Picked up another S&W last Saturday.

This one is special:

It's a S&W .44 Double Action 1st Model, also called the 'New Navy.' It's chambered in .44 Russian. pretty good shape for a gun produced in 1886, retaining most of its original finish and a pristine bore. The DA trigger is superb; light, short and smooth.

I loaded up some light loads in shortened .44 Magnum brass and gave her a go at the range. Very pleasant to shoot with the light loads, and accurate as well. I was able to shoot this group, rapid-fire, at seven yards.

Lovely gun and a great shooter to boot. I will likely pull the original grips to preserve them and replace them with stag, but I'll keep the original grips in case I ever decide to part with it... which a seriously unlikely!

 

I have the bug now, and have a series 1 model 1 1/2 tip up 32RF being shipped. My first p-1900 S&W, it appears (from photos and description) to be in really good shape. If it checks out sound upon arrival, think it’s OK to shoot? I’d buy a few rounds / box on GB. Never owned a gun that I haven’t shot.

 

Pretty cool.

I second your idea to protect those amazing grips.

Todd.

 

I don't see why not, provided it is sound. Factory ammo is pretty mild stuff, and I've never had an issue firing it in these old guns.

 

Tinker
So it's not only a good looker it's a good shooter too!

Would love to see your new S&W with a set of stag grips!

 

I like it! Love to see it with stag grips.

 

That’s a nice one, and it’s the next one on my list to check off. I agree on pulling those grips if you intend to shoot it much. Rather than go with a standard grip material, I would be inclined to go for something that resembles trench art. The Russians bought the guns and used them, so surely somewhere some bored out of his mind Russian soldier fiddled with his gun, lost the original grips, and made do with something handy that he could fashion grips out of. Tinker, if anybody can pull off 1890s Russian trench art, it’s you.

 

So knowing you MTP by next Saturday it will be transformed into a stubby? LOL.
Beautiful gun. Congratulations on the new procurement.

 

Absolutely not! There are lines even I won't cross.

 

I was hoping you'd say that.

 

Beautiful firearm. You have great skills (as you've shown before) and great taste in new acquisitions as well. Thanks for this and everything else you share here.

 

I love the look! And am happy to see you shoot it!! Keep us posted on the new grips

 

That must be a real hoot to fire.

Congratulations on your cool acquisition!

 

Howdy

Very nice. Yes, they are fun to shoot.

I have two of them.

This one shipped in 1881. It was reblued at some point, and not a particularly good job, S&W never blued hammers or triggers. The front sight was missing so I substituted an old coin.






This one is a target model. It is nickel plated and it shipped in 1895. If you look closely you can barely see the windage adjustable blade on the rear sight. The taller front sight with a bead on top was common with S&W #3 Top Break target models.






They are both chambered for 44 Russian, the most common chambering for this model. This is the only double action large frame Top Break Smith and Wesson made. All the others, the American Model, the Russian Model, the Schofield Model and the New Model Number Three were Single Action.

I only shoot mine with Black Powder. I load my 44 Russian loads in 44 Russian brass from Starline. I load this round fairly frequently because I have a couple of New Model Number Threes chambered for the same round.

I suspect you are confusing the 44 Double Action with the Russian Model. I don't know that S&W did not ship some of the 44 Double Actions to Russia, but they made over 150,000 Russian Models, the great majority going to Russia, also to Japan and Turkey. The Russian model is easily recognized by the big hump on the grip, and the spur on the trigger guard. Some had the spur sawn off, but the Russian Model is the only large frame Top Break S&W made with the big hump on the grip. This one is a 2nd Model that shipped in 1875. I have never lettered it, so I do not know where it shipped when it was new.

Good luck finding 32 Rimfire ammo for your Tip Up. I see some modern made stuff is available on Gun Broker, but I would not shoot ammunition loaded with Smokeless powder in a Tip Up. The actions are very fragile, not strong at all. Pictured below is a #2 Old Army on top that shipped in 1863, and a Model 1 1/2 First Issue below it that shipped in 1865. As I say, I would not shoot these with anything but original ammunition loaded with Black powder. The lock up is just too fragile for modern Smokeless powder.






