S&W Safety Hammerless, New Departure, 1st Model

[rayj101]

Hi All, I Intend to get letters from Mr Jinks on my M1917 and on the subject revolver. However in the meanwhile, my Safety Hammerless is in good condition but the grips appear to have faded from the standard black to a brownish color. Is this normal? Sn is 28306 which, I guestimate, is circa 1892 production. Also barrel is 3 1/2" is this rarer than the 3"? And lastly, I have heard that the Winchester and Remington .32 S&W ammo is safe to use in these oldtimers. However, as smokeless powder wasn't used soley until 1892-3 (?), will the early production 1st Models safety handle the Winchester or Remington current ammo? I hope some expert out there can throw some light on these three questions! Thanks in advance, Ray

 

[rayj101]

Hi All, I Intend to get letters from Mr Jinks on my M1917 and on the subject revolver. However in the meanwhile, my Safety Hammerless is in good condition but the grips appear to have faded from the standard black to a brownish color. Is this normal? Sn is 28306 which, I guestimate, is circa 1892 production. Also barrel is 3 1/2" is this rarer than the 3"? And lastly, I have heard that the Winchester and Remington .32 S&W ammo is safe to use in these oldtimers. However, as smokeless powder wasn't used soley until 1892-3 (?), will the early production 1st Models safety handle the Winchester or Remington current ammo? I hope some expert out there can throw some light on these three questions! Thanks in advance, Ray

 

[cgt4570]

I've got a 1st model very close in age to yours and I shoot it with factory ammo. No problems yet. (I've read that in the old days, guys even shot .32 ACPs in these! The semi-rim will chamber and fire. I would not advise this, though.)

As for the grip color, I've read that it's caused by an over-exposure to sunlight. I don't know of any way to correct it.

I don't think any of the 3-4 inch barrels are rare. Only rare ones are very long or very short.

Chris

 

[opoefc]

Your gun is a black powder gun, however if it's in good mechanical condition, you should be able to shoot modern .32 S&W ammo safely. It's not loaded to pressures that are harmful to your gun. The brownish fade to the original shiney black hard rubber grips is seen occasionally. In my opinion, I think it has something to do with exposure to strong light over a period of time. 100 year old safety hammerless guns that have been in Aunt Minnie's dresser all that time, still have shiney black grips, guns that have been laying in the pawn shop window have the faded brown on the side exposed to light and black on the bottom side - so who knows what causes the brown fade - chemical reaction to something. Early 1890s is about right for your gun's production date.

 

[MSgt G]

Not to highjack this thread, but I was looking at one of these about 30 minutes ago. It seemed to be in good condition, considering it's age. It was nickel, black original grips, the trigger guard was blued, but from some pictures I have here that seems normal. They wanted $450. Give me some advise on this price if you can.

 

[opoefc]

MSgt G, It would have to be almost NIB condition for that price, IMHO. $250-$300 is more realistic.