Celebrate the Years - Post Your Oldest S&W Hand Ejector

[RKmesa]

January marks the 114th anniversary of the shipping of this 38 M&P 1905 1st Change. About 13 years ago, I saw it on a table at a local gun show and I'm not sure why, but it "spoke" to me. I pulled out my wallet and handed the seller two Benjamins and walked away with a smile and a piece of S&W history. It is the oldest S&W in my collection and I have always liked it, in spite of the fact that it doesn't have a lot of bluing left and there are numerous nicks and marks earned by a gun that was used for its intended purpose. BUT... all of the numbers match, including the very faint penciled serial number on the inside of one of the grip panels.

The turn of the century craftsmanship is evident and even with the passage of a lot of years, the original concave grips fit like they were milled from the same piece of steel...

Please post photos of your oldest S&W Hand Ejector for the rest of us to see.

 

[bill-in-texas]

Richard,
What a great score!... I mean, TWO BILLS?!
(I paid just five for mine.)

My oldest, shipped April, 1919:

 

[rubiranch]

My oldest gun isn't very old but it is my favorite. 6.5" M-27 shipped 3/11/1960

 

[RKmesa]

My oldest, shipped April, 1919:

Wow Bill, that 100-year old .38 RP looks like you just took it out of the shipping box, unwrapped it from the paper and cleaned off the packing grease. What a beauty!!!

 

[glowe]

To date, this is my oldest K frame S&W HE. Shipped in June 1899 with serial number 776.

. . . BUT, my oldest S&W Hand Ejector is a 32 Model 1896 with serial number 6889 that shipped in June 1898.

 

[fhsjrm]

Recently acquired M1917. I'm told it's an early model and I haven't even fired it yet!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[Doc44]

Second Model Target, special barrel length, 45 Colt caliber, shipped in 1916.

Bill

 

[M2MikeGolf]

Well, by the standards of this thread, my commercial M1917 isn't that old. I found it wasting away in a shop nearby that does most of its business selling tactical stuff to the wannabe "operators". They gave me a good deal on it. The experts here informed me it was a commercial transition model, so probably made in the late 1940s. Here it is next to my Granddads Colt government model, circa 1927.

 

[Xfuzz]

1922 to Wolf & Klar.
1946 back to Smith for a facelift.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

My oldest HE is this .22 Hand Ejector, 1st Model, from January 1903.

 

[bill-in-texas]

Second Model Target, special barrel length, 45 Colt caliber, shipped in 1916.

Bill

I love seeing all of these old beauties!...

And, THIS!! ^^^^^

 

[H Richard]

Here's a pair of 1899 1st Model Hand Ejector, 38 Special. S/N 8047 and 8636 which shipped Dec 1900 and Jan 1901.

Look closely at the Nickel one, with a 4 line address! This was one that Roy used as an example for the factory to quit "updating" all rollmarks etc when sent in for refinishing.







The refinish was done in May of 78, but the Historical Foundation does not have that date scanned yet, so can't verify the nickel finish on the hammer and trigger. I have received both positive and negative opinions on the originality of the factory nickel on the hammer and trigger.

 

[lestert357]

.45 Hand Ejector Model of 1917 in the first shipment to Springfield Armory on November 6, 1917.....

 

[WCCPHD]

My oldest hand ejector.

455 H.E. First Model. (Triple Lock)

Per Mr. Jinks: "455 H.E. First Model serial 5642 is one of the rare commercial shipments. It was shipped in April 1915." This gun was sold by S&W commercially and bought by the British Purchasing Commission and sent to England.

Unfortunately after WWI it was converted to .45 Colt by shaving the cylinder.

 

[jmace57]

Ugly, but you asked for my oldest. November, 1902 ship date.

 

[Absalom]

My earliest hand ejector, and the third-oldest gun in my eclectic "collection".

Given its age, about as "sock drawer" as it gets.

 

[22hipower]

Great idea for a thread. Here's my oldest, certainly not the best condition; 1902 32-20 from 1904.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[KalamazooKid]

Celebrate the Years - Post Your Oldest S&W Hand Ejector

My oldest is a mere child amongst these beauties! A K-22 Outdoorsman from 1938 ....

 

[wundudnee]

A pretty poor picture of my Grandfathers first model hand ejector. Also my grandmothers lapel watch and his pocket watch. The blue gun is a .38S&W top break.

 

[RWPBR]

Early 1946 S prefix ...yes I know the grips are wrong

 

[LLOYD17]

June of 1910 for my oldest

 

[bill-in-texas]

Wow Bill, that 100-year old .38 RP looks like you just took it out of the shipping box, unwrapped it from the paper and cleaned off the packing grease. What a beauty!!!

Thanks, Richard.

I'm still a relative "noob" around these parts; the day I first came across it, I honestly did not know what a "Regulation Police" is... or, an I-frame for that matter.
So, I walked away and drove home -only to quickly learn what a find this was! (I may have broken a few traffic laws on my return to the pawn shop.)

I'm just glad none of the employees handled (mishandled) it, by working the action.

When I walked in the second time, I first casually looked at a Glock or some such nonsense before nonchalantly asking to see "that little revolver there." Lol One can never be too obvious, you know!

I love the subject of this thread! So many treasured finds!
-Bill

 

[6518John]

Bill—AMEN. Threads like this are why I have a nearly a million likes!

 

[armorer951]

Certainly not the "Homecoming Queen" by any stretch, but my oldest .38 special caliber revolver has a remarkable action for it's age. My "newer" S&W revolvers can't even come close. Love that tiny little trade mark on the frame side of the gun too.

I'm still amazed by the workmanship and fitting on these older models. A lot of skill, both with machines, and by hand. Grips are numbered to the gun. Experts here on the forum advised it appeared to be from around 1925. This one came from the St. Louis area. (Interestingly, I found an address label from the owner, or one of them, stuck inside on the of the grip panels)

 

[newellj]

M&P 1905 3rd 32-20 Target 3/1/1912

I guess I need one from the 19th century to compete here.

 

[Targets Guy]

My 1914 Change 3 M&P. Shipped Oct 1914.

 

[tlawler]

Here's my contribution, my refinished M1917 that probably shipped just before the end of The Great War. S/N is 1206xx and that was the date given to me by some of the knowledgeable experts here on the forum when I first posted about it. I'm not really fond of the faux ivory grips, but they have grown on me some. I'm still scouring gun show used stocks bins for a set of original wood stocks whenever I can though.

 

[dwh]

My very homely 1902 target 32-20 from about 1904. I'm sending for a letter as it seems to have been factory rebarreled at some point.

 

[bondjamesbond]

My 32he 192xxx and my 455 2nd shipped to Shapleigh Hardware

 

[Wiregrassguy]

@tlawler --> Your 1917 was made in October 1918.


@dwh --> Post a picture of the underside of the barrel where the extractor rod docks.