Here is how a Tip Up is loaded. The latch at the bottom of the barrel is lifted up so the barrel can Tip Up to load. The cylinder is removed, spent brass (actually copper) is poked out of the cylinder with the rod underneath the barrel. Fresh rounds are loaded into the cylinder, the cylinder put back in place, and the barrel is swung down and latched. They are very fragile, the hinge at the top of the barrel can crack, and the latch up at the bottom of the barrel is not very strong. At one time S&W considered building a larger 44 caliber model Tip Up but never did because they realized the mechanism was too weak for a 44 caliber cartridge. Instead they developed the big Top Breaks that I mentioned earlier. Top Breaks were stronger than Tip Ups.

 

Thanks for the info, Driftwood. I received my SN 22969 this morning, and will be sending off for a factory letter. So far thinking production date within the 1866-68 range. It'll be here in a couple of days, and I will have to scout out some vintage ammo (I know, "good luck") if all is in order. It's not pristine, maybe 50%, but looks really clean.

Chris

 

Here are three pics from GB

Chris

 

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What a beauty! Nice find!

I pull the original grips off all my older pistols and put them in labeled boxes on a fire-proof safe. But only the ones that really are original to that firearm and only the originals that aren't easily replaced with original replacements. For example, most of my Colt's Official Police revolvers get replacement grips - except the one made in 1927 which shipped with hard rubber but was wearing 1960's wooden grips when I got it. Those originals are lost to history, unfortunately.

Best thing is, .44 Russian is dead easy to make from Spl or Mag brass. Have fun!

 

Howdy Again

It looks very similar to my #1 1/2 First Issue.






Somebody took the liberty to drive pins in the grip at some point to form the number '5'. No idea why. I have not lettered it, but I know it shipped in October of 1865. Serial number is 89XX.






Do you know the story behind the #1 1/2 Tip Ups?

First, starting in 1857 there were the tiny 7 shot #1 Tip Ups chambering what we would call today a 22 Short. The tiny #1s continued to be made in three basic models right up through 1881, but they were so under powered that in 1861 S&W produced the much bigger six shot 32 Rimfire #2, Old Army. Although S&W never procured any contracts with the Army, these proved to be very popular with Union soldiers, many were purchased by soldiers with their own funds. Since S&W controlled the Rollin White patent for revolvers with chambers bored through for cartridges until 1869, competitors such as Colt and Remington could not make any cartridge revolvers during the Civil War. The Cap & Ball revolvers produced by those firms were more powerful than the 32 Rimfire #2, but the #2 was quicker to reload. In 1865 S&W produced a 32 Rimfire Model between the #1 and the #2 in size. Also chambered for 32 Rimfire, these were five shot revolvers. The numbers 1 & 2 were already taken, so S&W called this 'midsized' Tip Up the # 1 1/2.

 

Driftwood, thanks for the background history ....I am new to the antique side of collecting and caught the bug from enjoying the knowledge shared here. I paid $425 to a large pawnshop in Portland....Trading Post NW. I don’t think they spent enough time researching and I got a nice deal.

I am hoping I can find out more about how it got from MA to OR in 150 years.

 

——
US Mail?

 

If you letter it you may or may not find that out.

Typically S&W letters say where the gun was shipped, nothing more. Sometimes a specific gun shop, sometimes a hardware store or other establishment, sometimes one of S&W 's major distributors. A letter will also state the configuration of the revolver when it shipped. Barrel length, finish, stuff like that. There is usually also a general history of the model.

A S&W letter will not have any history of what happened to the gun after it was shipped.

 

I figure it went to M. Robinson in NYC, or maybe over to the Armory. From there, I'll have to do some detective work...after I get the letter months from now. Thanks!