PLEASE HELP ME TO IDENTIFY THIS NICE SMITH

[ETMJR]

I have a .44 Special Smith & Wesson that I need some help in identifying.

Nickel finish, 6 1/2" bbl, target sights.
Right side of barrel is stamped: 44 S&W CTG
Left side of barrel is stamped: SMITH & WESSON

Bottom of butt is stamped: S 6266X

Inside of ejector rod lug is stamped 6266X, followed by a small diamond.

Frame (near yoke) is stamped: 348X

Yoke is stamped: 348X

 

[murphydog]

First of all, welcome! You will find a lot of info and nice people here.

Second, what a gun to ask about on your first post! By the description, you most likely have a .44 Hand Ejector Target 3rd model, built on the N or large frame. Photos would be very helpful:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-forum-office/78728-posting-photos-forum-new-format.html

It was probably made in 1946 or so, just after WW II. If it is an original factory nickel finished gun and otherwise as it came from the factory (all parts, stocks, not refinished) it is a rare and valuable one. I'm sure others will chime in, especially after some photos are posted. Hope this is helpful.

 

[Art Doc]

The 1946 date does sound like a 3rd Model (of 1926) Target 44 Special. This gun was revamped in 1950 into the 4th Model (of 1950) Target 44 Special.

If it is a 3rd Model Target it is a rare and valuable piece.

 

[ETMJR]

REPLY TO MURPHYDOG

Thanks for the welcome, Alan.

I wish my father-in-law were alive today, I'm sure he could readily identify the gun. He was member #177 in the SWCA.

I obtained the gun in a trade 10 or so years ago. The man I traded with was no expert, but thought it could be a rebarreled gun. The finish appears to be factory original.

If I can get it figured out how to get the images to the forum, I'll post them.

If I can't get it to work, I'll send a request to Roy Jinks for historical information and post Roy's data.

Ed

 

[murphydog]

Ed;

You're very welcome (that's the second time I wrote that)

If it has the same number on the bottom of the grip frame, rear cylinder face, inside the ejector rod housing and the inside (usually right) stock panel, it has all original parts. Click on the blue link (in my first message above) for photo posting instructions.

There are some SWCA/Forum members still active who probably knew your father-in-law!

 

[ETMJR]

REPLY #2 TO MURPHYDOG

OK.....just so I could sleep tonight, I went back to the gun and found the following:

The cylinder face is stamped 6266X, the same number at the bottom of the butt and inside of the ejector rod lug.

The square butt walnut grips are not the original grips, a different number (202363)is stamped inside.

The 348X stamped on the yoke and on the frame near where the yoke is attached don't make sense to me. Are they possibly a shop floor work number?

SWCA member #177 was Henry A. Curtis. Henry passed away in March 1997, I still miss him. His Smith & Wesson collection was large and exquisite.......top breaks, Schofields, Light Rifles(s), Mercox, razor blades and anything Smith & Wesson. I accompanied him at many gun shows in Southern Califonia, where he acquired many of his Smiths. He never acquired a Smith & Wesson urinal flush valve though. Upon his retirement from JPL, his coworkers and Roy Jinks got together and presented Henry with one of the Smith & Wesson .35 automatics. It was in the white, with no grips and the grip screw hole was not tapped. Roy gave it a serial number: HC177. My son is the heir of that sweet piece.

As Henry's health deteriorated, he had Ed Cornett liquidated his collection.

When Henry and wife (Janet) traveled east, they would be sure to see their friend, Roy Jinks.

All of this name-dropping makes me weary.

Ed

 

[murphydog]

Ed;

Ed Cornett is still on the Forum regularly, and I'd bet I'll see him at the Tulsa gun show in two weeks from Saturday. His username is opoefc. If you want to contact him but have trouble finding him on the Forum, please let me know.

I am not quite as old as your father-in-law but have many happy memories of the Great Western shows (RIP), among others in the L.A. area. They got banned, of course, and look at what a paradise resulted from that.

You are correct, the 348X is an assembly number. It shows the parts went together at the factory.

 

[depicts]

This thread is giving me shivers.

Makes me just darn proud to be part of this group, the S&WCA!

