Question on a Target Triple Lock

[epidoc]

A friend just called. He saw a triple lock with target sights at a gunshow The owner was asking $4500. He estimated finish at about 80%.

I know a target triple lock is rare. Anyone have a picture of what type of sights a correct one should have?

Are they rare enough to command $4500?

 

[epidoc]

A friend just called. He saw a triple lock with target sights at a gunshow The owner was asking $4500. He estimated finish at about 80%.

I know a target triple lock is rare. Anyone have a picture of what type of sights a correct one should have?

Are they rare enough to command $4500?

 

[opoefc]

T-Lock Targets are very collectable if they are real - by that I mean they will letter in the exact configuration you find one. An 80% T-Lock Target is stretching it at $4500, UNLESS the barrel length is a rare length for a Target Model ( either 7 1/2 in or 4 inches) Find one of any barrel length in a rare or odd caliber, other than .44 Special, and you name your own price. Same for a zero serial number ( Club gun) T-Lock. Ed.

 

[mikepriwer]

The sights look exactly like those on a K-frame, for example.

I think the standard was 6 1/2" . 4's, 5's, etc command big bucks.

But - like Ed says, its got to be right.

Later, Mike Priwer

 

[Bat Guano]

I took a few hasty digital photos of my 5" target Triple Lock (factory lettered as such) I will post it here but could use some advice on how to do it.

In appearance the setup is essentially the same as a prewar K frame target.

BTW I wonder if I saw that gun up in Billings about a month ago. It was a 6 1/2" target but rather scuffed up. The owner said he was asking $4000 for it...

 

[epidoc]

You may well have. The owner had it at the Great Falls Show last Saturday.

 

[feralmerril]

Here is a standard triplelock with the sights added at the factory in 1949. I have a letter.

 

[Hondo44]

My 1913 vintage target T-lock has a tiny (by today's standards) rear fully adjustable sight. It looks like all the prewar target sights (the exception is the early micro sights on the pre war K 14 which looks like the post war and current target sights, and the gun pictured above). The rear sight strap is milled in flush with the top of the frame. The front end of the strap is rounded and fits perfectly and flush with the surface of the top strap of the gun. The sight strap and top strap of the gun are perfectly smooth; no ribs or serrations. The adjustment screws are tiny. The front sight on mine has the same base like the gun above, but it's lower with a more graceful hook shape. Does the $4500 gun look like that? If so, it's original.
jj

 

[opoefc]

If there's any doubt that target sights are original to the gun, and not added later, take off the rear sight base and look at the bottom of the base. If it is original to the gun, it will have the serial number of the gun stamped thereon in very tiny numbers. Thats because the slot in the top strap & the sight base are milled especially to fit each other when the gun is in the white. The parts are separated and sent to bluing, or nickeling, then reassembled.The numbers must match to be sure the right sight base gets back on the gun that it was fitted to earlier. If the gun is sent back to the factory to have target sights added, then no number is necessary as the gun is a one gun work up in soft fitting/ service dep't and parts are kept together. This is generally true of any pre-war target gun. Ed.

 

[JayCeeNC]

Thanks, Ed, for more great reference info from you.

 

[TSQUARED]

I have not determined how to post pohots on the forum but have e-mailed you a photo of a Triple Lock target which letters to the target configuration. if you want any more photos drop me a note.

Originally posted by epidoc:
A friend just called. He saw a triple lock with target sights at a gunshow The owner was asking $4500. He estimated finish at about 80%.

I know a target triple lock is rare. Anyone have a picture of what type of sights a correct one should have?

Are they rare enough to command $4500?

 

[mtshootist1]

I am the owner of the triple lock in question, the overall finish I would rate at about 90%, with the original grips, the sights are unaltered, the only detraction is the bluing on the cylinder has "flaked off" we have all seen Smiths with differing bluing performance in the prewar guns. it is a even grey color with traces of the bright blue in places. As for price and zarity, I have collected and dealt in Montana with Smiths of all kinds for approximately fifteen years. This is the first target model that I have found that came into a gun show. Since people were asking me what I wanted for it, I put a price on it, good, bad or indifferent..

 

[Onomea]

mtshootist1, sounds reasonable to me that you'd set a high price if you weren't keen on selling. How about some pictures?

Did you get it lettered? Seems like you really ought to with a rare one like that. Or have you had the rear sights off to check for the SN per above? Is it a 6 1/2" bbl?

 

[mtshootist1]

I haven't had a chance to write to Roy Jenks and get a letter on this revolver. It is a 6 1/2" barreled 44, I also haven't taken the rear sight off to see if the assembly number is the same, but having owned a large variety of target model Smiths, I am pretty sure that it isn't some revised version, it has the factory target front sight as well. The rear sight is a perfect fit across the top of the frame. I looked at a number of T-Lock targets that were for sale on the web, and the ones that I saw a couple of months ago, with the exception of on sold by James Julia Auctions, were all inferior to this one. Julia sold one for over 7500 that looked like new. I had several smith collectors look at it in Great Falls and Missoula, they have all pronounced it to be an "honest gun". I am in no rush to sell it, actually could care less. I just like taking interesting stuff to the gun shows. That was what it used to be about, not trinkets fit for a flea market.

 

[mikepriwer]

I also haven't taken the rear sight off to see if the assembly number is the same, but having owned a large variety of target model Smiths, I am pretty sure that it isn't some revised version, it has the factory target front sight as well. The rear sight is a perfect fit across the top of the frame.

The gun may well be an original target. A factory letter is so easy to request,
costs next to nothing compared to the value of the gun, and answers all the
questions about the gun. It will do away with all the needless speculation.

On the other hand, Roy has told us, over and over, that , for example, the
factory could refinish a gun, and NO ONE could tell. That is how good they were.
Additionally, there are numerous examples of target revolvers that ,for all the
world, look correct. The rear sight leaf will, indeed, be a perfect fit, and the
guns will have a factory front target sight. But - they won't letter that way.
There are also known guns that were originally shipped as M&P's, returned at some
later time unsold to the factory, converted to target, and sold a second time.
They will letter as targets ; sometimes a letter will reveal this full history.

Later, Mike Priwer

 

[opoefc]

What Mike says is totally correct when it comes to S&W Target guns, T-Locks or otherwise. I recently bought a Model 1926 with target sights that the seller and others all thought was a gun origially shipped with service sights and letter reworked by the factory to add target sights because the top strap was a different color blue from the rear sight base. When I pulled the sight base, it was serialy numbered to the gun. The shipping records did not indicate what the sights were when it was shipped, but Roy found the invoice and it was shipped as a target. The value tripled. It lettered. Ed.

 

[arnold ziffle]

if anyone is interested i could send pics of mine.

 

[aphelion]

Here's what mine looks like. Serial number 6XXX.

 

[Doc44]

Not the best photo, but this is a lettered TLock target.

Bill

 

[Guest]

Originally posted by Bat Guano:
I took a few hasty digital photos of my 5" target Triple Lock (factory lettered as such) I will post it here but could use some advice on how to do it.

All you need to do is put your image on a hosting service like Photo Bucket if you don't have your own home site. And, then Post the 'address', called the URL in between the following:

and it will show up in your post.

The 'address' (URL) should look something like this:

http://home.comcast.net/~xxxxxxx11/19_Fixed.jpg

There is also more info available from bdgreen who has made a good Post about this subject in the recent past.

MAK