The ugliest Smith I own, prepare yourselves..

[Gunhacker]

I nicknamed this one 'ol ugly, it is a M&P Model of 1905, 1st change.

The bluing on both sides looks like it was removed in areas by some kind of cleaning liquid that dribbled out of the barrel, the grip checkering is worn flat in spots.

I lettered it out of curiosity and discovered that is was shipped to Pacific Hardware & Steel in San Francisco on July 30, 1906... 3 months after the 1906 great quake occurred.

Pacific Hardware & Steel was one of the few buildings that remained standing after the 1906 quake and survived the susequent fire and the U.S. Army dynamite creating fire breaks.

I bought it from the estate of a long retired SFPD officer about 5 years ago. The daughter clearing out the estate said it originally belonged to her grandfather, also ex-SFPD... I would love to be able to learn it's story and find some provenance of it back to 1906 as a LEO's gun that was passed down through a family, but it comes from a time when firearm records were not routinely kept, or even thought of.

I'd say it has paid it's dues and deserves to be left along with all of it's distinguished wear/duty intact... and it still shoots amazingly well with Federal 148 gr. wadcutter match ammo.

 

[Muddyboot]

These 1902's M&P have seen better day's. The grips are not original to the second revolver.

 

[slumpy]

here's my contribution, a nice german .22 rohm revolver with no grips or ejector rod or finish on the nice pot metal. the french model 1873 11mm i [ut in for the british webley fans. both shoot just fine.

 

[Cyrano]

Slumpy: As you probably know, the French Mle 73 revolver was issued 'in the white', It never had a finish, and most of them have a sort of dull appearance to the metal after all these years. it was made for blackpowder, but my French friends tell me it's OK with MILD smokeless loads.

 

[625smith]

Here are two of mine

Pre-25

M&P

 

[slumpy]

Most are drilled out to fire 45 rounds, I've left mine original because I still have two boxes of original 11mm ammo. That last post, is that a new humpback model I've never seen,lol beat mine out.

 

[Charlie Foxtrott]

I do not know about that.

Being that yours in an honest to goodness Webley and not an Enfield, it's as desirable as you can get in these .38-200 guns.

I have an original S&W factory revolver chambered in 38-200 that looks and fires pretty well.

 

[Sebago Son]

I have an original S&W factory revolver chambered in 38-200 that looks and fires pretty well.

I was referring to the Webley / Enfield Clan. Most of the issued guns of this breed are Enfields after the British Government ripped off Webley & Scott ...

 

[jimmyj]

PLEASE!
Do send it back to S&W for a "Beautified Job". (Please?)

 

[deserttrans]

I've seen worse.... in my own safe.

 

[Cyrano]

Slumpy: The conversion to 45 ACP is probably the reason French Mle 73's are scarce in the US. 45 ACP ammo is well beyond the proof pressures of the 11mm, and if it's WWII ammo with copper washed, steel jacketed bullets, the pressures are even higher. In emergencies, in France in WW II, they reamed out the chambers with a file to hold the 45 ACP (I've sen one of these), but it was sorta like the Liberator: you fired it at your own risk, and only to get a more desirable weapon.