Somewhat late

[greenwellg]

Got this one months ago just pulled the grips. They match with one number scratched through and corrected from 90633 to 90643. Original finish and I believe the grips came on the gun. The lockup is tight as new and bore is close to perfect as well as chambers. The earliest M&P I own. It's delayed formal introduction. Serial numbered under the lanyard ring, then behind it and on the frame under the grip.

 

[weatherby]

Cool old gun.
The grips don't seem to match the gun condition wise.
Maybe they stayed in the sock drawer.

 

[glowe]

Poor storage could have been the problem with the finish or holstered for a long time, since the case hardened ejector rod knob is bright and the case colors on the hammer and trigger are not worn. I bet the bore and chambers are perfect? I would state that the gun went back to the factory for a lanyard ring installation. In that era, there were no repair return dates used, but it was common for the repair department to stamp the inside of the frame. Earlier examples often show the serial number on the front of the butt-frame when a factory installed lanyard ring was installed.



It was not a practice for the factory to place the number on the butt in that location, so some owner might have had that done because they were nervous that the visible serial number was obliterated. That number is stamped through the bluing.

 

[greenwellg]

Coastal humidity could be a contributing factor to the exterior appearance. It looks perfect under the grips. Sadly a surface coating of some kind of oil would have preserved the exterior surface similar to cosmoline. Otherwise it is 117 years old and there are no signs of any factory work under the grips otherwise the stamped serial number.

 

[mikepriwer]

Can we see a picture of the serial number stamped on the grip frame under the grips ?

Mike Priwer

 

[greenwellg]

Sure might take a little while.

 

[mikepriwer]

That serial number, stamped over the main spring tension screw, is 100% factory - no doubt about it. Roy JInks has confirmed this, and of the 18 or so 1899's that went to West Point seniors, three have turned up, and they are all identically stamped. 90643 is the serial number.
Regards, Mike Priwer.

 

[greenwellg]

So this gun went to a West point senior? Is there a range of serial number sequence? Each would have a unique serial number?

 

[mikepriwer]

No - your gun has nothing to do with West Point, as far as I know. A factory letter would be necessary, to know where it went. You might want to do that. There were about 18 or so that did, and three have turned up. They had lanyard rings drilled through the butt serial number, and the full number was stamped just as your is, on the grip frame over the tension screw.

 

[Major 2]

That's a cool factoid, West Point Grad gift ?

 

[mikepriwer]

There is no way to know who placed the order. I would think that the cadet was the one to be notified of the offering, and to place the order. As to where the money came from, the guns that I am aware of were for 4th-year cadets (graduating class) , so one way or another the cadets were able to come up with the money!

If you want to know a bit about the one I owned and sold in the Rock Island Auction that closed Aug 17 2025 (3 days ago), it was lot 1518 and the serial number is 1254.

Mike Priwer

 

[greenwellg]

I read the auction listing Mike and my mother's mother was in Baltimore and had the flu in 1918. Her father whose last name was Crockett, had shipped a coffin to Baltimore from his home in eastern Virginia for her body to be returned in.
There was a shortage of coffins and bodies were piling up in the cities. She survived (or I would never have existed).
I had an aunt on my fathers side that had that same flu and she lived. She actually lived long enough to have Covid 19 101 years later and passed in April 2022 at the age of 109 (not from Covid 19). She was born 10/31/1912, the year the Titanic sank. Out of Pop's 4 sisters he lived to 103, another sister lived to 102 and smoked tobacco from the age of 12 until she passed. She had to roll her own. No one would sell them to her.
The owner of your gun died in the epidemic in 1918. The Crockett side of the family were related to the Crockett of Alamo fame. Truly a small world.

 

[larkworthy]

It took me a few years, but the 1899 that shipped to West Point is heading to a fellow graduates home. Thank you to Mike Priwer for preserving it these past few years. Regards, Lyle

 

[mikepriwer]

Lyle

Were you the buyer of 1254, and are you or the buyer a West Point graduate? Col. Hillman was in the class of 1900.

Regards, Mike

 

[larkworthy]

Lyle

Were you the buyer of 1254, and are you or the buyer a West Point graduate? Col. Hillman was in the class of 1900.

Regards, Mike

Mike, I purchased it. I have been waiting to buy this revolver since you posted about it several years ago. I graduated 95 years after Hillman.

There is a Nickel 19 that shipped to West Point that sold a few years that I am still on the hunt for. Regards, Lyle

 

[larkworthy]

Mike, this is the post I am referencing. Happy to bring it back to the long grey line. Lyle

M

Thread 'West Point 1899 .38 Special'

Apr 13, 2008

This revolver was shipped to a graduating senior at West Point, in June 1900.
It was shipped two days before graduation, so presumably it was a graduation
present. These pictures are my first experiment using the webcam in my
laptop - clearly I need some more practice !

This first picture shows the factory-installed butt swivel. The gun was
ordered this way. You can see that the swivel is installed right through
the 4-digit serial number. This happens when an already-completed gun was
taken out of inventory, and then the butt swivel is installed...

• mikepriwer
• Replies: 30
• Forum: S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961

• 

 

[mikepriwer]

Lyle

Hillman graduated Cullum 3961, so I'm guessing you might be somewhere around Cullum 10000 +/- 1000 ?

Two other 1899's from the class of 1900 have turned up, and one of our members has them.
One of them went to a fellow who became a very successful civil engineer - I don't know anything about the other.

Regards, Mike








lyle

 

[larkworthy]

Lyle

Hillman graduated Cullum 3961, so I'm guessing you might be somewhere around Cullum 10000 +/- 1000 ?

Two other 1899's from the class of 1900 have turned up, and one of our members has them.
One of them went to a fellow who became a very successful civil engineer - I don't know anything about the other.

Regards, Mike








lyle

Mike, West Point increased the class size in the 1960's to around a 1000 so the numbers increased at a higher rate since then. My Cullum number is 52906. If you know the other member please let them know I would like to give them a good home when they are ready to part ways with them. I did not intend to collect West Point firearms, but I have a couple now and it makes sense based on my history. Regards, Lyle