What is the rarest (most scarce) S&W?

[policerevolvercollector]

I guess the criteria would be lowest production numbers or in a few instances the fewest number of surviving examples (ie the Aircrewman)

The floor is open for debate......

 

[tjpopkin]

Model 032 (147 manuf.)

 

[robertrwalsh]

Model 44. I think there are six known to have been manufactured. 9mm single action only.

 

[bushmaster1313]

What is the rarest (most scarce) S&W?

The one NJ will let you keep in your pocket

 

[k22fan]

The .22 LR Registered Magnum.
The stainless steel .22 LR Combat Masterpiece. It was stamped with a model number in the low 60s.
The 6" Model 63.
The N frame 9 MM that was built as a sales sample for China during WW II.
Take your pick. There were only one of each.

 

[rct269]

I recently acquired an 8" 3rd Model Single Shot. It is the only one I've ever seen (50+ years). There are four noted on the Club Gun List. The letter notes only that it was a single unit special order.

Another odd duck is a New Model #3 Target (Those made only in 32-44 S&W and 38-44 S&W----per any/all the books.) This one is chambered for "38 WINCHESTER CTG". It too letters as "------appears to have been a special order for one unit------------." There is no record of the caliber in the available factory records.

I have a .44 HE 3rd Model Target (Model of 1926). It is reputed to be one of "less than 50", "less than 100", "less than 200", and 1 of 96. Pick one. The letter is silent on the number produced, also silent on the scarcity/rarity.

All things considered, I suspect the conclusion reached here will be something along the lines of Mr. Redfield's ("JSRIII") particularly astute statement, which I recall as, "We don't know what we don't know." I have yet to hear it put more succinctly.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[Toyman]

The triple lock made for US Army trials before 1911 was accepted
The 30 carbine test gun made in WW 2
The model 73 snub nose that never made it into regular production.
The gun Lee Jarrett posted recently a 45 5 inch fixed sight on a 629 frame.

 

[bmcgilvray]

Are any of the .38-40 chambered Smith & Wesson revolver models of the 19th and early 20th centuries contenders for most scarce?

 

[paplinker]

I think the key to this list is surviving guns.

There is rare then there is extinct.

 

[robvious]

model 28-1... only one known so far to exist at this point...

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

The aluminum framed 38/44 Outdoorsman...........

 

[rct269]

Are any of the .38-40 chambered Smith & Wesson revolver models of the 19th and early 20th centuries contenders for most scarce?

Yep! There's a series of NM #3's in .38-40 numbered from 1 to 74. And having said that, I went looking for documentation---and couldn't find it. I'll keep looking.

Ralph Tremaine

Found it--SCSW-4, page 121 (and the numbers I noted are correct).

And as much as I hate to mention it (because they're so staggeringly ugly), there's the 38 WINCHESTER Double Action--numbered 1 to 276.

And as far as survivors go, I'd bet money Jim Supica has at least one of each of the above in his collection. I might lose that bet, but I'd make it.

 

[mikepriwer]

The stainless steel .22 LR Combat Masterpiece. It was stamped with a model number in the low 60s.

I have one of these - I'll post some pictures of it in the near future.

One of the rarest revolvers is a target Victory. I'll try to include pictures of it, also.

And, the 'C' frame revolvers rank right up there. I think there are only 5 or 6
survivors. I'll try to add some pictures of that, as well.

Mike Priwer

 

[sw1834]

I know where they are

I have one of these - I'll post some pictures of it in the near future.

One of the rarest revolvers is a target Victory. I'll try to include pictures of it, also.

And, the 'C' frame revolvers rank right up there. I think there are only 5 or 6
survivors. I'll try to add some pictures of that, as well.

Mike Priwer

I can name about a dozen people that own the best S&W unicorns. The above poster Mike Priwer is one of them. If you join the SWCA and attend a few annual meetings, you can meet the rest of them.

Jerry Fisher
SWCA #1834

 

[lestert357]

What is the rarest (most scarce) S&W?

My entry is a .357 Magnum Post War Transitional with an 8.5” barrel which is very likely one of a kind. According to SCSW 4th Edition there were a total of 142 .357 Magnum Transitionals produced, and longer barrel lengths are very scarce with 6 or fewer produced with barrel lengths of 8.375”. My 8.5” is the only one with that barrel length to have surfaced in collections thus far according to Jim Fisher’s .357 Transitional Database. According to the factory letter it was a single unit special order shipped on May 11, 1948 to Mr. E. F. Warner, Publisher of Field and Stream Magazine.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Shark Bait]

There are some "one of a kind" guns out there, like Doc44's 629 with a 5 inch standard barrel.

 

[pharman]

460 Night Guard

460 Night Guard recently sold from Roy Jink's collection...ONLY 1 MADE...

 

[Leatherhead23]

27-1 in Nickel

 

[BAM-BAM]

Special orders and one off prototypes aside............ on a short list would be some PC guns................. like the

SD-9 : Performance Center 9mm stainless steel , compact frame (6906) with 4 1/4" barrel and slide. only 179 built in 1994?

 

[hkcavalier]

I sure don't own one, but what about those Mexican Target Models? Not so much for low production, but very low numbers in the U.S.

The 29-1.

All those special run PC models in the 90s/early 2000s (artificial scarcity).

Certainly not "one of one" but pretty scarce.