On May 11, 1948 a .357 Magnum revolver serial number S71964 was shipped from the Smith and Wesson factory to Mr. E. F. Warner, Publisher of Field and Stream, at 515 Madison Avenue, New York 22, New York. The revolver was shipped with an 8.5 inch barrel equipped with a Patridge front sight, bright blue finish, and checkered walnut grips per the factory record. The shipment was for 1 unit and was billed at the wholesale price of $66.68. (Note: Only 142 Post War .357 Magnum Transitionals, guns made mostly from pre-war parts, were completed from 1946 To 1949, only 6 or less with barrels over 8 inches, and this 8.5 inch is very likely one of a kind. Serial number S71964 puts this gun between S71893 given to President Harry Truman and S71972 given to Major General Julian S. Hatcher, both with 8.375 inch barrels.)
Eltinge Fowler Warner was the owner/publisher of Field and Stream magazine from 1907 to 1951. He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on November 25, 1879. As taken from his March 4, 1965 obituary in The East Hampton Star New York newspaper, he was a 1901 graduate of Princeton University. He also directed several other publications and wrote a number of books and articles on outdoor life. In 1914 he took over Smart Set magazine and published it until 1926. For the next ten years he was publisher of Arts and Decoration. Mr. Warner was an active sportsman and campaigned for various laws to protect this country’s natural resources. He also directed and produced several short commercial films on hunting and conservation. He was a member of The Camp Fire Club, a sportsman’s society and conservation group whose members included Theodore Roosevelt and Zane Grey. Founded in 1897, The Camp Fire Club led successful efforts to create Glacier National Park. His wife was the former Ruth L. Eaton and they had one daughter, Mrs. Maynard E. Womer, the former Lois Warner. Mr. Warner died at his New York home, 19 East 72nd Street, at the age of 85 on Saturday February 27, 1965. Private services were held in Cedar Lawn Cemetery in East Hampton.
I was most fortunate to acquire Mr. Warner’s .357 Magnum revolver as a Buy Now transaction from a GB dealer who was selling the gun on consignment. The auction had been running for less than 24 hours when I spotted it and there had been 48 previous viewers. I did not ever expect to find a .357 Magnum Transitional revolver for sale on GB, certainly not one in this condition. It was not cheap and I did not get a steal, but some might say I hit a home run! The seller realized he had a collectible revolver, but it was not well described in the auction and I believe the pricing was based on outdated Blue Book information. He obviously had not read what the SCSW 4th Edition has to say about the value and prices of these guns. His pictures and description were inadequate for the pricing of the auction which fortunately for me, I think, scared off the previous viewers of the auction. He did have a picture of an old 1982 vintage factory letter which convinced me that the gun was a legitimate Transitional and gave me the confidence to hit the Buy Now button; I figured then that it would be my one and only chance in my lifetime to own one of these. After getting some additional pictures from the seller to confirm that all numbers matched and that there were no rework marks I sent my check off.
Today the gun is in the “as shipped” configuration with the possible exception of the grips. The factory letter says “checkered walnut grips”; it is wearing non-relieved diamond target grips with Post War medallions that were built specifically for this gun. They were very well done, appear to have been put on the gun early in its life, fit perfectly, have the serial number of the gun stamped in ink on the inner side of both grips, and seem to have many “Roper-like” characteristics - this includes the prominent jig holes, the lips that wrap around the rear of the trigger guard, the flare and slight beveling around the butt, and the right side palm swell. They do not have the black washers under the medallions like the later factory target grips. Regardless of who made them or when they were put on the gun, they are very interesting and complement the gun perfectly. I rate the gun approximately 97% with a cylinder drag line, ejector rod wear, minor muzzle and high edge wear, minor flaking on the frame, minor spotting on the cylinder, a few light scratches on the barrel, some fading of the case colors on the trigger, some marks on the butt of the grips, and a small wear spot inside the trigger guard where a trigger shoe was touching. Having listed those imperfections it is still a rare, impressive, and beautiful gun!
Below are a few pictures to support the above information. Click on the pictures to enlarge them. Hope you enjoy!
Eltinge Fowler Warner was the owner/publisher of Field and Stream magazine from 1907 to 1951. He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on November 25, 1879. As taken from his March 4, 1965 obituary in The East Hampton Star New York newspaper, he was a 1901 graduate of Princeton University. He also directed several other publications and wrote a number of books and articles on outdoor life. In 1914 he took over Smart Set magazine and published it until 1926. For the next ten years he was publisher of Arts and Decoration. Mr. Warner was an active sportsman and campaigned for various laws to protect this country’s natural resources. He also directed and produced several short commercial films on hunting and conservation. He was a member of The Camp Fire Club, a sportsman’s society and conservation group whose members included Theodore Roosevelt and Zane Grey. Founded in 1897, The Camp Fire Club led successful efforts to create Glacier National Park. His wife was the former Ruth L. Eaton and they had one daughter, Mrs. Maynard E. Womer, the former Lois Warner. Mr. Warner died at his New York home, 19 East 72nd Street, at the age of 85 on Saturday February 27, 1965. Private services were held in Cedar Lawn Cemetery in East Hampton.
I was most fortunate to acquire Mr. Warner’s .357 Magnum revolver as a Buy Now transaction from a GB dealer who was selling the gun on consignment. The auction had been running for less than 24 hours when I spotted it and there had been 48 previous viewers. I did not ever expect to find a .357 Magnum Transitional revolver for sale on GB, certainly not one in this condition. It was not cheap and I did not get a steal, but some might say I hit a home run! The seller realized he had a collectible revolver, but it was not well described in the auction and I believe the pricing was based on outdated Blue Book information. He obviously had not read what the SCSW 4th Edition has to say about the value and prices of these guns. His pictures and description were inadequate for the pricing of the auction which fortunately for me, I think, scared off the previous viewers of the auction. He did have a picture of an old 1982 vintage factory letter which convinced me that the gun was a legitimate Transitional and gave me the confidence to hit the Buy Now button; I figured then that it would be my one and only chance in my lifetime to own one of these. After getting some additional pictures from the seller to confirm that all numbers matched and that there were no rework marks I sent my check off.
Today the gun is in the “as shipped” configuration with the possible exception of the grips. The factory letter says “checkered walnut grips”; it is wearing non-relieved diamond target grips with Post War medallions that were built specifically for this gun. They were very well done, appear to have been put on the gun early in its life, fit perfectly, have the serial number of the gun stamped in ink on the inner side of both grips, and seem to have many “Roper-like” characteristics - this includes the prominent jig holes, the lips that wrap around the rear of the trigger guard, the flare and slight beveling around the butt, and the right side palm swell. They do not have the black washers under the medallions like the later factory target grips. Regardless of who made them or when they were put on the gun, they are very interesting and complement the gun perfectly. I rate the gun approximately 97% with a cylinder drag line, ejector rod wear, minor muzzle and high edge wear, minor flaking on the frame, minor spotting on the cylinder, a few light scratches on the barrel, some fading of the case colors on the trigger, some marks on the butt of the grips, and a small wear spot inside the trigger guard where a trigger shoe was touching. Having listed those imperfections it is still a rare, impressive, and beautiful gun!
Below are a few pictures to support the above information. Click on the pictures to enlarge them. Hope you enjoy!
Last edited:
