it has a "B" prefix, it shipped as a blue revolver. The lack of a "B" indicates it shipped nickel. I agree that it has been refinished.

 

[pasound]

No "B" under the barrel. I had the Gun Library sales reps take the grips off so I could look for letter stamps. When I saw no "B" and only the "N", that told me "Buy it".

 

[wheelgun610]

Before I gave them my Cabelas card, we looked under the grips for the telltale stamp. There is an "N" there. It's factory nickel. And no star anywhere. Never been back for service. In my mind, a nearly new-old-stock. Sadly, no box or tools.

The first tell-tale sign of a refinish is the rebound slide pin on the left side that should be rounded on the end, and should protrude maybe 1/32" from the frame. That's the first thing I always look for to spot a non-factory refinished S&W.

Mark

 

[handejector]

Hope you won't be too disappointed to find out it's refinished. The first tell-tale sign is the rebound slide pin on the left side that should be rounded on the end, and should protrude maybe 1/32" from the frame. That's the first thing I always look for to spot a non-factory refinished S&W.

Mark

MANY Factory refinishes will have a flat rebound stud. They did NOT always remove them.

 

[wheelgun610]

MANY Factory refinishes will have a flat rebound stud. They did NOT always remove them.

I should have left off the word 'factory'. I've seen factory refinished ones both ways. They may have just replaced that stud when they were still being used - before they went to the newer pressed in type.

Mark

 

[Hondo44]

The first tell-tale sign of a refinish is the rebound slide pin on the left side that should be rounded on the end, and should protrude maybe 1/32" from the frame. That's the first thing I always look for to spot a non-factory refinished S&W.

Mark

Pre war guns had a domed pin. Post war they had flat pins. Therefore the factory refinished guns were done the same way; left domed before the war and polished flat after the war even on pre war guns refinished after the war.

Also we occasionally see good nonfactory refinishes that leave the pin domed.

 

[pasound]

I have completely stripped it down for a full cleaning, and noted the rebound pin is the type with the slotted screw-in socket. Never owned a pre-war before, and my next oldest are my 71-year old M&P 38, and my 75 year-old K-22 Target Masterpiece., and both have the flat pins. Not a problem. The gun is amazingly clean inside. I'd be surprised if it was fired more than 12 times after it came back from it's probable refinish. A gentle wipedown with some CLP and it should be fine. Nothing like a number of used guns over the years that had to be soaked in Hoppe's #9. I am very happy with it, and think I paid a fair price.

Just got to find some target stocks for it. No rubbers if I can help it.

 

[Mbrgr1]

Here are some pictures of my 2nd Model which may help in confirming the items that Lee mentions. I had forgotten that this one only has the N on the right side of the grip frame. This one has the eagle head stamp too; think that means it was originally destined to be a 1917 before the end of WWI cancelled the need for more of them.

Jeff
SWCA #1457





\

Very nice, here is one close to yours, it has been refinished for sure and I think it is chrome, it has the N on the right side grip frame. Jan 1924

 

[pasound]

Yes. It looks like mine. And the same factory run over the year, mine about 500 before yours. The barrel stampings and all look the same, very sharp and precise.

 

[pasound]

Not a great pic, but this is not yet cleaned. Barely any carbon residue, no powder flakes, no lubrication goo. Again, this gun is too clean to have been shot more than a few times. Barely any turn line is the other clue.

Seems it feels different since I bought it. I think it was kept waxed. I've rubbed it down several times while studying it (trying to keep prints off), and the finish got slicker. It wasn't sticky, but I felt something that is not there now. I use Renaissance Wax at work on our guns in collection, sometimes at home on a few that stay stored.

 

[pasound]

Finished the cleaning. Double action smoothed out a lot with some scrubbing on all the small parts and a few drops of CLP.

So how do I list this in my inventory records? .44 Hand Ejector 2nd model?

 

[Mbrgr1]

Finished the cleaning. Double action smoothed out a lot with some scrubbing on all the small parts and a few drops of CLP.

So how do I list this in my inventory records? .44 Hand Ejector 2nd model?

Well done! I would say that is what it is, but I won't until I see pictures!!!!

 

[pasound]

Caught a cold this weekend. If I get to work tomorrow, will shoot some pics with our Canon SLR, and closeups of the few frame markings with the macro lens. Curious if there is an eagle on the yoke cutout. The marking isn't clear to my fixed-sight eyes.

 

[Three Tees]

Very interesting and educational thread, to be sure. Now, for a question or two of my own:
I have a TL with what appear to be British or Canadian proof marks all over it (crossed flags; what appear to be three crossed arrows in several locations on the frame; usual 2-line S & W manufacturer/patent stamping on top of barrel and grips pencil-numbered to the gun). Gun appears to have been fired very little. Blue finish is worn (speckled), but original. Grips & gold medallions in excellent condition. No rust or pitting anywhere. Lock-up and timing are perfect. Bore is near perfect. Case hardening of hammer and trigger are near perfect. No cylinder end shake. Intact lanyard swivel on bottom of grip frame, not covering s/n which is 43XX and that is stamped in the usual places. However, there are no caliber stampings anywhere on the piece. Without slugging the chambers and bore to be sure, it appears to be a .45 caliber gun judging visually by the bore and chamber diameters.
Could this be a caliber .455 Webley or .455 Eley? The chambers are ever so slightly recessed (less than 1/64th inch) and, since the serial number is intact on the rear face of the cylinder, I doubt it has been milled to accommodate .45 Colt, 45 ACP or the like. I doubt it's a .44 caliber anything, either.
Without anyone seeing it, would anybody hazard a guess as to what caliber this might be and why would S & W have omitted the caliber stamp on the gun? I don't want to fire it since its so old but I am curious.
Thanks in advance for any help in determining its caliber. If pictures are necessary, I can post them. If no help here, I will letter it.

 

[StrawHat]

Very interesting and educational thread, to be sure. Now, for a question or two of my own:
I have a TL with what appear to be British or Canadian proof marks all over it (crossed flags; what appear to be three crossed arrows in several locations on the frame; usual 2-line S & W manufacturer/patent stamping on top of barrel and grips pencil-numbered to the gun). Gun appears to have been fired very little. Blue finish is worn (speckled), but original. Grips & gold medallions in excellent condition. No rust or pitting anywhere. Lock-up and timing are perfect. Bore is near perfect. Case hardening of hammer and trigger are near perfect. No cylinder end shake. Intact lanyard swivel on bottom of grip frame, not covering s/n which is 43XX and that is stamped in the usual places. However, there are no caliber stampings anywhere on the piece. Without slugging the chambers and bore to be sure, it appears to be a .45 caliber gun judging visually by the bore and chamber diameters.
Could this be a caliber .455 Webley or .455 Eley? The chambers are ever so slightly recessed (less than 1/64th inch) and, since the serial number is intact on the rear face of the cylinder, I doubt it has been milled to accommodate .45 Colt, 45 ACP or the like. I doubt it's a .44 caliber anything, either.
Without anyone seeing it, would anybody hazard a guess as to what caliber this might be and why would S & W have omitted the caliber stamp on the gun? I don't want to fire it since its so old but I am curious.
Thanks in advance for any help in determining its caliber. If pictures are necessary, I can post them. If no help here, I will letter it.

I suggest you start a new thread with photos to get your answers.

S&W did not stamp cartridge marks on all of the Models. Quite a few of the 455 were unmarked. There is a thread devoted to the 455 Hand Ejector series.

.455 British Svc Revolver Research Thread

Some of your answers might be there.

Kevin