Increasingly more Interesting Triple Lock *update*

[Hondo44]

Sixgun,

The more I look at those factory sights on your 44 Spl TL, the more extraordinary I feel they are; both the rear blade with the integral finely serrated hump behind the blade mimicking the adjustable sight, and the front blade with the undercut Patridge rear vertical surface!!

 

[Modified]

Sixgun,

The more I look at those factory sights on your 44 Spl TL, the more extraordinary I feel they are; both the rear blade with the integral finely serrated hump behind the blade mimicking the adjustable sight, and the front blade with the undercut Patridge rear vertical surface!!

Yeah. I've mentioned this before, but even before the letter I kept coming back to this as being my favorite gun. I've just sent off for a Historical Foundation search. I hope this work was done sometime in the range of records they keep, maybe find out some more.

When the gun first came on my radar on Gunbroker I was particularly weak to it because I had just found a copy of Sixguns by Keith and was reading and re-reading it. I felt (maybe correctly?) that whoever had the work done was either someone who knew Keith or was at least someone who followed his work. The sights, Magnas, 5" Triple lock all seemed a bit too much like what someone reading him in the 1930s would have wanted to turn such a gun into.

I really, really didn't expect the sights to be S&W factory. I was confident the bluing was, but not the sights.

And I must admit, the K scratched into the butt fueled a bit of a fantasy that it somehow was Elmer's at one time (which I don't think it ever was).

 

[Hondo44]

I know the records for the 1930s have been completed at the SWHF. I suspect that's
what Roy referenced to confirm the factory work. It will be very interesting once you receive copies
of the actual work order and any existing correspondence!
(You know, like the letter from Elmer )

 

[Modified]

I know the records for the 1930s have been completed at the SWHF. I suspect that's
what Roy referenced to confirm the factory work. It will be very interesting once you receive copies
of the actual work order and any existing correspondence!
(You know, like the letter from Elmer )

Hey, hey,

Don't do that, I get my hopes up easily only to be dashed when it turns out to have been dumb old McGivern who ordered the work.

In any case I would like to take a moment to thank you and the fine people who organize and contribute to this forum. The S&W Standard Catalog got me started, but you guys in this place are what really keeps me going. I don't think I would even know about many of these incredible guns without you guys.

One of my great joys in this hobby is the hunt for that next awesome thing. Certain guns (and even a couple boxes) I do absolutely love owning, but I can't play with them when I am sitting in airports, or at the office. With an eye trained by looking at the glorious and amazing guns you guys have, and the information on the most interesting and rare of the old smiths, I have a chance to spot stuff like this and own guns that are really worth cherishing.

I look forward to many years hanging out with you guys, and when I finally get off my butt and join the club seeing you out in Spokane.

I would imagine I should probably bring this one with me?

 

[Modified]

Bit of an update for anyone that is interested. Before I throw it in here, I have to say that the SWHF is amazing, super nice folks there. I'll throw scans of these documents up whenever they arrive, they sound like they are going to provide some really fascinating reading.

Below is the report I got on the material that you sent to me. The only one that we could find anything on was the .44 Sn. 1850. We did connect it to a name so that might provide a basis for more research. ... I am actually pleased that we did come up with this much as this is a difficult search. That gun sure had a busy lifetime.

"We found five letters from Albert H. Johnston to S&W (dated from May 27, 1940 to May 6, 1941) arranging to have the finish changed from nickel to blue and improving the trigger pull on 44 Special, serial number 1850. In a letter dated January 28, 1941 he states he was unaware the barrel had been shortened or the sight base removed. The last letter deals with a broken shell extractor he wants fixed. I could not find anything about the barrel being shortened so it may have been done prior to 1930. Five documents total on 1850."

This raises a lot of questions in my mind I must say. Nickel? Shortened Barrel?

I suspect this gun is going to provide mystery for years to come.

 

[ron farmer]

Why are you apologizing for the photos? Good show man, good show!

 

[Modified]

Why are you apologizing for the photos? Good show man, good show!

Eh, my brother is a professional photographer, I have an unusually high bar set in my head for what a photo should look like I guess. Little bit of sibling rivalry kicking around the back of my head I guess.

 

[ironhead7544]

Sixgun,

The more I look at those factory sights on your 44 Spl TL, the more extraordinary I feel they are; both the rear blade with the integral finely serrated hump behind the blade mimicking the adjustable sight, and the front blade with the undercut Patridge rear vertical surface!!

