Engraved/Nickled 2" M&P Revolver

[1srelluc]

I picked-up this engraved 2" M&P today. It's been shot before.

There is no initials or anything else I can see (even under the stocks) that would give me a clue on who might have engraved it. Sort of a floral pattern I guess.

The serial is: C 90855

There are no numbers on the stocks at all. I assume they were chosen to replace the original stocks and complement the engraving.

Everything else matches the butt as it should. The barrel, star, and cylinder face all match.

There is what appears to be a KO 9 above the assembly number on the frame but I don't think it means anything.

I guess it was made some time in the late 1940s to around 1950.

It had been sitting at a local shop for at least 18 years. The owner passed eight years ago so nothing was known about it.

It was priced at $2900.00 by the owner but the best offer they ever got for it since he passed was $1900.00.

I traded a Victory model and a couple of US .22 Training rifles for it....I had extras of them all anyway.

Anyone recognize the engraving?

 

[Wiregrassguy]

That's a beautiful gun! Congratulations! Can't help with who engraved it but it doesn't look like anything I've seen out of Smith & Wesson. Those are also very beautiful pre-war service stocks. My guess is it shipped in 1950. I have one about half the serial number that shipped in July 1949.

Guy

 

[gmborkovic]

I would say very Germanic in design and execution. Seen alot of them from the 60s. Just spring for a letter.
Just noticed. Take a real close peek at the case colors on the hammer and trigger?

 

[1srelluc]

I would say very Germanic in design and execution. Seen alot of them from the 60s. Just spring for a letter.
Just noticed. Take a real close peek at the case colors on the hammer and trigger?

I don't know what you mean???

 

[Absalom]

...
Just noticed. Take a real close peek at the case colors on the hammer and trigger?

Are you referring to the apparent re-coloring? It’s obviously not the original case-colored hardening. There are a variety of ways to achieve coloring effects using selective application of heat and bluing chemicals.

 

[ShadyDrifter]

Came over from arfcom to see if you started a thread over here for better information

 

[1srelluc]

Are you referring to the apparent re-coloring? It’s obviously not the original case-colored hardening. There are a variety of ways to achieve coloring effects using selective application of heat and bluing chemicals.

What it was was oil that had dried on the gold plate. I put a little Rem Oil on a patch and it wiped right off, same with the trigger.

The gun sat for at least 18 years so I guess when it was oiled they got some on the gold plate.

Nothing special about it, just gold plate.

I guess when i took the pics outdoors it caught the light and "rainbow-ed" the oil. LOL...That would sure be a good look though if it could be reproduced..

 

[Wiregrassguy]

I wouldn't do a thing to it. It's exactly like the original owner wanted it to be. It's a piece of art and should be left alone.

Guy

 

[1srelluc]

I wouldn't do a thing to it. It's exactly like the original owner wanted it to be. It's a piece of art and should be left alone.

Guy

That's where I'm at with it. It needs a good cleaning but I'll take my time and tackle that tomorrow.

Whoever the owner was he/she was not shy about shooting/carrying it.

 

[THREEDFLYER]

Nice find, well done!

I own two engraved S&W's.....an M57 Blue 4" with Class A factory engraving and a Pre-Model 27 Blue 3.5" engraved by Rudy Marek and I am thrilled with both of them!

Enjoy!

 

[stu1ritter]

I own a plain jane brother to your very wonderfully engraved model and it is suffering severe sibling jealousy.

Stu

 

[cgt4570]

Very fine craftsmanship. Unfortunately the engraver started with a buffed and refinished canvas. There's a pretty big gap around the sideplate and the serial number is a little bit dished.

 

[2152hq]

Quite a unique pattern for an engraved gun,,not something you normally see.
The pattern reminds me of the common style of carving often seen on holsters. A rather open and random combination of leafy scrolls and vines.

The work doesn't jump out at me as anyones in particular that comes to mind. It does have a bit of the look of early work from Charles Jarred who worked for a time at Hunter Arms (LC Smith). Then went freelanse after the factory collapsed. He's probably most noted for the series of engraved Ruger Single Sixes done for Ruger. But those Rugers don't have any work on them that resembles the OP's gun..
Jarred did mark the Rugers with a rather fancy entwined 3 initial mark. Before then he didn't mark much of his work at all (?).
CHJ for Charles H Jarred
He was working starting in the 40's.

There's so many other unknown engravers it could be. So many hobbiest, part timers, apprentices, non-USA engravers. After WW2 a large number of guns were engraved over seas in both Europe and Asia for GI's. Quality varied as did the styles. It's hard to pinpoint one.

Two things I do notice about the cutting itself,,
one is that that there is a lot of use of punches. Not just for the background but to also enhance the leaves and flowers in the pattern.

Chisels used as a punch are also used I think to retrace cut lines or perhaps make the line entirely in some cases
These would be very narrow sharp chisels and their use would enhance the already cut lines look by deepening it w/o widening it. Could used if the engrver has a tough time keeping narrow fine pointed gravers sharp. Could be just a technique taught or picked up along the way of learning.
It does turn up the edges of the metal of the line and gives it a bit of relief feel and look to it with having to remove the background to get a relief pattern.

