My Registered Smiths

[Walstib]

Great story!
A few questions-
Can you show us the $200 Reg Mag?
How do the ivory "grip fillers" attach to the gun?
Can you show more pics of the engraving and closeups of the grips?

OK, a somewhat overwhelming number of responses. So, before I upload any more pictures, I need to understand how this forum deals with file size. Virtually all of my jpegs are in the 4-5Meg size. Somewhere here I read that the max file size was 250K, so the 3 I posted were saved by me at that reduced resolution. In the other forum where I post (Camaro lovers), there is no such limitation, and my pictures come out pristine on their site. I am very disappointed at the resolution of my 3 here, and I suspect that is everyone's reaction as well, so please help me understand how large a jpeg I can actually upload.

Regarding the grip filler attachment, when you loosen the grip screw, they come off, and are revealed to have a small piece of U-shaped steel screwed to their frame side, which fits under each grip and is imprisoned by tightening the main screw. They have never come off, even from full charges at an adventurous level! "Works fine, lasts a long time" as we say out west.

 

[Hair Trigger]

OK, a somewhat overwhelming number of responses. So, before I upload any more pictures, I need to understand how this forum deals with file size. Virtually all of my jpegs are in the 4-5Meg size. Somewhere here I read that the max file size was 250K, so the 3 I posted were saved by me at that reduced resolution. In the other forum where I post (Camaro lovers), there is no such limitation, and my pictures come out pristine on their site. I am very disappointed at the resolution of my 3 here, and I suspect that is everyone's reaction as well, so please help me understand how large a jpeg I can actually upload.

Regarding the grip filler attachment, when you loosen the grip screw, they come off, and are revealed to have a small piece of U-shaped steel screwed to their frame side, which fits under each grip and is imprisoned by tightening the main screw. They have never come off, even from full charges at an adventurous level! "Works fine, lasts a long time" as we say out west.

Regarding posting images, The site has an auto-resize, so whatever the file size, it drops it to something it can upload. My photos are all high-rez, usually 3-4MB or larger, and I've had no problems uploading any of them. I use the little paperclip icon at the top of the posting box, it allows posting directly from your files. These images appear in a small size on the post, when clicked open full-size on the screen. You can also upload from a hosting site, but I'm less educated on how to do that.

I'm ex USAF, and a big WWII history buff; I've read about the rescues during Pearl Harbor, specifically about cutting through the hull of USS Oklahoma. That makes your Dad a hero by any definition.

Deep Gap isn't too far from me, about an hour north. That's Doc Watson country, I'm a huge fan of his music and was lucky enough to meet him and Merle many years ago. I grew up along the eastern slopes of the NC Appalachians, and spent part of my "wayward" youth hiking and camping these old hills. Not sure where in the Cascades you are, the only time I've been in that part of the world was some occasional TDY at McChord AFB in Tacoma. Beautiful part of the world out there.

 

[Walstib]

Thanks for the info.

R

Deep Gap isn't too far from me, about an hour north. That's Doc Watson country, I'm a huge fan of his music and was lucky enough to meet him and Merle many years ago. I grew up along the eastern slopes of the NC Appalachians, and spent part of my "wayward" youth hiking and camping these old hills. Not sure where in the Cascades you are, the only time I've been in that part of the world was some occasional TDY at McChord AFB in Tacoma. Beautiful part of the world out there.

Doc stored his tobacco when cut in Don's granny's barn, so yeah, Doc rules!!! As to where I am, a few minutes north is another country. A strategic location in these troubled times...

Regarding Pearl Harbor, the Pennsy happened to be in dry dock, so avoided all but one bomb. Dad's battle station was in the ship's machine shop, so he was well sheltered. That didn't help with their sister-ship, the Arizona... A cruiser was berthed in their normal location, at 1010 dock. The Admiral didn't like to get his feet wet, apparently, so they never berthed in Battleship Row... The cruiser was well damaged, and Tokyo Rose announced to the world that the Pennsylvania was destroyed! That's what my Mama heard, living with her 2 girls in San Francisco... Hard times. Anyway, I'll try uploading some better pics.

 

[Doug M.]

A lot of men and women did spectacular things during WW2 and treated it as just doing their duty. Sounds like your Dad was one of them.

 

[paplinker]

What a great group of guns to have from your family!!
The thought that when you shoot these guns you can have the same enjoyment you father had and think of how many times his hands were wrapped around the same gun. I love working history, thats what I enjoy most about S&W collecting. Adding that its an heirloom must be most satisfying to you.

Now on another note I love King sighted guns and your fathers King OD is identical to mine and has a somewhat similar history.

