A steal of a Target!

[hkcavalier]

I put a bid on this M&P Model 1905 3rd Change Target that I was sure would never win...but it did! I got it for $340.

It's far from collector grade, but when I saw that it was all original, I jumped for it. I like shooters and didn't have a target sighted S&W this old. S/N 150031 puts it around the middle of the 3rd change run, probably 1912 or so. Lots of bluing loss and light pitting near the muzzle, similar condition around the grip frame, but really all honest wear. Screws were perfect which is a bit of a double edged sword; when I opened it up there was plenty of crud and a bit of rust inside.

Gun cleaned up nice with a bit of elbow grease.

Range day was mixed. It positively hated the jacketed wadcutters I had on hand, but loved the 158gr HSM cowboy loads.

Target with some of its new safemates:

First shot with the 158gr stuff:

 

[wordsmith]

There were a handful of special 3rd Change Target models in the 150,000 serial numbers, made for an international shooting competition. You should get a letter on this one..... it might be one of them!

David

 

[Green Frog]

Looks like a winner to me. It cleaned up very well to be one you can take to the range proudly, and at that price, what's not to like? Congratulations.
Froggie

 

[RKmesa]

Great buy for a really fun gun...

Thanks for sharing,

 

[glowe]

I have often scratched my head about sales prices on some of the early K frame targets being so low. I do note, however, that large auctions houses still see higher prices on these early S&W M&P Targets than in GB. It can be stated with some confidence that 1905 and before target revolvers are scarce to rare, but those made between 1906 and 1915 are not scarce. Part of the reason is that it was not until after 1905 that competitive target shooting started taking hold in the US. Into the 1910s, the popularity of target shooting really took off.

It took almost 7 years, 1899 - 1905, to produce 62,000 38 Special Military revolvers, while from 1905 to 1915, almost 200,000 K frame revolvers were made. If 5% of early production were target revolvers and 10% were targets after 1905, total production of early targets would have been around 3,000. If post-1905 production of targets rose to 10%, around 20,000 of those produced between 1905 to 1915 could have been targets. I think survival rates would have been higher for targets than standard M&P revolvers, but still significant number are gone after over 100 years. I have to say that I see lots of gold medallion targets for sale, but value is still much higher than you paid.

The era from 1899 through 1905 contains 5 distinct models, The 1899, the Model 1902, the Model 1902, 1st Change, and the Model 1905 - 4 Screw and Model 1905 - 5 Screw targets, so each model was produced only in the hundreds.

Just a note to add that these same early target revolvers in 32 Winchester were made in very small numbers and are rarely seen. It is reasoned that some of these models would have less than 100 manufactured.

 

[glowe]

There were a handful of special 3rd Change Target models in the 150,000 serial numbers, made for an international shooting competition. You should get a letter on this one..... it might be one of them

Just checking my serial numbers and found I have 150057, only 26 numbers apart, that shipped in 1911. There was a Summer Olympics in Stockholm that drew many competitors from the US. Image of some of the shooters from that Olympics, all with S&W Single Shot pistols.

Roy states that the revolvers of that era were built only with 4" and 6" barrels, but mine has a 6 1/2" and looks like the OP's is also 6 1/2". Maybe special orders??

My Target

 

[SS336]

Very nice revolver, looks great after you cleaned it up. The stocks look especially good. $340 seems like a smoking deal to me. Have to say I'm more than a little jealous.

 

[Model19man]

Yes for $340 you did very well indeed!

 

[hkcavalier]

I had to recheck my 4th SCSW. My serial is near the beginning of the 3rd change, not the middle. It does have a 6-1/2" barrel and is s/n matching with the patent dates on the top. Possibly a left over 2nd change barrel? I guess I should letter this one after all...

 

[hkcavalier]

I got my letter today. Disappointed as it states the gun left S&W in March 1911 with a 6" barrel when the gun clearly has a 6.5" tube with a matching S/N on the flat and no evidence of rework. My dream that this was some special order barrel length by a renowned target shooter or club was just that...such as it goes.

It shipped to Portland, OR and I bought it from a shop in that very city, so it didn't travel too far in its first 112 years.

 

[paplinker]

I got my letter today. Disappointed as it states the gun left S&W in March 1911 with a 6" barrel when the gun clearly has a 6.5" tube with a matching S/N on the flat and no evidence of rework. My dream that this was some special order barrel length by a renowned target shooter or club was just that...such as it goes.

It shipped to Portland, OR and I bought it from a shop in that very city, so it didn't travel too far in its first 112 years.

Thanks for the "Rest of the story" like Paul Harvey used to say.

Always like hearing what the letters say. It is pretty interesting it likely stayed in state.

Once I bought a gun from California and later had it lettered. Found out it shipped to Pa, 15 minutes away from my house. Gun did a full circle across country and back home.

 

[toad67]

I got my letter today. Disappointed as it states the gun left S&W in March 1911 with a 6" barrel when the gun clearly has a 6.5" tube with a matching S/N on the flat and no evidence of rework. My dream that this was some special order barrel length by a renowned target shooter or club was just that...such as it goes.

It shipped to Portland, OR and I bought it from a shop in that very city, so it didn't travel too far in its first 112 years.

How does the letter, stating that it came with a 6" barrel, go with the fact that it has a numbered 6.5" barrel, incorrect factory info maybe?

 

[Keith Brown]

Thats a sweet 05 Target, my favorite prewar Smith ! looks a little dirty inside but I've had far worse and they always clean up nice and then are smooth as can be. Feed it a diet of wadcutters and Bullseye and it has several lives left ! You got a great deal, I would have paid more if I walked by it at a show.

 

[Muley Gil]

How does the letter, stating that it came with a 6" barrel, go with the fact that it has a numbered 6.5" barrel, incorrect factory info maybe?

Clerks make mistakes. Dr Roy and now Don, can only report what is in the records.

 

[rct269]

If/When you might choose to adjust your sights, I believe you will find one full turn of an adjusting screw will move the point of impact 1" for each 10 yards of range-----probably---maybe.

The reason for my belief (and the probably----maybe) is that's what it is for later guns (the 30's)---and I choose to believe they had no reason to change from whatever preceded that----if it was different.

My cop-out clause goes like so: Never say never or always about anything S&W may or may not have done!

Ralph Tremaine

 

[Model19man]

As Roy told me - barrels were often serialized to match the revolver if the factory changed barrels during a service visit and a new barrel was installed. Mine has the return visit date stamped on the handle.

 

[hkcavalier]

Thats a sweet 05 Target, my favorite prewar Smith ! looks a little dirty inside but I've had far worse and they always clean up nice and then are smooth as can be. Feed it a diet of wadcutters and Bullseye and it has several lives left ! You got a great deal, I would have paid more if I walked by it at a show.

I'm very happy with how it turned out even if the letter is of no help proving the odd barrel length. Around here and especially in the western (Seattle) part of the state, pawn shops seem to always have a prewar S&W in poor condition, missing parts and/or clearly refinished, for $300-$500. So to get a well loved but all original Target for that is a boon.