Home Cookin'?

[Art Doc]

Just out of curiosity, how common is it to letter an older S&W and have still be in the state where it was originally shipped?

I bought this one while living in Utah and it shipped to SLC in 1957.

Picked this up at a Little Rock show and it letters to the Ft. Smith PD.

 

[SmithNoob]

Two nice looking Smiths. What type of hammer is on the HD?

 

[Malysh]

I'd bet it's more common the gun has migrated to another state, but who knows for sure?

My 1954 Centennial Airweight was bought from a retired PD now an FFL in Lake Ponchetrain, LA., but it was intially sold to somebody in Wisconsin.
My 1954(again!) M&P 38 spec. 2" Airweight w/alum. cylinder was initially sold to somebody in TN. but it was sold to be by a forum member living in another state.
This info is from Jinks' letters.

I have more examples but you get the idea.......

 

[murphydog]

I have one gun that shipped to my state, but it was bought from another state. Who knows what adventures it had in between the 225 miles from where it was "born" and today?

I think the hammer on the HD is a humpback, correct?

 

[dacoontz]

It looks like a modified humpback. Like they ground the back portion of it off to see the rear notch in double action.

Saxon, if you want the 357 to come back to Utah then I would be happy to give it a home at no charge. I would do it just for histories sake.

Daniel #2322

 

[Walter Rego]

I have several S&W's that lettered here in CA plus a Savage 1917 that lettered in CA. I have a couple more that even lettered to my own city and were purchased right here. It's not that uncommon.

 

[bravastar1]

I bought my Reg Mag 20 miles from where it originally shipped. It is still in the Denver area.

 

[DCWilson]

Interesting question. Working from a sometimes shaky memory, I think most of my prewar lettered guns shipped to some other state and then came to me in California. The one exception kind of doesn't count because it shipped to Los Angeles in 1932, left the state at some point and spent at least 40 years in Kentucky, then came back when I bought it last year.

Some of my more recent guns (1950s, 1960s) letter to California and, I would think, probably did not leave the state before coming to me.

Two guesses:

1) The older a gun is, the likelier it has migrated out of the state to which it was shipped.

2) The smaller a state is, the likelier a gun shipped there has migrated to another state.

 

[Marksman]

I picked up an early S serial #'d M/29-2 a few years ago and it had not left the city or state to which it had been shipped. It will be interesting to see what your poll reveals.

 

[mikepriwer]

Its not uncommon. While living in Seattle, I bought several guns,
in Seattle, that were shipped to hardware stores in Seattle, and one
was shipped to Warshals, a sporting goods store, in Seattle. I don't
know their migration history, so they may not have stayed in the
area from day one.

Its like people. They are born somewhere, maybe go away to school,
and then eventually resettle in their original hometown.

Regards, Mike Priwer

 

[Malysh]

David W., I think you raised an interesting point:

"Two guesses:

1) The older a gun is, the likelier it has migrated out of the state to which it was shipped.

2) The smaller a state is, the likelier a gun shipped there has migrated to another state. "

 

[tftech1]

I have a 8-3/4 inch RM with a certificate for an original owner in my home state, but it was bought from a seller in another state. Likewise I have a 5 inch HD from the police department in my hometown, but it was bought from a seller in another state.

 

[Art Doc]

The 1940 HD has a humpback hammer with the tip broken or ground off.