My OD was bought from Kings shop in March of 1938 by a college student who ended up in the Navy for 20 years then the Navel Reserve. He retired as a Lieutenant commander. He then ended up in Washington state as a judge. His relative believes that he was on a shooting team during college and the Navy but so far I have not been able to confirm his.Not sure how to find that info.
It seems possible your father may have crossed paths with the past owner of my gun. They sure shared the same taste and service path.

 

[paplinker]

That's what my Mama heard, living with her 2 girls in San Francisco... .

If your father lived in San Fran its possible he would have either bought his gun from Kings shop or may have took it directly to them for the rib conversion. Do you have letters for any of your guns?

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Wow! What beautiful guns.


You seem to have the uploading down pat. There is a video tutorial on sizing and embedding your pictures in your post that may help. Your pictures can be resized before upload to 1920x1080 which should help on the resolution. The forum software will usually resize them if they are larger but often chokes on the sizes we get these days from digital cameras. Here's a little help on showcasing your pictures:

 

[boykinlp]

Wow, great guns and thanks for the back story.
What I don't get is how twelve years has passed since you first mentioned these guns on the forum in your intro, and nobody on the forum ever asked you for more info and pictures.
Well, better late than never.

New To The Forum

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

First off to the OP, welcome to the forum (only 12 years late on my part), great story and revolvers!! Thank goodness these did not get lost over the last 75+ years. Being such a great part of your family history, I am sure they will be kept in the family for generations to come.

As far as "nobody on the forum ever asked you for more info and pictures", I may have an idea. Unfortunately, I don't visit all the different sections on the forum. Some I go to every visit here, some I rarely visit, and dare I say it, some I may have never visited. I am ashamed to say that I have not visited the welcoming to new folks section very many times at all in my years here. Now, don't get me wrong, I have extended a warm welcome when I was looking at something they posted in one of my regular visited areas. Many here may be like myself. If information on these gems of guns had been put in this section originally, it would have gotten the attention then too. Thanks for sharing with us!!
Larry

 

[RKmesa]

Thanks for posting photos of those beauties. King Super Target O/Ds and RMs are some of my very favorites. AND I loved reading the story.

Welcome back - please lurk less and post more.

 

[Walstib]

Thank you to everyone!!!

Wow, I didn't expect such a warm welcome. I've lived with these guns, literally, all my life (with the exception of the second Registered which was just pure luck), so it's not that I'm blase, it's just that they're all I've known over that length of time. And please understand, they aren't my only guns, or even my only cool guns, and none of them are the King of my Fleet. That honor is reserved for one of my rifles, which is a true KING. It's just that this is a S&W forum, not one dedicated to handmade rifles of the highest quality.

As a 'for instance', I love my 686, my 'Dirty Harry' 8 3/8" 44 Mag, and especially my 41 Mag that lives by my bed (as they say in the Navy, "stand by to repel boarders"). Then of course there are the several Colts... Even a Colt shotgun, which will make most people scratch their head. ("Colt made a shotgun?").

And the loves of my small bore life, three Winchester 52's. Because there is no such thing as too many Winchester 52's. Like the book title says: "Winchester 52: Perfection in Design".

And there are others...

But, in the world of Smith and Wesson, these guys have my heart, and they are, none of them, hanger queens. They see use. Especially the Outdoorsman.

So anyway, thank you all, and I'll try to get to various questions, over time...

 

[mh51]

Not much I can add to what's been said. You told some amazing history about your Dad, and you've had a chance to handle and own some nice pieces of history. Hope you continue to show up here on the forum often!

 

[lestert357]

I’m still having trouble trying to picture in my mind keeping a beautifully engraved Registered Magnum with carved ivory grips and grip adapter under the front seat of a 1957 Karmann Ghia while in college!

 

[Tom K]

Wow, I didn't expect such a warm welcome. I've lived with these guns, literally, all my life (with the exception of the second Registered which was just pure luck), so it's not that I'm blase, it's just that they're all I've known over that length of time. And please understand, they aren't my only guns, or even my only cool guns, and none of them are the King of my Fleet. That honor is reserved for one of my rifles, which is a true KING. It's just that this is a S&W forum, not one dedicated to handmade rifles of the highest quality.
....

You can post about your other guns in this section of the Forum: http://smith-wessonforum.com/firearms-knives-other-brands/
We like anything that goes bang!

 

[rincar]

Beautiful revolvers.

 

[ericrlarson]

Very nice sir! I would feel blessed to have even held a RM.


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[Walstib]

I’m still having trouble trying to picture in my mind keeping a beautifully engraved Registered Magnum with carved ivory grips and grip adapter under the front seat of a 1957 Karmann Ghia while in college!

Well sir, there are stories to tell... Personally, I think the most amazing thing about that whole period of my life is the fact that my father not only allowed me to take it, but that it was his idea!!! Growing up, Dad always place it under the front seat of the car in its Heiser holster when we would go to town, and would always look at me with a twinkle in his eye, and say "Stand by to repel boarders", a phrase that has stuck with me my entire life.

