Early 5" Pre-29 with a story.***UPDATE***
- Thread starter 29-1
- Start date
I don't think he was dissappointed. He just wanted to 'collect' it! He obviously liked 5" N frames.
OP
I think this is probably the case as he had other 44 Magnums that he did shoot and reload for. This one was special because he waited so long for it. Good question though and I'm going to ask him the next time we speak.
H P Bushrod
Absent Comrade
Thanks for sharing the history of that rare pre-29. I wish we could have the kind of customer service today that was available in 1956.
OP
BTT for some pretty exciting news, to me anyway, concerning this rare revolver.
Great news, Chuck! What a score.
Thanks for the update,
Jerry
Thanks for the update,
Jerry
Apparently, your revolver was listed as being sold on June 30 when the order was placed. Correct? It was the first five inch sold and the second one shipped since S173849 was shipped on July 16, 1957. The gun that we thought was a 5-screw was really not made until late August or early September of 1957.
Bill
Bill
OP
Bill, Roy said that it was a Special Order that Hellstrom had to approve and that since he was close friends with the VanOrden's at Evaluators, it was allowed to be placed. He said the gun was then special ordered and put into production on 4/6/1956, but not entered into the production records until 6/30/56 and marked sold that same date because it in fact was already sold to Evaluators. Therefore, S172846 is the unknown 5" gun listed in the production records for 6/30/56. It just took over 18 months to get filled and finally shipped out. Why it didn't get shipped until 2 months after S173849 is unknown, but my belief is that S172846 was a manufactured 5" barrel which the factory was not set up to produce in .44 Magnum at that date in a reasonbly timely manner (see Miller's letter, where he even mentions to Coppridge that he, Coppridge, should buy a regular 6 1/2 model, shoot it a while and then send it back to the factory later and have it cut back to 5"), and S173849 which was a cut-down 6 1/2 " requiring only a few days to produce since no special tooling was required. There apparently is no 5 screw 5" 44 Magnum as we previously assumed and had hoped for. I'm glad to get this finally cleared up because I felt all along that the early date Coppridge ordered the gun (March/April 1956) and the entry into the production logs of a 5" 44 magnum on 6/30/1956 was more than coincidental.
Chuck
Chuck... Pre-Model 29,S154457, 5-inch, BT, was shipped to Rex Firearms in August 1959. I don't know if it has a 5-screw frame, but its serial number suggests it should have.
Bill
Bill
OP
Bill, one would think so. Maybe it'll turn up some day and we can know for sure. A look at the database however, tells me it could be either 4/5 screw in the S154XXX range. Just another one we won't know about for sure unless it turns up, but there's always hope
29aholic
Member
Ahh the quest continues...maybe I can beat you guys to this one
OP
Curtis, I hope you do!
Chuck
Chuck
OP
J.C. here's another 5" that I posted a couple of months ago with a memorable story. Gotta love the 5" 44 magnums.
Chuck
Chuck
.308 Winchester!
Chuck, now you're talking MY language....
The "7.62 NATO/ .308 Winchester" cartridge was actually authorized April 7th, 1952 by Winchester. First referred to as the "T-65 experimental cartridge" - then the "7.62 NATO" and finally the ".308 Winchester". The "Model 70 Featherweight" rifle was designed around it. Among the "Pre-64" Model 70 collectors finding one stamped "7.62" is tantamount to finding a "S121836" The Prototype Pre-29! It eventually became the 4th most popular cartridge in the Model 70.
Speaking of Model 70's - Here's a sampling of some we've used in Wyoming for everything from Rockchucks to Fox/ Coyote, Antelope, Mule deer, Elk, and Moose....This group contains a Model 54 in '06, Pre-War Model 70 in '06 (1940), Transition .270 Winchester (1947), .22 Hornet (1948), .257 Roberts (Sept. 1950 my birthday gun), .220 Swift (Sept 1950 my other birthday gun), .270 Featherweight (1955), .243 Varmint (1959), Westerner .264 Win Magnum (1960). Missing during the photo shooting are .338 Win. Mag, .264 Win. Mag. Featherweight, .300 H&H Bull Gun, .375 H&H Magnum...
Chuck, now you're talking MY language....
The "7.62 NATO/ .308 Winchester" cartridge was actually authorized April 7th, 1952 by Winchester. First referred to as the "T-65 experimental cartridge" - then the "7.62 NATO" and finally the ".308 Winchester". The "Model 70 Featherweight" rifle was designed around it. Among the "Pre-64" Model 70 collectors finding one stamped "7.62" is tantamount to finding a "S121836" The Prototype Pre-29! It eventually became the 4th most popular cartridge in the Model 70.
Speaking of Model 70's - Here's a sampling of some we've used in Wyoming for everything from Rockchucks to Fox/ Coyote, Antelope, Mule deer, Elk, and Moose....This group contains a Model 54 in '06, Pre-War Model 70 in '06 (1940), Transition .270 Winchester (1947), .22 Hornet (1948), .257 Roberts (Sept. 1950 my birthday gun), .220 Swift (Sept 1950 my other birthday gun), .270 Featherweight (1955), .243 Varmint (1959), Westerner .264 Win Magnum (1960). Missing during the photo shooting are .338 Win. Mag, .264 Win. Mag. Featherweight, .300 H&H Bull Gun, .375 H&H Magnum...
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This was an awesome read and very informative. I wonder why the gun (a special order) was discounted from $140 to $115.72
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semperfi71
US Veteran
Very informative and educational. Great luck in having all of the documentation.
Love the Pre-64s as well.
Love the Pre-64s as well.
