Triple Lock 455 Brit or commercial?

[sfal7418]

Sooooo guy has me look at his Triple Lock .455....To come up with a value, sadly gun has been refinished...not sure what was applied to it....grips of course not original, and not numbered, all matching minus the grips.
He also had a paper with a picture of a British marked .445 and write up about how valuable they are...I said this gun is nothing like the one in your pic, which is factory blued and had org grips

I dont see any trace of Brit markings which would be on the gun...the gun doesnt seem to have been hvy polished for refinish.

Maybe a commercial sale? sn seems high for first contract order
and I have no clue what a ball park value on this would be

Thanks for any help/input
love the history
Al


6 1/2 " barrel
Sn 12918 on butt
other numbered parts
Cylinder rear: 12918
Under Star: 12918
inside yoke: B12918
3rd lock lug: 12918
Barrel in ejector rod channel: 12918

assembly #7351
Left side of frame under grip
Underside of sideplate
Frame under crane

Right side of frame under grip also is marked with B-F and below that a Y

 

[sfal7418]

another pic

 

[mrcvs]

I don't see anything suggesting this was British proofed, so likely a commercial model.

Poorly refinished and replaced grips, valuation is $500. Simply because virtually any N frame revolver is worth $500 these days.

But I wouldn't pay more than $250 for it.

 

[Hawg Rider]

Wow, that poor old girl has been ridden hard and put away wet! Really rough finish and stocks are pretty beat up, and definitely looks commercial even with the lanyard ring. However, with that said, it's still a 1st Model .44 HE New Century (Triple Lock) and certainly has some value (maybe $500?). I'm not sure that it would be worth refinishing again, but something that could be considered.

 

[sfal7418]

thanks for the input....I was thinking around 500 would tops...
I think it would be a good candidate to reblue....certainly couldn't hurt it anymore...
al

 

[Hondo44]

The headspace between the rear face of the cylinder and the breechface appears too wide for .455. I believe you'll find it's been modified to shoot.45 Auto and Auto Rim. To still have the serial number on the rear face of the cylinder means the breechface had to be shaved.

I would agree it was sold on the commercial market and a value of $400 to $500.

It's from the last batch of 691 TLs numbered in the .44 Spl serial number range, not the British contract serial range, most of which were sold commercially.

 

[Eddie Southgate]

Looks like it could be missing the end of the extractor rod , could be just the picture though. It's definitely seen better days but I'd still give $5-600 for it if I had the cash on me and it was offered as long as it was functionally correct and the barrel was not toast. I'm a shooter so collectability is not an issue for me , finding a TL for sale in my area in any condition is an issue.

 

[Hondo44]

Yes the extractor rod knob is missing which is threaded on for TLs. Fortunately because of the 3rd lock, the yoke will still lock!

 

[sfal7418]

Thanks for all the input....of course he was sad to hear it wasnt a big dollar gun...but he wants to sell it so I am going to post it the classifieds here....where it belongs...
love the history...as it was also the first TL that I have had the pleasure of looking at
thanks again al

 

[Hondo44]

He should confirm which cartridges will chamber in it, that will be the most important information for selling it. It looks like it will shoot 45 auto with moon clips only (although no recommended because of their higher pressure). If it fits, 45 auto rim will shoot as well and they're lower pressure so safe to shoot. The longer .455 MKI cartridge will still shoot if the chambers haven't been reamed. The original .455 MKII cartridge will still shoot as well if I'm correct that the cyl hasn't been shaved or the firing pin shortened.

Probably best to take it to a gunsmith or gun shop if he doesn't have those cartridges to try.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

The Serial Number dates it to 1913.

I think it is just a commercial sale and likely to a Canadian.

 

[Hondo44]

You're likely right, by way of Shapliegh hardware in St Louis. They purchased about half from the group of 691.