King Hammer and Sights on a Reg Mag

[clang444]

I received a PM asking about the marking on my Reg Mag with a King Cockeyed Hammer and I figured it gave me an excuse to start a new thread. It has been I while since I started a new thread, I hope you find this interesting.

Here is my gun with King Sites and Cockeyed Hammer. It was also converted to short action:

 

[clang444]

continued:

Here is a pic of the back of the hammer. I don't know if any of the marking are intentional or left over or what...

 

[clang444]

And just for giggles, here is what the Reg Mag Service Grips with Grip Adapter look like:

 

[les.b]

Lovely revolver...unique among the RMs we see here!! Thanks for sharing with us!!

Best RegRds, Les

 

[Muley Gil]

Are the service grips and the Magnas both numbered to your RM?

 

[lestert357]

I believe the marking on the back of the hammer is the King Cockeyed Hammer patent. Have you fired this RM? The short action King conversion is about the sweetest action on the planet in my experience - especially in single action!

 

[StrawHat]

Those magnas are good looking stocks. From the photos the service stocks appear to have had more use.

Also, is the checkering on the service stocks finer than on the magnas?

Kevin

 

[Green Frog]

For a gun that was obviously ordered to be used and that seems to have seen a fair amount of use, the condition of your RM is nothing less than amazing! I'd be curious as to whether it went straight to King from the factory or was "King-ized" at the factory, or what path it followed to become the gun it is today. Have you had it lettered, or is there any history with it?

All in all a fascinating piece of S&W History. Thanks for sharing.

Froggie

 

[rubiranch]

I love RMs and your's is the "King".

Way cool. And thanks for sharing.

I've never seen a hammer or rear sight like your's.

 

[daddio202]

I love RMs and your's is the "King".

Way cool. And thanks for sharing.

I've never seen a hammer or rear sight like your's.

I second the sentiment of this whole post. As a matter of fact the rear sight blade being checkered on top is something I did not know King offered. I always enjoy seeing any gun with King sights but it disappoints me when a model 27 or pre 27 has a King rear sight which disrupts the checkered top. That RM is exactly how I would order mine if they were still being made and I could order one.

 

[clang444]

Are the service grips and the Magnas both numbered to your RM?

Unfortunately neither set of grips are numbered to the gun. When I bought the RM about 15 years ago it came with a perfect set of Cokes - a very nice take off.

 

[clang444]

I believe the marking on the back of the hammer is the King Cockeyed Hammer patent. Have you fired this RM? The short action King conversion is about the sweetest action on the planet in my experience - especially in single action!

Yes I've shot this gun and the action is quite smooth. Definately different than the long action pre-War guns I have, but not terribly different than my pre-27s.

 

[clang444]

Those magnas are good looking stocks. From the photos the service stocks appear to have had more use.

Also, is the checkering on the service stocks finer than on the magnas?

Kevin

Actually the Service Stocks are as new and unused and the grip adapter was never fitted to a gun. Must be a crappy picture (photographer I most certainly am not).

I believe S&W included the service stocks and grip adapter in the box when you purchased a Reg Mag with Magnas - at least this is what I have been told. This is just a guess, but they may have come with a Reg Mag and were separated from the gun because the owner preferred the Magnas.

I got them a couple years ago at a gun show from a guy that sells after market grips. He would take in old grips in trade and resell them. He really enjoys fleecing unknowing owners by giving them $25 credit towards an aftermarket set of grips when they trade in their original Python or Diamond S&W grips. Then he resells them for hundreds of dollars out of a jewel box on a different table.

Fortunately for me, he thought they were just K frame service grips and had no idea the grip adapter had any value. I felt no obligation to educate him since he never did the same.



The Magnas have a good story behind them too. I bought them about 20 years ago at a gun show from an old timer's table. They were like new but the medallions were missing. I didn't know much about S&Ws then and I didn't have much money so I hemmed and hawed about spending the asking price of $8 on them because the holes where the medallions looked too big and the checkering looked funny.

I finally decided they might be worth the gamble and paid the asking price only to find out what they really were on this website. It took a while, but I scored a set of broken Brazilian grips from a forum member and repurposed the excellent medallions for these grips.

If I had to guess, someone bought themselves a nice N frame revolver and dressed it up by adding some stag grips when he bought the gun. He had the medallions transferred to the new custom grips before the original grips were ever used.

