Registered Magnum hammer question.

[Rugerred44]

Hi all,

My father-in-law purchased a Registered Magnum a while back on an auction here locally. We didn't know what it was and were pleasantly surprised to find out what it was pretty special. Anyway, it has a "skeletonized" hammer and looks to be original to the gun. Did S&W or King sight Co. offer a hammer like this?

I will try to post a pic ASAP. Thanks

 

[Rugerred44]

Here's some pics

 

[opoefc]

I strongly doubt that S&W or King had anything to do with the destruction that hammer has endured. It was probably done by whoever came up with the "embellishments" you see added to the finish, however the stocks are nice looking and may be Ropers, or a close clone. If you want to know what the gun looked like when it was shipped from S&W, get a factory historical letter from Roy Jinks, S&W Factory Historian and a Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation research package for the gun. Ed.

 

[RKmesa]

Ruger:

Although the "purist" in me is a little disturbed at what was done to that RM. The other 95% of me thinks that that gun rates way high on the "cool" meter. I love the skeletonized hump back hammer (I have never seen one quite like that before and I'm 99.99999% sure that it was not done at the Factory or at Kings). And ... the engraving (with the exception of it being in the white and a bit on the gaudy side) appears to me to be nicely done. Regardless of what was done to the metal on the gun, the wrap around Ropers are one of my very favorite designs.

It appears to be a 1st or 2nd year gun, as it has the small trademark on the left side (before REG 2099). Also, probably a bit early to have been shipped with a humpback hammer. The King Red Post front site on a reflector ramp is most likely original, as it is a relatively common configuration that regularly letters as original to pre war magnums. Here are a few photos of what a pre-modification original gun (with some King hardware) most likely looked like:

Also, I had Keith Brown reproduce some Roper wrap-around stocks in a similar design to the ones on your RM:

Thanks so much for sharing. I try and keep track of all of the RMs that I see, and if you don't mind, I would love to know the REG number on that gun.

What a fun gun - especially if your name happens to be "Collingwood"...

 

[STCM(SW)]

I think it's neet & has a personal touch....

 

[Fat Old Guy]

I'd want to know who "S. Collingwood" was.

 

[cgt4570]

I really like the unique look of the hammer. If I had a spare hammer that had finish issues, that's something I would consider doing. A good condition N humpback hammer is probably a $400+ item.

 

[Crabtree]

I'd want to know who "S. Collingwood" was.

I thought E Collingwood but "S" may be correct. I'd want to find out too. I like the grips. Thanks for posting.

 

[Nedroe]

Humpback Pics......

Nice rmRM 4752 is one of the RM's known to have shipped with a Humpback hammer. There is a list of guns known to have shipped this way. What is your REGISTRATION NUMBER? I'll check it for you when I get a chance afterwhile.
Last one I saw available was about $450 as I recall.

Here's pics

Ned

 

[Rugerred44]

Thank you all for the responses. I believe the Reg # is 769. Actually, the engraved name is J.E.COLLINGWOOD. I have tried to research this person and the only J. Collingwood I could find was a WWII vet who was a lawyer here in Topeka. I can only assume he ordered this RM back in the day.

I believe the grips are genuine Ropers. I will remove and inspect them when I get a chance. I tried to trade him a set grips for them, that was met with an immediate NO!

While I am not a huge fan of the engraving, I do like the hammer. I will keep my eyes open for an original.

Any thoughts on an approximate value of this gun?

 

[opoefc]

Like I said above, get your self a factory historical letter AND the S&W Historical Foundation research report for this gun. You will find out things that will clearly establish value parameters. As the gun sits now, there's too many questions about how it got to it's current configuration and who Mr. Collingwood may have been ( He could have been the original orderer which the letters & research report can verify. If so, value can go up.) Ed.