dbescher
Member
This one was purported to a pre-24 / .44 HE 4th Model Target. I'm still waiting for the Historical Society letter, but my interim non-expert evaluation is below. Hopefully the pictures show up so more knowledgeable members can weigh in.
Pre-24's did come with thin barrels, but not with Magna grips. The stocks on this revolver are numbered to the rest of the gun and it's extremely unlikely that they are not original equipment. It's in pretty close to 99% condition in terms of the finish and the barrel matches perfectly, so I also doubt that it was ever replaced.
The box is for a .45 HE 1950 Target (pre-26). The serial number on the box matches the serial number of the weapon, but its in the typical pencil so it could have been added later. On the other hand, the "44" stamp on the box is very light but should be visible in the picture.
I think this is a pre-26 that was special ordered in .44 Special, which begs the question "why?". I would have bought an off-the-shelf 1950 .44 Target model. Maybe the original buyer was used to carrying a Military Model .45 as an Army MP or similar gig, but thought he'd get more accuracy if it was chambered in .44? Whatever was in his mind at order time, a very few (possibly zero, definitely fewer than 100) number of rounds have ever been fired through it, so either he was unhappy with it or never got around to entering any competitions.
I'm aware that rare does not equal valuable, but I always prefer things that you don't see every day over the commonplace. If this is a pre-26 there cannot be many more of them in .44 Special and I'll be happy to have purchased a unicorn.
Pre-24's did come with thin barrels, but not with Magna grips. The stocks on this revolver are numbered to the rest of the gun and it's extremely unlikely that they are not original equipment. It's in pretty close to 99% condition in terms of the finish and the barrel matches perfectly, so I also doubt that it was ever replaced.
The box is for a .45 HE 1950 Target (pre-26). The serial number on the box matches the serial number of the weapon, but its in the typical pencil so it could have been added later. On the other hand, the "44" stamp on the box is very light but should be visible in the picture.
I think this is a pre-26 that was special ordered in .44 Special, which begs the question "why?". I would have bought an off-the-shelf 1950 .44 Target model. Maybe the original buyer was used to carrying a Military Model .45 as an Army MP or similar gig, but thought he'd get more accuracy if it was chambered in .44? Whatever was in his mind at order time, a very few (possibly zero, definitely fewer than 100) number of rounds have ever been fired through it, so either he was unhappy with it or never got around to entering any competitions.
I'm aware that rare does not equal valuable, but I always prefer things that you don't see every day over the commonplace. If this is a pre-26 there cannot be many more of them in .44 Special and I'll be happy to have purchased a unicorn.
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