 

[opoefc]

Ed, What a nice suprise! Ed Cornett here. yes, Hank and I go back quite a few years, having both grown up a kids in the San Diego area and then reconnecting thru the S&WCA meetings and So. Cal. gun shows. I recall a strange thing that happened to us. We had been sharing tables at gun shows for several years when he happened to comment that his wife, Janet,was a USC graduate. I said, "that's nice, so is my wife" He had met my wife ,but didn't know that ,or her maiden name before she married me. When I got home I mention that my friend Hank Curtis's wife was also a USC alumni and her name was Janet. My wife jumped about 6 ft. in the air and said "Janet Curtis?" I've been looking for her since 1945! Turned out they were best of friends and room mates all during their college years, but had lost touch over the passing years! Small world! Hank used to come to the sorority house to date Janet. Needless to say, many happy visits and times after that, until my wife passed away in 1991. Hank became ill later and I sold his collection for him. Janet moved to an assisted living home later and passed away about 3 yrs ago. I well remember you attending the shows with Hank, especially the old Great Western Gun Show in Pomona - ( world's largest gun show, 6500 tables in 7 buildings, etc.) . I still have a picture somewhere of Hank sitting at Roy Jink's desk at Roy's home in 1977. The desk is D.B.Wesson's original desk that Roy salvaged from the old S&W factory building on Stockbridge street, A foot rest next to the desk is a case of about a dozen mint Schofield's, still in their original grease, that Roy got from the old Bannerman's island arsenal . Hank has a grin on his face like a possom eating plums! I think that photo was reprinted in a Journal issue article about the 1977 S&WCA meeting in Hartford and then touring the factory. I won't be at the April Tulsa meet, but hope to be there in Nov. Your .44 S&W is a Model 1926 .44 Military. Serial # S62810 was shipped Aug. 19, 1946, so your gun was probably shipped abouit the same time. S&W didn't ship guns in serial number sequence, however at that time period, guns were in short supply in the civilian markets so they didn't stay in the vaults very long at S&W. Your gun is probably a transition variation also, in that the N frames being used were earlier production frames taken out of storage and then completed in .38/44, .44 Spec., and .45 calibers for sale after WW2. Another close gun, Ser. # S62782, was shipped July 19, 1946, and S62676 shipped in October 1946. Welcome to the Forum, great to have another "Ed" here! Good Luck, Ed Cornett.

 

[ETMJR]

REPLY TO OPOEFC.

Hi Ed,

Your post is a nice surprise for me also. It has been a long time, I left Southern California 22 years ago. I thank both you and Alan of murphydog for helping me to identify my Model 1926 .44 Military, 3rd (I think) model. I did part with $50.00 and sent the form to Roy Jinks for historical data. I'll post the results on the forum. I'm sure it had shipped summer-fall of 1946 like the two you mentioned. Along with the form, I included a photocopy of a digital picture. I have read in the Internet that some had pinned barrels. I am not familiar with pinned barrels, this gun has a pin through the top of the frame at the back of the barrel, I don't know if that's what I read about.

The first Great Western gun shows I attended were in the Great Western Exhibit Center in Los Angeles. The County Fairgrounds in Pomona were a better location for me since I lived in Glendora. I have an old flyer advertising 5300 tables....."over 8 miles of tables." For the H of it, I calculated the amount of time you would theoretically have per 8-foot table if you arrived the first table at opening time and left the last table at closing time.....for the two or three days the show was open. No time allowed for the potty or for food, and just gravitating from table to table.....you would have 29 seconds per table.....hahaha.

I forwarded your forum posting to Hank and Jan's daughters. They remember you and send their hello's.

Being an "Ed", no doubt, like myself, you have heard it said: "Two Eds are better than one."

Thanks for your help.

Ed Murphy

 

[opoefc]

Ed, You guessed right. That pin at the top of the barrel is the "pin" referred to when you see a description of a S&W saying it has a pinned barrel. The threaded portion of the barrel has a trans verse slot that lines up with the pin hole in the frame when the barrel is fully screwed into the frame barrel. The pin is inserted and that prevents any turning of the barrel, due to reaction to the rotating bullet leaving the barrel, and thus missaligning the front sight. - -You're right about the size of that old Great Western Gun Show. They added another 1200 tables after your brochure. No way you could cover everything. Most of the serious gun collectors stayed around Bldgs. 4,5 & 7 and the outside areas between them, which is about the size of the current Tulsa Arms Show. Those were great days of gun deals and fun times. When the Rodney King/ Watts Riots happed the week before one show opened, the County Supervisors banned all public events and gatherings the Friday we set up at the show. Rioters were burning down all the buildings and shopping centers acrosss the street from the Fairgrounds, so we loaded all our firearms, locked the doors and hunkered down. The cops all left and said "your're on your own' which didn't worry us too much. What rioter is going to bother a bunch of gun nuts, fully armed, when they can loot the nearby Walmart? Later some National Guard units arrived and set up a perimeter around the Fairgrounds, so we packed up our guns and went home. I'm still waiting for the refund on my table rent! Good to hear from you, keep posting your questions on the Forum. Ed Cornett

 

[handejector]

Welcome to the board.
Great story. I am confused about the gun- you mention Target sights in your first post, and then later call it a military.
Are the sights adjustable, or fixed?

Also- if you did not mention the diamond on the barrel to Roy in the letter request, I would forward that to him ASAP. I am afraid that diamond is usually a bad sign, and may indicate a replacement. I would also pull the grips, and see if any marks are on the frame under them.

