What date did it ship?
Best,
Charles
An entirely reasonable question------the answer to which was deliberately overlooked at the outset. That answer is January 28, 1941---and I submit it is entirely meaningless.
Most of what I know about this stuff, which is to say accept as fact, is what I've seen with my own eyes. The remainder comes from the printed word found in books---most particularly books which were written as a "labor of love" rather than a venture for profit. Those in the former category seem to still be available. Those in the latter category seem to have fallen by the wayside---for good reason. I've had these books for a loooooooong time. I have not read every word in them----only those words which pertain to guns/things/people I care about. The odd thing is I keep going back to them. There's a pile of books on the floor in front of my bookcase almost every day---except Wednesday's. The housekeeper comes on Wednesday's, and it has been made clear to me by both her and the Boss Lady that the floor in front of the bookcase will be clear---on Wednesday's.
Okay, so my gun was shipped on January 28, 1941---so what? I found myself truly amazed by the talk of dates I've seen here---mostly because I'd never seen/heard such talk before----and was about halfway believing I'd missed out on something. So----back to the books.
Here's a synopsis of what they had to say: This revolver came into being at the behest of Wolf & Klar---who placed an order for 3,500 such guns. This is known as attracting attention---and putting your money where your mouth is. It worked. S&W made a bunch of them---not a great big bunch, but a bunch---4,976 of them to be exact (pre-war). 1,000 of these were shipped to Wolf & Klar. I reckon they could have had more if they wanted them. At this point it seems reasonable to expect 3,976 of them were sold/shipped elsewhere.
As an aside, and to make a point, these big thumping handguns many of us so love today seem to have been a drug on the market when they were being made---especially the target versions---the only things I have/care about. A case on point: My .44 HE 2nd Target (#58669) was shipped on May 14, 1940. It was one of 39 (THIRTY NINE) guns of identical configuration in one shipment. These 39 guns were billed at $17.00 each. Right about now, you ought to be coming to a screeching halt----$17.00??!!!!!!!!!
Not too long ago, we learned the cost to manufacture a K-22/40---and a grip adapter---and ship it----was $14.55. If one were the wondering type, one might wonder about some stuff. The first thing one might wonder about is the difference between a 22/40 and a 2nd Model .44 Target. The difference of note is more steel is required to make the larger gun. I am unaware of any other difference---other than size, when it comes to making these things---although they're bigger, so it might take longer to polish them. Okay, so these 39 .44's were clearly a close-out---and I imagine the powers that be breathed a sigh of relief---accompanied by the thought (spoken or otherwise) "Thank God those dogs are gone!!" You reckon S&W lost any money on that deal? I don't either. Think about it.
If you pay attention to such things, you might recall the distributor price of a Registered Magnum was $47 and change. You'd be quick to note that left about $13 as margin for the distributor----AND the retailer---and you'd certainly suspect S&W didn't want to sell them to distributors. They wanted to sell them to individuals because they wanted the full price ($60) all for themselves---because they NEEDED it. You'd also realize the only difference between a 2nd Model .44 Target and an RM is a rib---a checkered rib---and you'd wonder how much difference that made in the cost to make one---of each. You'd decide it didn't make much difference.
As usual, I have taken up as much or more space with an aside than I did to make my point. The .44 3rd's were sold to anybody and everybody who'd pay for them. I shall stop.
Ralph Tremaine
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