The Really Old Chief's Special Thread

[smith17]

oldj:
Welcome to the forum. Does your gun have the keeper screw next to the top screw, like the one in Greg's pic, right below yours? Very nice revolver.
Ed

 

[Lenshappy]

Wow - great guns you guys - thanks for sharing

 

[bmg60]

hi
well we will see if these pictures work\
i have two early chief special
the first one is a orginal nickel grips matching
condition about 96% the nickel ones are really
rare i have only seen a couple in over 30 years.
this one is serial number 1406.
the second one is a blued one i have had for over 30 years it has the orginal box numbered to the gun and the gun is about 95 %.
the serial number is 6362.
i hope you like the pictures.

jim fisher
S&WCA Member 1491.

 

[JayCeeNC]

Very nice, Jim, I don't think I've ever seen a nickled pre-Model 36.

 

[Win712]

Yes, Jim, very nice! Talk about transition. The nickle gun has both the early sight and trigger guard, the blue revolver has the newer sight and old trigger guard. Very interesting!

 

[Win712]

John, Do you or does anyone else know at what serial number range did the change from the short grip frame to the later long grip frame. I tried a set of diamond round butt J-frame grips on my Chiefs Special Airweight (SN 43841) yesterday only to find that they matched up at the bottom and screw location, but the horns at the top protruded above the top of the grip frame 1/8". Was this an itermitent change like the cylinder change on the Airweight's. Greg

 

[oldj]

oldj:
Welcome to the forum. Does your gun have the keeper screw next to the top screw, like the one in Greg's pic, right below yours? Very nice revolver.
Ed

My gun does not have the 'keeper' screw next to the top screw. What's the story on that?
John

 

[oldj]

My gun does not have the 'keeper' screw next to the top screw. What's the story on that?
John

Thanks for the welcome and the compliment on the revolver. I read the FAQs and answered my own question re. the keeper screw. (I assume this is what is referred to as the 'bug' screw found present on some early airweight models.) This one (S/N 418xx) is not an airweight, and, according to the Roy Jinks letter, was shipped in April, 1954. I got it new a few months later. Never been carried, seldom used. I've replaced it for carry with a M&P340, and it now lives in the safe.
John

 

[smith17]

Paul:
Is yours not a pre-12 with the C prefix?

On another forum recently, the bug screw monicker was thoroughly discussed and I believe it was decided that it was the large upper screw that was actually called the bug screw as it is shorter than the others and was a bugger to get threaded. The smaller screw was probably to keep the bug screw from unthreading. As I remember the discussion.
Ed

 

[bmcgilvray]

First ever nickel Chief's Special I've ever seen with the half-moon front sight. Neato!

 

[Hoot]

A bump for the thread, and a good excuse to post this pic (again). Great looking guns!

s/n 175xx
Letter says shipped Oct. 1952

Dressed for goin' out on the town.

 

[Landpimp]

I'll play, 1953 Baby Chief, would say 99%, came from a Land Cruiser buddy, it was his uncles, came with some paperwork from Mayor Daly..about registering it in Chicago

I forget the S#, think its 36XXX

 

[Lt JL]

Here's mine made in 1963. I carried it in the DB for a few years.

 

[LOBO]

This model 36 no dash, serial# 2010XX belongs to my Mother. She bought it used at a gunshop while we were recently on an out of town doctor visit. She has only recently gotten into collecting/obtaining S&Ws, although she is a lifelong hunter and shooter. She sent off for a factory letter not long after obtaining the gun. When the letter arrived she read it, and said she wished this gun could talk. The letter states that the gun was part of a Japanese Government contract and that it was shipped from S&W on 12-8-1960, and was delivered to Nikko Industries in Tokyo, Japan.

I don't know how this little gem made it from Japan to south Mississippi, but I bet it was some trip

 

[whitecoyote]

An old beat up S&W model 36.

 

[handejector]

An interesting thread.
It is a really good chance to learn much about early Chief's.
For several decades, many have referred to the early Chief's that have the short grips and small trigger guards as the "Baby Chief".

I can address a few points:

Some call this frame size the modified I-Frame.

Remember- NO Chief's Special is built on the I frame. The I frame cyl is too short to accept a 38 Spec.

Does anyone out there know the approximate serial number range when the last of the Chief's Specials with the half-moon front sight were made?

I doubt we will ever know. The first five years of the steel and alloy Chief's contain a JUMBLE of mixed features and intermingled variations. Several more points I will make show this well.
There are THREE front sight variations on the Baby-
Half Moon
Smooth Ramp
Serrated Ramp
The smooth and serrated ramps appear mixed in serial number ranges.

Apparently this one was made in late 1950 or early 1951 but shipped to Oshman's Hardware Store in Houston, Texas in March of 1952 according to the S&W factory letter. The revolver's serial No. is 2018.

Possible, but not probable. The Chief's were hot little items, and sold like hotcakes. I doubt any sat in the vault more than a few days. More likely, it was built out of sequence due to the "batch system".

You can tell its' a early one with the I-frame grip size and stocks and the I-frame trigger guard.

I think we should get away from the "I frame" references. It confuses the newbies. Should we say that a 686 has a "K frame" grip and trigger guard?

About 1953-54, the small frames, both I and J, were modified by lengthening the grips and enlarging the trigger guards. A few Airweight Chief's were made with a BABY size frame. BUT, notice that on page 1 we have a steel Baby in the 33,000 range and on page 3, we have a steel Baby in the 36,600 range,
BUT on page 2, we have an airweight with 1953 features(LARGE TG & LONG grips) in the 27,000 range!!

All blued Baby Chief's I have seen have SATIN Blue.
I have seen a few Baby Chief's with 3" barrels. All had ramp sights.
All Baby Chief's I have seen with original grips had magnas.
I have never seen a SQUARE butt Baby.
The Chief's Special, if you include the Airweights, would make a very interesting collection with all the variations.

 

[JayCeeNC]

Might as well add this one to the mix.
Chief's Special Airweight, serial# 43926, shipped in January, 1954.

 

[bmcgilvray]

Possible, but not probable. The Chief's were hot little items, and sold like hotcakes. I doubt any sat in the vault more than a few days. More likely, it was built out of sequence due to the "batch system".

Thanks Lee! Seems reasonable when you put it that way.

 

[depicts]

Here's a nice old Pre-36 that I got at the annual meeting. SN9108, smooth ramp sight, small trigger guard and flat latch.

I love these little guns.

Bill

 

[handejector]

BTW- I object to the title of this thread, since none of "The Really Old Chief's Specials" are as old as I am!