Ed C- I hate to hear you won't be in Tulsa. I run the risk of being the ugliest man there without ya!

 

[kennyb]

Hi Ed,

Your post is a nice surprise for me also. It has been a long time, I left Southern California 22 years ago. I thank both you and Alan of murphydog for helping me to identify my Model 1926 .44 Military, 3rd (I think) model. I did part with $50.00 and sent the form to Roy Jinks for historical data. I'll post the results on the forum. I'm sure it had shipped summer-fall of 1946 like the two you mentioned. Along with the form, I included a photocopy of a digital picture. I have read in the Internet that some had pinned barrels. I am not familiar with pinned barrels, this gun has a pin through the top of the frame at the back of the barrel, I don't know if that's what I read about.

The first Great Western gun shows I attended were in the Great Western Exhibit Center in Los Angeles. The County Fairgrounds in Pomona were a better location for me since I lived in Glendora. I have an old flyer advertising 5300 tables....."over 8 miles of tables." For the H of it, I calculated the amount of time you would theoretically have per 8-foot table if you arrived the first table at opening time and left the last table at closing time.....for the two or three days the show was open. No time allowed for the potty or for food, and just gravitating from table to table.....you would have 29 seconds per table.....hahaha.

I forwarded your forum posting to Hank and Jan's daughters. They remember you and send their hello's.

Being an "Ed", no doubt, like myself, you have heard it said: "Two Eds are better than one."

Thanks for your help.

Ed Murphy

mr murphy...so nice to have you here,and what an interesting read!why not consider joining the SWCA?a great group and you could be a second generation member!

 

[ETMJR]

Reply to handejector.

My saying it was a Military and saying it has adjustable sights was only my caffeinless brain in action. The gun has adjustable sights.

I did mention the diamond on the barrel. Should it be a replacement barrel, would the gun be demoted to only being a nice shooter?

If you see a banknote with a star in the serial number, that means it is a replacement note, but is more valuable for paper money collectors.

I pulled the grips and found 2 marks on the left side near the bottom. At the front "corner" there is a 4. At the rear "corner" there is another diamond.

About 15 years ago, I traded a mint Sauer & Sons 38H +$60.00 for the Smith. I paid $82.50 for the war souvenier 15 years before that. I thought it was a good horse trade then.

Thank you for your information, I lkie this forum, there are a lot of nice people here.

 

[murphydog]

Per ETMJR's request, here are two side views of the gun in question. This is my first attempt at photos, so be nice

 

[opoefc]

Lee, Sorry I can't be at Tulsa this time, however I will give you a pass on being in first place in the Ugly Man contest, as Larry Slaten will be there. You and I together can't hold a candle to a World Class competitor like Larry, so just be content with 2nd place this time! have a good show! Ed.

 

[ETMJR]

Picture Relay via murphydog.

Alan,

Thanks for posting my "pictures" of my nickeled Smith. Your imaging work is just fine.....but my imaging work - the result of myself, the camera, or photographing a reflective surface....or all 3 produced the fuzzy image. I hope the members can tell what they're looking at. With the diamond on the barrel inside of the ejector rod lug signifying a rebarreling and the triggeer and hammer both being nickeled, at this point it looks like I have a shooter rather than a collectible. I don't know what Roy Jinks' turnaround time is for historical inquiries, but that letter may finally resolve any questions about this Smith.
Again, I thank you for your help.

Later today I will post another thread about a Smith .455 from, I believe, Canada.

Ed

 

[moosedog]

That is a fine looking 44 Target gun however you cut it. Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Dave T]

No offense to the OP but my interpretation of the posted pictures is that the gun was plated by some third party, not S&W. The hammer and the trigger are plated, something I've never seen the factory do. And the front sight is left blued on some factory nickeled guns, isn't it?

If the gun is mechanically sound it might be worth sending to one of the shops that does restoration and have it made blue again. N-frame 44 Specials are worth the trouble and expense in most cases, at least in my opinion.

Dave

 

[murphydog]

Alan,

Thanks for posting my "pictures" of my nickeled Smith. Your imaging work is just fine.....but my imaging work - the result of myself, the camera, or photographing a reflective surface....or all 3 produced the fuzzy image. I hope the members can tell what they're looking at. With the diamond on the barrel inside of the ejector rod lug signifying a rebarreling and the triggeer and hammer both being nickeled, at this point it looks like I have a shooter rather than a collectible. I don't know what Roy Jinks' turnaround time is for historical inquiries, but that letter may finally resolve any questions about this Smith.
Again, I thank you for your help.

Later today I will post another thread about a Smith .455 from, I believe, Canada.

Ed

Ed;

You're welcome (there, I said it again). I've found the best setting for photographing nickel guns is outdoors, indirect sunlight; enough to see but not too reflective.

Roy can take between 1 and 3 months for a letter depending on his commitments and time off. Looking forward to the letter and your other gun's information.