Anyway, I was heading north from the San Francisco Bay Area to return to summer school at my college, on a VERY hot day, and on the Winter's Cutoff, my oil pressure light came on. I pulled over and when I got out, I could hear my oil boiling. Not a good sign. I let it cool for a few hours, and resumed my trip, but as I approached a town in northern California named "Weed", the light came on again. This time it was accompanied by unpleasant sounds of a knocking variety. Another cool-down, then a short drive into town to the local police station. I went in and asked them about Greyhound service after explaining my situation. My Sister and Brother-in-Law at that time owned a bakery in the East Bay and I was loaded down with cakes, cookies, etc which I offered to the officers, and asked if they would hold the Registered Smith in their safe as I couldn't take it on the bus. Ahh, the look on their faces... cakes, cookies, doughnuts and a Registered Smith coming at them from this 19-year-old boy. What could they say??? Those were the days, my friends. I still smile when I drive past Weed on I-5.

 

[Walstib]

As others have said great story and thanks for sharing. Wouldn’t you still like to have the 57 Karman Gia also ?
I wish I had talked with my father about his WWII pacific experiences before he passed when I was only 24. I know he was an Army Sgt at Fort Drum NY and his company commander put him in for OCS. He finished the war a first LT with PTSD that haunted him all his life. He did like handling the first rifle I bought when I turned 18 - a shooter grade M1 Garand.

Baxter6551,

I'm so sorry that you lost your dad when you were so young. I think back to that terrible night when I held my father in my arms as he lost the light, and I miss him so very much. I think of questions I should have asked, but didn't. Like, what was the name of the Japanese craftsman who worked on my RM?

Regarding the Karmann Ghia, it would be nice to still have, but at a whopping 36 HP, it earned its name: "Gutless Wonder". Now I own the other end of the spectrum, a 1968 SS-396 Camaro, which is currently undergoing a frame-up restoration. Boys and their toys...

I bought my Camaro when it was 10 years old and I named him "Ricky" in honor of all the hot rodders from my high school days. Those of us with 36 HP called them "Ricky Racers". Now I are one. If you want to admire eye candy of a different sort, migrate to a blog named 'camaroforums' and you can follow the adventure of a total restoration by going to first generation projects and looking for Ricky Rebirth. So, I don't miss the Karmann Ghia very much. I should have died in it too many times, as it handled like a Porsche with no motor: well enough sprung to get into trouble but no horsepower to get back out...

 

[BC38]

Hey, thanks for the response! My best friend lives in Deep Gap, NC, so I'm fairly familiar with your country, and love it! I personally stare out my window at 10,000+ feet of North Cascades, so I can relate to "the mountains"...

Which side of the Cascades are you on? The wet LEFT side or the dry RIGHT side?

Former wet-sider turned dry-sider here.

Cool guns and stories. Dunno why you waited so long to share, but glad you finally did!

 

[Walstib]

Which side of the Cascades are you on? The wet LEFT side or the dry RIGHT side?

Former wet-sider turned dry-sider here.

Cool guns and stories. Dunno why you waited so long to share, but glad you finally did!

I take the term "Left Coast" very seriously. If I went 2 miles west, I would get very wet. As for waiting so long to share, I don't really know why. Just in the mood now, I guess. Probably I have enough stories to write a book...

By the way, I have a sister and her children and grandchildren in Spokane. Another sister lived in Sandpoint for decades, until recently. Very familiar with your turf. But I grew up in very dry Southern Oregon, and I'm pretty cured of living in dry country. Just personal preference; I like not worrying about running out of water in the coming years...

 

[BC38]

I take the term "Left Coast" very seriously. If I went 2 miles west, I would get very wet. As for waiting so long to share, I don't really know why. Just in the mood now, I guess. Probably I have enough stories to write a book...

By the way, I have a sister and her children and grandchildren in Spokane. Another sister lived in Sandpoint for decades, until recently. Very familiar with your turf. But I grew up in very dry Southern Oregon, and I'm pretty cured of living in dry country. Just personal preference; I like not worrying about running out of water in the coming years...

A few minutes from Canada and a couple of miles from the coast - sounds like the Bellingham area.

I lived in the Puget Sound area for 29 years and got my fill of rain.
They say Seattle area gets 200 days a year rain, 70 days clear sunshine, and the other 95 or so are just overcast or mixed but no rain.
Here in Spokane we get about 200 days a year clear sunshine, 70 days of rain, and the other 95 are overcast or mixed but no rain.
The bigger difference is we get significantly more snow and colder temps in the winter. We actually have all 4 seasons. As opposed to the wet side which has almost no real winter weather.
I like this a lot better than that.
But different strokes for different folks as they say.