Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector First Model (Triple Lock) Revolver A Comparative Rarity

[mrcvs]

Shipping ledgers are in preprinted numerical sequence, numbers are not skipped. Ship locations are entered, dates are entered, common ship locations appear to be stamped with rubber stamps, often abbreviated. For example, M W Robinson might just be M W R, IIRC.

 

[Model19man]

Jerry Jeff needs to make an appearance here.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSyrblvNbMo"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSyrblvNbMo[/ame]

 

[mrcvs]

Very nice job for a difficult task. A few comments just off the top of my head:

At the end of British 455 production there was an additional 691 TLs shipped commercially.

A very few of the earliest TLs were 4 screw models (no trigger guard screw).

The lack of finding .450/.455 Eley chambering is no doubt because they were shipped to England commercially and few came back to the US.

There are a very few Bisley Target models (rear adjustable sight for windage only per Bisley match rules) shipped to England.

There were more than one TL chambered in the 45 S&W Special (45 Frankfort) for the 1906 Army Trials. At least one was destroyed in testing.

And not every serial number in the TL number range was likely shipped owing to possible frames that didn’t pass final inspection, etc.

Hope this helps.

Original post updated to reflect your input. Please look for these changes and comment as to the validity of my incorporation, or if I am way off the mark.

 

[Hondo44]

To avoid confusion especially for novice readers:

With regard to the British contract service revolvers, the cartridge is more commonly labeled the .455 Mk II in S&W sources like the original boxes and in the books discussing these, rather than .455 Webley, especially when acknowledging they were all chambered for the longer .455 Mk I cartridge.

"<20 Bisley Target Models, for use at Bisley, England. Fixed front sight, adjustable rear sight." For clarity should be described as windage-adjustable-only rear sight.

"Only 1: In SCSW4, a pre production revolver in .45 [S&W] Special (.45 Frankfort) serial number 09. Edit: For practical reasons, more than one of these existed, at least one of which was scrapped. Guess here, but 5 or less?" Rather than "scrapped", destroyed during army trials rust testing is a more informative description. I seem to recall sources indicating only two guns in .45 Frankfort were submitted to the Army for testing.

Hope this helps.

 

[mrcvs]

To avoid confusion especially for novice readers:

With regard to the British contract service revolvers, the cartridge is more commonly labeled the .455 Mk II in S&W sources like the original boxes and in the books discussing these, rather than .455 Webley, especially when acknowledging they were all chambered for the longer .455 Mk I cartridge.

"<20 Bisley Target Models, for use at Bisley, England. Fixed front sight, adjustable rear sight." For clarity should be described as windage-adjustable-only rear sight.

"Only 1: In SCSW4, a pre production revolver in .45 Special (probably.45 Frankfort) serial number 09. Edit: For practical reasons, more than one of these existed, at least one of which was scrapped. Guess here, but 5 or less?" Rather than "scrapped", destroyed during army trials rust testing is a more informative description. I seem to recall sources indicating only two guns in .45 Frankfort were submitted to the Army for testing.

Hope this helps.

Thank you, Jim. Post #1 edited to reflect these changes.

 

[Hondo44]

You’re welcome!

 

[mrcvs]

I revised the section on .455 Webley Target Models to serial numbers 4000 to 4300 from 4100 to 4300 and the number manufactured to 100 based on this shipment alone of 25, and there likely was more than just one shipment.

 

[rct269]

You're in good company with your SWAG of 300 to 500 7 1/2" targets----Jinks opines 250 to 500. Mine sold for the rather shocking price of $10,000 just about a year ago---almost double what I paid for it 20+ years ago.

Ralph Tremaine