Early Centennial with Pictures

[dthughes]

If anyone likes, I'll try to get some pictures of this tomorrow, but for right now I want to brag a moment. I just picked up a S&W Centennial lemon squeezer with the flat latch, 4 screw right panel, pinned barrel, ramp front site. Overall in really good condition -- probbly 85% original finish with a recent and obvious drag circle from the cylinder lock. The pin to hold down the grip safety is missing (aren't they all?) and I didn't get the box. Swapped a 1959 Winchester 94 for it. Of course, I figured it was close on the swap before I noticed that the serial number on this lemon squeezer is 399. Nope, no Xs, no 0s, just the 3 digits. I think I got a pretty good one here!

Pictures:

and apologies for putting this in antiques rather than 1896-1961 where it belongs!

 

[cflier]

Good find,

I've made replacement grip safety pins by using a side cutter and lopping off a small piece of a heavy paper clip. It is a very simple fix and I can't tell them form the original. They work fine.

Mark

 

[DCWilson]

That is NICE! I love three-digit anythings, and an early centennial has a monumental cool factor. That has to be a 1952 or 1953 product.

Congratulations on an excellent trade! You can always get another 94, but you could look a long time before finding a low-number Centennial.

You did good. I'm actually a little envious about this one.

 

[Art Doc]

I have one from 1962 that not only still has the pin but also has a pinned barrel like yours.

 

[dthughes]

I have one from 1962 that not only still has the pin but also has a pinned barrel like yours.

QUOTE]

Very nice!

 

[jcelect]

I need that gun!

Hey dthughes
Great find. Now you need to sell the gun to me! That serial number is the hull number of the first ship I was on(USS Sea Cat) and I collect J frames! ? ! ?
jcelect SWCA#LM723

 

[dthughes]

Hey dthughes
Great find. Now you need to sell the gun to me! That serial number is the hull number of the first ship I was on(USS Sea Cat) and I collect J frames! ? ! ?
jcelect SWCA#LM723

Great Idea, jcelect! I'll do that just as soon as the man who's selling me the entire seacoast development rights to Idaho gets back to me!
Seriously, this fell into my lap. It came about as a second-hand negotiation on a couple of beaters I was getting rid of and I just couldn't walk away from it. Thank you for your service, too.
Dave

 

[ar15ed]

nice centennials! i collect flat-latch j-frames, too, and i haven't rounded one up yet!

i do think i have a pretty nice old box for a centennial with no traces of an original paper tag, probably a 60-65 era box. i got it with a model 38 a few weeks ago. i was gonna hang on to it, for when i find a gun later (how is that for faith!). but, if you are interested in it, i will dig it out and might consider selling it.

 

[rburg]

About 10 or so years ago I had to go to a work related conference down in TN. I blew off the Saturday morning sessions and headed north toward home. But a funny thing happened in southern KY. My jeep suddenly veered left/west and headed off into the countryside. It was following my GPS's instructions toward Somerset. When I hit the town (a long, strip shaped place) I stopped in a Shell station where there was a genuine Hillbilly (God love 'em.) I could tell because he had a worn out full size Blazer with maple leaf camo (its where they stuck leaves on the side before they primered it, then pulled the leaves off.)

So I pulled along side of the guy as he was finishing gassing up and yelled "hey bud, where's the gun show here in town?" He responded with "there's a gun show today? Follow me". And off we went in a cloud of his blue smoke. About 2 miles south on US 27. We parted ways.

But inside at the end of the first row was "Larry". He's kind of a fixture at these things. He said he used to be a cop down in Hazard. I was interested in the Centennial he had. It was clearly an early one, and when I spun it upside down, I wanted it. Serial #157. So home it came with me.

Roy's letter was kind of a disappointment. It was one of those guns that turns up as "open on company books". So we always speculate if it was a lunch box gun, or a gun picked from the production to give to an executive or dignitary. Back then records weren't as controlled as today.

Its still an interesting gun. And I don't have a red box for it, either.

 

[dthughes]

Serial #157. So home it came with me.

Roy's letter was kind of a disappointment. It was one of those guns that turns up as "open on company books". So we always speculate if it was a lunch box gun, or a gun picked from the production to give to an executive or dignitary. Back then records weren't as controlled as today.

Its still an interesting gun. And I don't have a red box for it, either.

That's the next step for me: spring the $25 to get a letter and see what I can learn about the history of this piece.

QUESTION: Is it normal on these for the cylinder stop to be timed so tight that it leaves a full circle mark -- soon as the cylinder starts to turn the latch pops back up again.

 

[NFrameFred]

That's the next step for me: spring the $25 to get a letter and see what I can learn about the history of this piece.

'Cept the letters aren't $25 anymore . . . . .

 

[dthughes]

'Cept the letters aren't $25 anymore . . . . .

That's the story of my life: Soon as I can afford a penny candy the price has gone to a nickle. Save a nickle and things cost a dime.

 

[rburg]

QUESTION: Is it normal on these for the cylinder stop to be timed so tight that it leaves a full circle mark -- soon as the cylinder starts to turn the latch pops back up again.

Yes, that's an indication that it is correctly timed. Nothing to worry about or fear. The gun will only last another 50 or so years before maybe it might need a minor tune up.