An Interesting Find

[Mike Grasso]

I've never really been into buying antiques. I have a few Winchesters and Colt SAA's but I'm more of a "Now that's interesting" kind of a "collector".

Yesterday at the Indy 1500, a good friend of mine, Tamara Keel (Firearms writer and blogger) was visiting at a friends table and showed me a S&W Safety Hammerless?, it was originally a .32.

Somewhere, someone, somehow did an incredible amount of work to it. They sleeved the cylinders and bbl to .22. Built a spring and tube system under the bbl to house a push rod extractor. Even recessed the chambers correctly. The refinished the weapon and added a Marbles front sight.

All in all it's a very interesting piece. All I need is to order a matching pair of grips and I'm good, the revolver came with a right side S&W and a left side "owl" grip.

Serial is 60,9XX so I'm guessing mid 1890s...

What's your expert thoughts?

Mike

 

[H Richard]

Looks like someone invested over $600 to create a gun worth $150.

 

[Mike Grasso]

That may be. but I never did say what I paid, did I?
And quite frankly, does it matter? But go ahead, everyone is entitled to an opinion.

 

[old11bravo]

Very curious indeed! Thanks for posting.

 

[Club Gun Fan]

I like it. I had a friend who passed a few years ago. He could whip up something like that in a weekend.

 

[gjamison]

A lot of talent went into that gun. Would have bought it in a heart beat!
Great find!

 

[Jim Watson]

Amazing.
Simpler to build and install a push rod ejector than to make a new .22 star?

 

[Mike Grasso]

It's just "NRA Weird". Shoots fine with CB Mini caps, a few light strikes but seriously, I didn't buy it for an everyday shooter! In fact I'm not entirely sure why I bought it other than it was quite different!

 

[jrs70]

I like it.

 

[rct269]

The obvious question is why would someone build something like that? The equally obviously answer is because they could. I stand in awe of such talent!

Ralph Tremaine

 

[da gimp]

the reason for the new ejector push rod, was that the smith was not able to create/precision drill & time a new ejector star/cylinder is my guess...much simpler/cheaper to do it this way... the owner either didn't like the cost of the original center fire .32 ammo, or had little access to it in his locale & was just too cheap to buy another pistol in .22 calibre.

Neat pistol... it could have a new home here in Missouri......... if my lady didn't find out about it (grins)..........Congrats on picking her up.

 

[Mike Grasso]

Some nice work...

 

[Dan M]

I like it but then I have always liked the odd guns. Here's a M&P I used to own that was colterized

 

[Old 44 Guy]

Who ever the gun smith that did the work is genius, Good job.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

Does look to be well done. Nice touch at the rear of the cylinder. There was a converted S&W top break DA revolver for sale on GB a while back. Don't know if it sold but IIRC the seller had a rather high reserve price of somewhere over $500.

I've always wondered why S&W ignored the 22 rimfire after they ceased production of their tip up revolvers in 1881. The only S&W top break designed for the .22 RF was the single shot target model and that came out more than a decade later in 1893. And the M frame didn't begin production until 1903. Other manufacturers produced a wealth of top break and solid frame 22 revolvers. H&R, Hopkins and Allen , Iver Johnson, Marlin, and a host of others sank their production teeth into making 22 RF revolvers throughout the last two decades of the 19th century. But S&W, father of the 22 rimfire, ignored their creation. Maybe they had their hands full of other developments.

John

 

[Buford57]

I came across a .32 HE converted not nearly so artfully to .22LR in a pawn shop outside Ft. Knox a couple of years ago. The oddball factor almost got me.

This gun would have been hard to resist.

 

[SPEEDGUNNER]

That's a purty lil' pocket gun ya got there pardner...

 

[DWalt]

I've always wondered why S&W didn't make a .22 RF top break on a .32 top break frame. I'd think it would have occurred to management that there was a good market for such a design. H&R and IJ sure sold a lot of top-break .22s back then.

 

[Club Gun Fan]

I've always wondered why S&W didn't make a .22 RF top break on a .32 top break frame. I'd think it would have occurred to management that there was a good market for such a design. H&R and IJ sure sold a lot of top-break .22s back then.

Where are H&R and IJ today? Did you ever think of working for S&W in Marketing?

 

[Captain O]

Looks like someone invested over $600 to create a gun worth $150.

To each their own, said the lady when she kissed the cow!

 

[Captain O]

Where are H&R and IJ today? Did you ever think of working for S&W in Marketing?

H&R is still alive and well. Firearms are sill being produced under the New England Firearms brand as a part of Marlin. Their Handi-Rifle is a darned fine value for the money.

 

[Tom K]

Conversions to .22 rimfire are almost always interesting.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-ha...ple-lock-sn-2747-chambered-22-long-rifle.html

Not my gun, but I wish it was.

These however, are my guns. From post #39 in the same thread as above:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-ha...47-chambered-22-long-rifle.html#post136776722

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1961-1980/72265-model-10-chambered-22lr.html

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-antiques/217300-tulsa-gun-show-haul-nov-2011-a.html

Fun, don't you think?

 

[tug700]

A fine example of a great mind making something useful out of nothing. The smith was extremely talented and insightful. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mtu164]

I for one would give more than $150.00 for it in a flash. Beautiful work and a very lucky find.

 

[mnrivrat]

I can see the appeal of this gun and the creative thought that went into it.
I have not figured out how to post pictures on this forum yet so will have to simply reflect on a S&W American I have. It was converted to .38 Special, the ejection system was modified to a spring loaded push rod under the barrel. Other modifications has this gun in a condition that I don't think there is a single part that was left alone . But it is an interesting piece that I paid very little for and shows a person how creative old time gunsmithing could get to keep a gun in a state in witch it could still be useful.

 

[RobertJ.]

My first S&W was a "Lemon Squeezer", and it didn't get the respect it deserved. It was my tackle box gun when I lived in Idaho, and traded off years ago.

I've had a thing for them since, though, and that's a nice looking gun!