 

[lestert357]

I believe S&W included the service stocks and grip adapter in the box when you purchased a Reg Mag with Magnas - at least this is what I have been told.

Actually S&W included the grip adapter with any RM ordered with service stocks, either attached or unattached, as the customer desired. Or the customer could request Magna stocks once they came out in late 1935. The RM order form was designed to allow the customer to select one or the other. The customer could get both the Magna and service stocks if he ordered both, but S&W did not ship both types of grips automatically with every RM.

 

[clang444]

For a gun that was obviously ordered to be used and that seems to have seen a fair amount of use, the condition of your RM is nothing less than amazing! I'd be curious as to whether it went straight to King from the factory or was "King-ized" at the factory, or what path it followed to become the gun it is today. Have you had it lettered, or is there any history with it?

All in all a fascinating piece of S&W History. Thanks for sharing.

Froggie

It's been back to S&W as it has a star after the serial number and the date "5 42" marked under the grips. I lettered the gun and it originaly came with an 8 3/4" barrel. The barrel is now 6", I believe the original was cut down as the serial number in the lug looks original.

The finish is not quite as nice as my same year .38/44 Outdoorsman, so it was refinished, but I think they just chemically stripped the gun instead of buffing it. The stampings are just too crisp to have been buffed.

Just speculating, but maybe the gun went back to S&W in 1942 and they sent it out to King for the sights and hammer. The letter provided very limited info and a follow up phone call convinced me to never use the service again.

 

[lestert357]

clang444, I should have mentioned a couple of other items in my post 14 above......

- the Pre-War grip adapters like you pictured in post 3 above were not individually numbered or fitted to specific guns; the one you pictured will fit any RM or other Pre-War N frame revolver.

- since you have the factory letter I suggest you follow that up by contacting the S&W Historical Foundation. There is a good chance that the Historical Foundation has additional factory records on your RM. The process is outlined at Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation - Home Page - Insuring that the rich history of Smith & Wesson will continue for generations to come, or you could send a PM to Doc44 on the Forum (Bill Cross) who will go the extra mile to help you. You might also consider joining the Historical Foundation - a fabulous resource, especially for Pre-War S&W collectors.

 

[paplinker]

That's the one I wanted to see. Glad you finally did a thread on it. It certainly deserves one.

I wanted to know if they stamped it through the grooves and its seems they did.

I do find it interesting it was worked on in 1942 when the factory likely was full swing into WWII production. I would definitely look into a Historical letter. Might find out something interesting.

I have King short action conversion on my trans 38/44 and I do enjoy shooting it myself.

 

[clang444]

clang444, I should have mentioned a couple of other items in my post 14 above......

- the Pre-War grip adapters like you pictured in post 3 above were not individually numbered or fitted to specific guns; the one you pictured will fit any RM or other Pre-War N frame revolver.

- since you have the factory letter I suggest you follow that up by contacting the S&W Historical Foundation. There is a good chance that the Historical Foundation has additional factory records on your RM. The process is outlined at Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation - Home Page - Insuring that the rich history of Smith & Wesson will continue for generations to come, or you could send a PM to Doc44 on the Forum (Bill Cross) who will go the extra mile to help you. You might also consider joining the Historical Foundation - a fabulous resource, especially for Pre-War S&W collectors.

Thank you Sir. I assumed the grip adapter needs fitting becasue it rides proud all the way around the grip frame. You can't see it very well, but here are the service grips and adapter mounted on the gun:

 

[Hondo44]

It's been back to S&W as it has a star after the serial number and the date "5 42" marked under the grips. I lettered the gun and it originaly came with an 8 3/4" barrel. The barrel is now 6", I believe the original was cut down as the serial number in the lug looks original.

That's a beautiful custom RM. The epitome of Smiths from back in the day!

The barrel was not likely cut at the factory, just replaced with a new 6" barrel. When the factory replaced barrels they were stamped with the gun's serial # to match. So this will always be true "...the serial number in the lug looks original."

 

[Muley Gil]

"I do find it interesting it was worked on in 1942 when the factory likely was full swing into WWII production."

I have a 3rd model .44 Special that went back to S&W in February 1942. Like you, I assumed it would be hard to get service with a war going on. I asked Roy Jinks, the S&W historian, and he told me that S&W wouldn't abandon their customers, even during wartime.