Antique S&W

[DROCK]

My coworkers boyfriend found this antique gun in his grandfathers house. All he knows about it is that it is a Smith and Wesson and .32 caliber. Can anyone tell me more about this revolver? He wants to sell it, what do you guys think its worth?

Click on the movie clip below.

 

[rcmodel]

Just some good clear photos and a serial number would be more useful then a movie.
I don't do movies.

Try again with photos.

And there is a S&W Revolver I.D. Sticky Thread in the revolver forum.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9332825#post9332825

rc

 

[49willys]

Looks like maybe its a model 1

 

[Ron James]

How in the world could you tell from that photo, it could be anything?

 

[Jim K]

It is an S&W No. 1 1/2, First Issue. They were made from 1865 to 1868. They made 26,300 of them, so they are not extremely rare, though not common. In average condition, they bring about $300-400, twice that or more in excellent condition. From what I can tell from the pictures, that one seems to be on the lower end. About 6 were not up to S&W's normal standard of quality and are marked "2ND QUAL'TY"; those bring a very nice premium, but there are counterfeits.

(FWIW, I can tell from the square butt and the shape of the grip where it meets the frame. The No. 1 First and Second Issue are .22 caliber and have a straight edge at the top of the grip; the 1 1/2 Second Issue has a birds head butt, and the No.2 also has a straight edge grip.)

Jim

 

[mrdeltoid]

Looks like a blackpowder revolver. That's all I can tell.

 

[49willys]

Good eye Jimk,I`m still learning.

 

[DROCK]

It is an S&W No. 1 1/2, First Issue. They were made from 1865 to 1868. They made 26,300 of them, so they are not extremely rare, though not common. In average condition, they bring about $300-400, twice that or more in excellent condition. From what I can tell from the pictures, that one seems to be on the lower end. About 6 were not up to S&W's normal standard of quality and are marked "2ND QUAL'TY"; those bring a very nice premium, but there are counterfeits.

(FWIW, I can tell from the square butt and the shape of the grip where it meets the frame. The No. 1 First and Second Issue are .22 caliber and have a straight edge at the top of the grip; the 1 1/2 Second Issue has a birds head butt, and the No.2 also has a straight edge grip.)

Jim

Thank you, Jim! Very interesting...

That was exactly the information I was looking for. Looks like ammo is going to be hard to find, expensive, and very old.

 

[deadin]

Another big hint that it is what Jim K identified is that it has the cylinder stop in the bottom strap of the frame. All the other tip-up models have it in the top strap.

 

[Old Fuff]

Looks like ammo is going to be hard to find, expensive, and very old.

That, and shooting it could leave you with a cracked barrel hinge. Then you'd have a bag full of spare parts.

 

[Jim K]

I have a 1 1/2 First Issue, a 1 1/2 Second Issue (they went back to the cylinder stop in the top strap) and a No. 2. All I can say on firing is that I have fired all three with that Navy Arms Ammo that they sold a while back and had no problems. Actually, the darn things shot pretty well once I got used to those sights. I got 2-3" groups at 10 yards off a rest. I did stop with one cylinder each, though; no use in pushing my luck.

Deadin, you are correct, but I thought the grip shape would be enough without getting the OP involved in too many details.

Jim

 

[deadin]

Jim,
There is one more Model 1 1/2 that is a hybrid between the 1st and 2nd issues. It has the frame and grip of the 2nd issue (with the stop in the top strap) and the barrel and cylinder of the 1st issue. They're kind of scarce as only 650 were made and 2/3 of them went to Japan around 1869.
It is in the SCSW3 as the Model 1 1/2 Transition......

 

[Jim K]

According to Neal & Jinks, in November 1868, while switching to the Second Issue 1 1/2, S&W found that they had 1500 First Issue barrels left over. Rather than waste them, they made 1500 First Issue cylinders to be fitted to slightly modified Second Issue "birdshead grip" frames. Apparently only 650 of the "transition model" were actually made, or at least only 650 were shipped. They were in the serial range 27200-28800.

50 were sold to C.W. May on March 27, 1869 for sale in Japan; 200 on April 19, 1869 to J. W. Storrs, and 400 on May 17, 1869 to C. W. May for sale in France. They don't say who Storrs was or where those 200 guns might have gone.

The fact that only three bulk sales were made to two companies indicates to me that S&W was anxious to unload the "bastard" revolvers and get on with the new model.

I realize some of the above differs from SCSW, but on balance, I tend to accept Neal & Jinks.

Unfortunately, I don't have a "transition model." Wish I did.

BTW, the No. 2 was not the final chapter for the top-strap cylinder stop; S&W used it again in 1896 in their very first swing cylinder revolver; it works fine.

Jim

 

[Missionary]

Greetings
Last caliber .32 RF ammo I knew about was at Old West Scrounger and Navy Arms. The fodder does pop up if you keep searching though.
Yes I also have a few of these interesting little Personal Protection revolvers. My favorites among the small rimfires are the #2 Models.

 

[Jim K]

S&W revolvers were never officially adopted by the U.S. prior to the Schofield, but they were immensely popular with civilians and with Civil War soldiers. In the CW period, S&W could not keep up with orders, even after they sold off their cartridge making unit to three former employees, who set up a factory a few blocks away. Those little guns made the company.

Jim