Roscoe, the Triple-lock, has arrived

[Modified]

Edit: The gun arrived, pictures: http://smith-wessonforum.com/140997139-post65.html

and a glamour shot from a visitor to my home:

Original Post:
Just won a gun that one of the wonderful SWCA members pointed me at.

I'm pretty excited about it and thought I might do something a bit different than my usual with this gun, and start a thread on it before I have it in hand.

The pictures are a bit lacking, but I thought there might be some fun to be had speculating about it and seeing what speculations pan out when I have direct possession of it.

I have a little bit of information regarding it to add (not from the seller, actually something I have known for quite some time that was brought to my attention by another SWCA member who is welcome to chime in and take credit for enabling me), but I think that information may spoil any fun to be had in idle speculation. So I'll hold off on it for the moment.

So without further ado, in all it's horribly butchered glory:

A triple-lock!

What are your thoughts?

Edit: After a round of speculation I added more information to Post #27 if you want to spoil your speculative fun.

 

[6518John]

Oh Bubba! Couldn't you have stayed in small engine repair?

 

[Glashaus]

Well there is no coming back from that! But it is a great example of 1920's-1930's combat customization, I bet that it feels a lot better then it looks!

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Did you do the Fitz treatment or did it come that way? I'm not understanding, exactly.

Personally, and I know that the "Fitz treatment" was popular in some circles, including well respected ones, I still think it is a dangerous modification. We have a Forum member (TheShootist1894) who has done those for other members, well, at least once that I know about for certain, and when I saw it I liked everything but the trigger guard. So I had him do some modifications for me on a DAO M64 but I specifically said "no Fitz". He modified the trigger guard for me but did not cut it open.

That's just outside my danger point with an open trigger guard. YMMV

 

[mh51]

Wow! I sure hope there's some interesting history with that one, or the seller paid you to take it!

 

[delcrossv]

Evidently someone along the line thought those changes would make it more functional for their intended purpose.

 

[Muley Gil]

The trigger guard can be repaired. Forum member tennexplorer had an N frame that had been Fitzed brought back by welding in another trigger guard from a donor revolver.

The grip frame looks like a round butted Schofield.

 

[Continental Op]

What are your thoughts?

Somebody did a nice job on the black powder chamfer.

 

[usmc2427765]

I wish it could talk !! Get it all liquored up and the tales it could tell.

 

[Muley Gil]

Somebody did a nice job on the black powder chamfer.

The TL came with a chamfered cylinder.

 

[Oracle]

Maybe the front of the trigger guard was impacting the trigger finger of a previous owner during recoil.

 

[growr]

Fitz sure destroyed many nice handguns!!!

Randy

 

[Hondo44]

What a find.

My "first thoughts":

It's still a TL but is it even a S&W or a copy? The trade mark is hard to see well, but it doesn't look quite right although maybe because it's too fuzzy.

What if it was an original 4" or 5" barrel?!?!

A great parts gun for an unmolested TL frame that needed them, including a TL hammer ripe for welding on a post war target spur w/o sacrificing an original TL hammer.

A big project to bring back to "life" with lot's of welding.

A money pit to fix.

Does it still have a SA function?

A great conversation piece just as it is.

A gun I would have no problem getting re-blued.

A TL that's all business for serious social work by the owner that had it built. I wonder if he died using it or lived to retire.

The owner that had it built was NO COLLECTOR.

You probably got it for a pretty low price, meaning it's worth more parted out and the parts sold individually.

And most of all, I wonder what plan you have in mind for it.

And those are also my "last thoughts".

 

[STORM2]

Never pre-judge scars that might be combat related. Necessity always trumps potential collectors value.....or perhaps enhanced the value at/or for the time.

 

[Hondo44]

Did you do the Fitz treatment or did it come that way? I'm not understanding, exactly.

He posted that he doesn't even have it in his possession yet.

 

[Ruger 13]

I kinda like a "Fitzed" Triplelock!

 

[AlHunt]

Aside from the trigger guard and overall condition, that gun has a strange appeal. I would fix the trigger guard, reblue it and have a pretty cool retro combat revolver. Just because. Forget the cost.

 

[GerSan69]

Well....OK.
The Fitz concept is well executed, at least. I've just never understood the need for essentially ruining a good revolver to make it "easier" to shoot.
But then again, I don't have giant hands that make an N frame-sized handgun look like a derringer.
Hopefully, the OP got some pretty heavy provenance to go with this "creation" to at least make it worthwhile. Otherwise even a Triple Lock might be a big "So what?" IMHO and end up as a pretty expensive project to bring it back to it's original glory.
OP, I wish you the best with it. I hope my comments don't sound insulting in any way, because the bottom line is you scored a Triple Lock and there ain't no arguing with that!

 

[Messer]

I kinda like a "Fitzed" Triplelock!

Would that make it a Fitzlelock?


To me it looks like someone tried to modify the TL for pocket carry (suits had bigger pockets back in the day).

Interesting timestamp piece. The rounding of the top of the grip frame looks very odd - makes me want to hold it just to see how it feels.

 

[series guy]

Somebody sure took a lot of metal off that gun! Not only the barrel and trigger guard but also the rear of the frame and the frame in front of the trigger guard. They turned a big honkin N frame into a pocket pistol. Looking at the frame above the hammer it looks like they did it to a target model to boot. It does look like a pretty well done job. I would clean it and shoot it and enjoy it.