Look at the pic of the bottom of the pistol seeing the trigger guard and the engraving extending down into the grip strap behind it.
A very difficult place to cut as there's no place to turn the chisel. This engraver got stuck there too and had to use punches, both small flat edge shape and pin point type, to make the border lines down in that area. Also used in there to complete the engraving design where the gravers couldn't be turned to cut. Probably have to enlarge that pic to see all this too.

If you greatly enlarge either side view pic and back away from the screen a little you will easily pick up the main scroll lines that I think have been retraced with a chisel-punch.They are bolder/darker black than the others and in some cases you can see the short steps taken around a curve where the chisel wouldn't ride along smoothly there to make the line.
On the right side, one of the basic scroll lines lines above the medallion seems to have been deepened as it heads for the recoil shield and then takes off in a bit of uncontrolled travel as it makes it way accross the sideplate/frame joint..
Most all of the other lines and leaves have been 'punched up' by using the same tool coming in at an angle towards the scroll pattern That lifts the edge and again gives the patter some relief look and feel.

About the only thing I see as possibly a signiture is on the left side,,just under and to the right of the cylinder stop lug.
There is a scroll leaf there that is cut nice and wide and within the leaf it looks like maybe the initials 'BLF' exist there. Or maybe some variation of that BEP, HLP,,,ect.

You have to greatly enlarge the pic to see it. The initials, if that is what they are look to be formed with a simple straight edge punch or maybe cut in place with single straight graver cuts.
....or maybe I'm just seeing more decorative punch work applied to a leaf as I mentioned above! Can't be sure with my eyes and this Atari computer.
Pics can be awfully deceiving!

 

[1srelluc]

Quite a unique pattern for an engraved gun,,not something you normally see.
The pattern reminds me of the common style of carving often seen on holsters. A rather open and random combination of leafy scrolls and vines.

The work doesn't jump out at me as anyones in particular that comes to mind. It does have a bit of the look of early work from Charles Jarred who worked for a time at Hunter Arms (LC Smith). Then went freelanse after the factory collapsed. He's probably most noted for the series of engraved Ruger Single Sixes done for Ruger. But those Rugers don't have any work on them that resembles the OP's gun..
Jarred did mark the Rugers with a rather fancy entwined 3 initial mark. Before then he didn't mark much of his work at all (?).
CHJ for Charles H Jarred
He was working starting in the 40's.

There's so many other unknown engravers it could be. So many hobbiest, part timers, apprentices, non-USA engravers. After WW2 a large number of guns were engraved over seas in both Europe and Asia for GI's. Quality varied as did the styles. It's hard to pinpoint one.

Two things I do notice about the cutting itself,,
one is that that there is a lot of use of punches. Not just for the background but to also enhance the leaves and flowers in the pattern.

Chisels used as a punch are also used I think to retrace cut lines or perhaps make the line entirely in some cases
These would be very narrow sharp chisels and their use would enhance the already cut lines look by deepening it w/o widening it. Could used if the engrver has a tough time keeping narrow fine pointed gravers sharp. Could be just a technique taught or picked up along the way of learning.
It does turn up the edges of the metal of the line and gives it a bit of relief feel and look to it with having to remove the background to get a relief pattern.

Look at the pic of the bottom of the pistol seeing the trigger guard and the engraving extending down into the grip strap behind it.
A very difficult place to cut as there's no place to turn the chisel. This engraver got stuck there too and had to use punches, both small flat edge shape and pin point type, to make the border lines down in that area. Also used in there to complete the engraving design where the gravers couldn't be turned to cut. Probably have to enlarge that pic to see all this too.

If you greatly enlarge either side view pic and back away from the screen a little you will easily pick up the main scroll lines that I think have been retraced with a chisel-punch.They are bolder/darker black than the others and in some cases you can see the short steps taken around a curve where the chisel wouldn't ride along smoothly there to make the line.
On the right side, one of the basic scroll lines lines above the medallion seems to have been deepened as it heads for the recoil shield and then takes off in a bit of uncontrolled travel as it makes it way accross the sideplate/frame joint..
Most all of the other lines and leaves have been 'punched up' by using the same tool coming in at an angle towards the scroll pattern That lifts the edge and again gives the patter some relief look and feel.

About the only thing I see as possibly a signiture is on the left side,,just under and to the right of the cylinder stop lug.
There is a scroll leaf there that is cut nice and wide and within the leaf it looks like maybe the initials 'BLF' exist there. Or maybe some variation of that BEP, HLP,,,ect.

You have to greatly enlarge the pic to see it. The initials, if that is what they are look to be formed with a simple straight edge punch or maybe cut in place with single straight graver cuts.
....or maybe I'm just seeing more decorative punch work applied to a leaf as I mentioned above! Can't be sure with my eyes and this Atari computer.
Pics can be awfully deceiving!

I looked that area over closely with a 30X jeweler's loupe and did not see anything that would pass for initials.