Odd bird Hand Ejector Second model

Kurusu

Kurusu

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Just got this one.
I know the collector value is none.
But, it is nonetheless an unique piece. And there was definitely some love involved.:rolleyes:

It started it's life as another British .455 with 6 1/2 barrel.

Somewhere along the line it was converted to the mighty .22 LR:D, and had adjustable rear sights added (they seem to be from S & W) the front post was also modified and it was beautifully refinished.

I will always wonder who did the work.

It's all matching, was marked out of service and was proofed by Birmingham for .22 LR:rolleyes:. It has no S &W logo on the sides, only the adress line on top of the barrel and Smith & Wesson on the left side of the barrel where .22 was added. The lanyard ring was removed.

Serial # is 34340.

Comments appreciated.

Only picture so far.
 

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Looks like a beauty! A first class modification. I have one converted to 38 Special, but not with adjustable sights. May not be a "collectable", but I'd bet it would bring over $500+ to quite a few.

When I saw this one the only external giveaway was the lowered and reshaped front sight.

 
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Really neat and well done.
Please show barrel and cylinder liners and the firing pin change.

There was a pimped out BSR on the cover of an early James Bond novel.
Geoffrey Boothroyd, real life prototype of Q, said that post war austerity measures made buying a new American revolver all but impossible, you had to work with what the surplus market threw up.

I wonder if that were the case here, or if somebody just wanted a great big .22.
 
With the one picture I can tell you that it's not a factory reblue. Or if the current blue that is on there was done at the factory it was done over another re-finish in the past.

Looks like a post war rear sight there.

There were .22lr conversions of Victory Models that were done in England, I believe Parker Hale did some. Not sure if they did this one or not, usually those guns that I have seen had Parker Hale made sights and not an actual S&W sight like this one.

I can't really say much else without some good shots of the cylinder face, and the work done there, and also the top strap where the sight was put on.

From that picture it does look like the mechanical work was pretty dang good, I would imagine it's a hoot to take out to the range?
 
Let's see how it turns out.:rolleyes:
 

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If it was proofed in Birmingham for the .22 conversion, Parker-Hale would indeed be a primary suspect, although, as was already mentioned, they usually installed their proprietary sights, including the ramp front sight that actually said “Parker Hale” on it. Of course, there were lots of smaller gun-making operations in the Midlands, any one of whom could have taken on a project like this, maybe for a wealthy customer.
 
SixgunStrumpet said:
With the one picture I can tell you that it's not a factory reblue. Or if the current blue that is on there was done at the factory it was done over another re-finish in the past.

Looks like a post war rear sight there.

There were .22lr conversions of Victory Models that were done in England, I believe Parker Hale did some. Not sure if they did this one or not, usually those guns that I have seen had Parker Hale made sights and not an actual S&W sight like this one.

I can't really say much else without some good shots of the cylinder face, and the work done there, and also the top strap where the sight was put on.

From that picture it does look like the mechanical work was pretty dang good, I would imagine it's a hoot to take out to the range?
Click to expand...

Never expected it to be a factory reblue. I doubt very much someone would give himself the trouble to send it overseas for a reblue job or even for the conversion job.

The trip to the range will be next Saturday.:D
 
Jim Watson said:
Really neat and well done.
Please show barrel and cylinder liners and the firing pin change.

There was a pimped out BSR on the cover of an early James Bond novel.
Geoffrey Boothroyd, real life prototype of Q, said that post war austerity measures made buying a new American revolver all but impossible, you had to work with what the surplus market threw up.

I wonder if that were the case here, or if somebody just wanted a great big .22.
Click to expand...

I believe this conversion was made to save it from "Captain Crunch" as firearm laws got more and more restrictive in Great Britain.


But even that apparently ended up not being enough for the owner to keep it.
 
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There is something to be said for all original guns found in mint condition that are kept as safe queens but there is also something very special about guns that have been modified to a particular owners specific taste. It is just a shame that the who, what, where and why are lost to time. As Roy Jinks has stated many times, "if only these guns could talk." :eek:
 
Outstanding example, the rear sight matches the one that is on my 2nd Model H.E. that was sent back to the factory twice in the same year. I hope yours shoots as well as my .44, I'm very happy with mine. I paid a price for the piece as a shooter knowing that as far as collectible values are concerned it will never hold its value over an unmodified revolver, I could only hope that when I sent in for a letter that the work was done by the factory which turned out to be true, a bonus.
 
I can only echo the above comments, a beautifully done 22 conversion, most likely in England so it could be legally owned there, at least for awhile.

It may have even had a foreign rear sight initially that was up-graded to the M27 sight post war to 1960 era (small cut below the rear blade) once back in this country. Personally I'd polish the rear sight tang flush with the top strap and re-blue it for the proper period look of a pre war hand ejector target model.

Excellent workmanship thru-out with one exception. That sawed off nail someone used for a barrel pin has to be replaced with a proper domed ends S&W barrel pin. And installed with a proper cupped tip pin punch!

It makes the gun look like a Picasso painting that someone put their initials on with a Sharpie felt pen.

You'll love shooting that big 22. They all just gravitate to the bullseye.
 
I may be wrong (it wouldn’t be the first time!) but I don’t believe those are Model 27 adjustable sights - they are ribbed instead of checkered. They could have been intended from any other N-frame however, as all of the post-War adjustable except those of the 27 would have looked like that. Meanwhile, I’m trying to figure out how the need for a rim fire firing pin was taken care of. The chambers and bore are not offset as I would have expected. :confused:

Froggie
 
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