S&W letter

[Hill536]

About a month ago I filled out a sheet of information I down loaded from this forum and mailed it off to Roy Jinks.

I was lucky to find a registered magnum and would like to know its shipping history.

This is my first try at a Smith letter. I'm a Colt collector and use to a slow turn around time. I'm just curious as to know if this is normal or should have got an email/phone call acknowledgement of my paper work.

Posted here to get some opinions. Thanks in advance!


/Ken

 

[hittman77]

Check back in 2 or 3 weeks.
Congrats on finding the gun.

 

[Onomea]

While I haven't requested a letter in years, sounds normal to me.

 

[Hill536]

Thanks for your input. I'll put the kettle on!

 

[Absalom]

On an RM, once you have the history letter from Roy, be sure to contact the S&W Historical Foundation (Bill Cross, Doc44 here) to see if they have additional documentation. You only pay if he finds stuff on your gun. On the RMs, there is a better chance for additional correspondence and such in the files than on other models.

On the webpage below, you ordered the first kind, I'm talking about the second type of Historical Letter.

Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation - Home Page - Insuring that the rich history of Smith & Wesson will continue for generations to come

 

[Hill536]

I posted this some months ago and can add that I still haven't heard a thing. Truthfully, with life getting back to normal in Florida, I sort of forgot about the letter.

I am really anxious to find out about it and the wait to learn of it's mystery/history makes it cooler.

My check was cashed in early March so I know my paperwork made it. I'd appreciate some opinions and hope Roy and his staff are OK and just swamped.

/K

 

[Targets Guy]

My first letter, back in 2017, I've still heard nothing. My next two were completed and back to me within two months. I've heard there is a pretty good back log right now.

 

[Hill536]

This is my first letter for a S&W too. Thanks! Wish I had a clue on the backlog.

 

[Hill536]

Well the wait is over with a letter authored by Don Mundell stating my registered magnum was shipped on Dec 10,1937 to the City of Lakeland Florida. It was in a shipment of eight. States it was shipped with a Nickel finish and walnut stocks and is identical to five others in the shipment. Mine differs from that description as a set of pre-war pearls is fitted to the gun now.

What is cool is this. I live in Lakeland and the gun has come home after 84 years. I understand Nickel pistols are rare with the possibility only 500 produced. If so the City of Lakeland took 1% of production, a big feat for the small town it was back then.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Hill536]

Things got even better! Got an email from Bill Cross telling me the RM was the subject of a letter dated October 29, 1945 from Leo H. Brooker, Assistant Chief of Police, Lakeland Police Department, to Smith & Wesson requesting information on having his .357 Magnum, REG. #3235 re-nickeled and given a complete check up. There was no further info.

Brooker went in to become Lakeland's Chief. Now how can it get any better.

Thank you Bill, I appreciate your effort!

 

[Hondo44]

Congrats!

So how far away did it come "home" from back to Lakeland?

Although you didn't confirm, I presume your gun is #3225, that right?

 

[Hill536]

Not sure it ever went very far from Lakeland. The person who sold it lives in the next town over.

 

[rubiranch]

I've waited 90 days or longer for a letter.
Just sent another request in today.

 

[Club Gun Fan]

My first letter, back in 2017, I've still heard nothing. My next two were completed and back to me within two months. I've heard there is a pretty good back log right now.

It you haven't gotten your letter from 2017, I don't think you can blame us. If you check was cashed, we did the letter. It has to have been lost in the mail. Send me a PM with all the information you can and I'll reissue a letter.
Don

 

[LPD256]

So your gun probably just went up in value because of the documentation you received. It takes a little while but I've always had fun with the letters, particularly LEO guns. Some just went to a hardware store. Still worth the money.

 

[Kinman]

I've been waiting for a little over a month and am not even concerned. I screwed up and forgot the serial number on the form, was kindly emailed to which I responded with the serial number. The suspense is killing me but I'm looking at like Christmas. I knew a guy that had money to burn, one of the things he did was order custom built knives from Randall, some of them took six months to get to him but whenever the box would arrive he said it was like Christmas morning when he was a kid. He had forgotten what style of knife he had asked for, they were custom Randalls and beautiful, way out of my price range. Although all Randalls were basically hand made back then with no two exactly alike, his were special order with copper spacers and stuff in the leather stacked handles...cool stuff.

 

[rct269]

I'm puzzled by the lack of response to several things-------------

It was noted nickel RMs are rare---with approximately 500 made. In Jink's well known and widely distributed RM treatise completed in 1989(??) he stated there were 144 known nickel-----and listed the registration numbers for them.

I've checked through those numbers for 3225 and 3235 (those mentioned here) and 32 anything else, and came up empty.

What am I missing? Is this perhaps simply a test to see if we're paying attention--------and if so why do we seem to be doing doing so poorly?

Ralph Tremaine

 

[Hill536]

I've been waiting for a little over a month and am not even concerned. I screwed up and forgot the serial number on the form, was kindly emailed to which I responded with the serial number. The suspense is killing me but I'm looking at like Christmas. I knew a guy that had money to burn, one of the things he did was order custom built knives from Randall, some of them took six months to get to him but whenever the box would arrive he said it was like Christmas morning when he was a kid. He had forgotten what style of knife he had asked for, they were custom Randalls and beautiful, way out of my price range. Although all Randalls were basically hand made back then with no two exactly alike, his were special order with copper spacers and stuff in the leather stacked handles...cool stuff.

Yesterday was a hot day in Florida made better by on and off rain. I was in my workshop taking a Champions Choice barrel weight off a model 52. Hours went by as the last guy who owned it filed the heads off the set screws and silver soldered it on. I'm saying it was too hot to continue and the MAP gas didn't help so I went to the mailbox.

You're right! The SW envelope had Christmas written all over it. Opened with anticipation and seeing its provenance made my day.

The 52's bbl weight came of this morning!

 

[Vettepartz]

If my old eyes are not playing tricks on me, the picture you posted looks like the gun has the humpback hammer. Did the letter mention anything about the type of hammer?

 

[6518John]

Well the wait is over with a letter authored by Don Mundell stating my registered magnum was shipped on Dec 10,1937 to the City of Lakeland Florida. It was in a shipment of eight. States it was shipped with a Nickel finish and walnut stocks and is identical to five others in the shipment. Mine differs from that description as a set of pre-war pearls is fitted to the gun now.

What is cool is this. I live in Lakeland and the gun has come home after 84 years. I understand Nickel pistols are rare with the possibility only 500 produced.

Eight Registered Magnums in one shipment! That would be one for Fed Ex to deliver to the wrong address. And like i read in another thread, it is usually not worth the sellers trouble to fix the mistake so they tell you just to keep the merchandise.

"Smith and Wesson, I got these revolvers today I did not order."

"Aw, don't worry about it, it's not worth the time or aggravation to have you ship them back"