Beauty! Would like a set of those sights on my 44 HE.

 

[dacoontz]

Very nice gun. One question, Roy's letter says blue finish but the SWHF letters say the finish was changed from nickel to blue. What's going on there? We're you able to get some clarification on that? Looks like it was refinished in blue based on the stamping on the frame.

 

[Hondo44]

There's more going on here than meets the eye. I don't believe we have the entire story from the archives, only how it was originally shipped in blue and later the sights modified from Roy's letter, and a much later part that has been digitized already.

There must be another chapter in between, not yet digitized, possibly where it was sent back to be nickeled by the same or former owner. Then the owner in the documented return trips to the factory that we know about, had it returned to its original blue finish. It's interesting that with the return trips we already know about, there's a star stamp but no date stamps.

This is clearly a case where the additional information only raised more questions. And we haven't even seen the actual documents yet.

 

[dacoontz]

True, but Roy's letter states that it was originally shipped in blue and the SWHF letter says it was nickel. So was it blue than nickel than blue based on the info that is presented. I guess that's possible but funny to me.

 

[Masterpiece]

There's more going on here than meets the eye. I don't believe we have the entire story from the archives, only how it was originally shipped in blue with the sights and a much later part that has been digitized already.

This is clearly a case where the additional information only raised more questions.

I agree with Jim (Hondo44) there's definitely more going on with this Revolver than meets the eye...Much More In My Opinion!!

Also...Concerning the Original Configuration as stated in the Letter...In my opinion the Letter states this Revolver shipped as a "Std. Service-Sighted" Triple-Lock!! The Sights...(Factory Modified??...or Not??)...Were added "After" this Revolver left the factory in 1912 given I'm pretty certain Roy would have made mention of them in the sentence stating the Barrel Length, Finish & Stocks it shipped with...Not in the Additional Notation!!

Thought it best to throw that out there to lessen the confusion that already exists!!

 

[Hondo44]

The factory letter arrived:

Yes Masterpiece! Roy seems to have additional records from between his shipping records and the SWHF records indicating a factory return for refinishing and sight modification but apparently not digitized for retrieval by SWHF as yet. This could be when the nickel finish was done, which is documented by the SWHF as being redone again back to the original blue finish on the subsequent return trip to the factory documented in their records.

 

[Masterpiece]

Roy seems to have additional records from between his shipping records and the SWHF records indicating a factory return for refinishing and sight modification but apparently not digitized for retrieval by SWHF as yet.

Jim,

While that "May" be true??...If This Revolver Were Mine...I'd contact Roy asking him to add some clarity to the notation given there are one too many "And's" in that last sentence to suit me...Been There Before!!

 

[Glenn Kelley]

Mr Johnson states that he was not aware that the barrel had been shortened .

Roy stated that it left the factory as a 5" .It is a 5" .

Barrel change as well ?

Glenn

 

[Modified]

Whatever this gun turns out to be, nothing will stop me from loving it. As far as I am concerned all this information just makes it more and more interesting.

I snapped some more pictures of it. I've been pondering why I don't like the pictures I take of it, and I think it's because of the re-finish. I can get my other guns, by and large, to look like they do in person with the photographs, but never this one, or this one is just never quite right. I'm not unhappy with the pictures, but they aren't "right" somehow to me. I don't really know why.

In any case you may find these interesting:

 

[Hondo44]

They look great to me. Oh man! Just noticed something else; the fine serrations on the ramp base below the front blade to match those on the rear sight. Cool. They'll clean up nicely.

Just a thought; I would get after the rust on the backstrap knuckle with some 4 ought bronze wool and Kroil. When I zoom in I can see red rust. As long as it's there it can continue to do its cancerous damage.

Can you see the back end of the top strap gulley when you sight thru the sq notch in the rear blade?

 

[Modified]

Can you see the back end of the top strap gulley when you sight thru the sq notch in the rear blade?

No. I really like the sight picture, you just see the rear blade and the front blade, either below or lined up with the undercut.

A big part of why I have loved this gun is how excellent the sights are when shooting it. In truth I don't think I would like a 5" Triple Lock with factory standard sights, target or fixed, as much as I like this gun.


Good call on that backstrap, I'll go take care of that momentarily.

 

[Modified]

Back from the road, found some envelopes waiting. Thought you guys might be interested:

 

[SDH]

Redundant but GREAT!
Few guns get that lucky...