Yup … Preacherman did indeed set me up …. And I am delighted! 
It started when “sm†and I were having a discussion concerning his pet 1928 manufactured Colt Detective Special. It came out that he’d gotten it with the help of Preacherman who seems to have an uncanny ability to turn up some very interesting stuff in an area where you wouldn’t expect to find it.
Anyway the good Padre got into all if this and offered to let me know if any “interesting†snubbies turned up.
Now I need to digress ….
It was my privilege and pleasure to know Col. Rex Applegate during his lifetime. I doubt that he needs any further introduction, but for those who haven’t heard of him, he was a world-class authority on close-quarter combat (armed and unarmed) and riot control. His book, “Kill or Get Killed†is still considered a must-read. He also designed a number of fighting knives. During World War Two he was an OSS operative and trainer. Following the war he continued to do some special intelligence work for the government, and occasionally others. His considerable knowledge of, and experience with, firearms of all kinds was not learned sitting behind a desk or reading someone else’s magazine articles – although he did have an extensive library.
One of the revolvers he favored for concealed carry and close quarters use was Smith & Wesson’s old top-break Safety Hammerless 38. This was S&W’s first so-called hammerless revolver. It was chambered in .38 S&W (not Special) held 5 rounds, and featured a grip safety that presumably made it safe to carry around in one’s pocket without a holster – which many people did. This model was introduced in 1887 and continued in the S&W line until 1940 or 41. It was the last of their traditional top-break pocket guns. As a matter of trivia it is known that president Theodore Roosevelt carried a “Safety†occasionally, and it is believed that president Franklin Roosevelt also owned one.
Perhaps the biggest fault of these guns was the cartridge they used. The .38 S&W with a 146-grain round-nosed lead bullet was not the best of manstoppers. Applegate learned this the hard way in Old Mexico where he was working on an assignment. When a tenacious gent tried to separate his head from his shoulders with a machete, Applegate dropped a cylinder full of .38 slugs from his little gun into the appropriate center of mass, but it took no immediate effect. The story ended when someone else stepped in with a .45 automatic.
Upon returning home, Rex sought out the then top honcho at S&W, Carl Hellstrom, and strongly suggested that they should mate the Safety Hammerless snag-free design with their new J-frame in .38 Special. Hellstrom concurred, and the result was the Centennial Model and Centennial Airweight (pre-model 40 in steel, pre-model 42 in aluminum).
The Centennial Airweight and model 19 Combat Masterpiece with a 2 ½†barrel became two of his favored carry guns, and when Rex passed away and his collection was auctioned I was fortunate enough to obtain the custom-made shoulder holster he carried his Centennial in, but not the gun. After that I became interested in the history of S&W hammerless revolvers, but didn’t happen to come across one of the earlier model 42’s with the grip safety. I could have bought one brand new when they were still in production, but this was years before I met Col. Applegate.
But that was then, and this is now. Shortly before the SHOT Show I received a P.M. from Preacherman informing me that he’d found something, and would I be interested? Oh boy! Would I be interested! Another message soon came my way with necessary information to put me in contact with the seller, and a deal was quickly arranged. When I returned from the show my receiving dealer called to say a box was waiting for me. What it contained is pictured below.
Thanks again Peter … You can set me up any ol’ time …
It started when “sm†and I were having a discussion concerning his pet 1928 manufactured Colt Detective Special. It came out that he’d gotten it with the help of Preacherman who seems to have an uncanny ability to turn up some very interesting stuff in an area where you wouldn’t expect to find it.
Anyway the good Padre got into all if this and offered to let me know if any “interesting†snubbies turned up.
Now I need to digress ….
It was my privilege and pleasure to know Col. Rex Applegate during his lifetime. I doubt that he needs any further introduction, but for those who haven’t heard of him, he was a world-class authority on close-quarter combat (armed and unarmed) and riot control. His book, “Kill or Get Killed†is still considered a must-read. He also designed a number of fighting knives. During World War Two he was an OSS operative and trainer. Following the war he continued to do some special intelligence work for the government, and occasionally others. His considerable knowledge of, and experience with, firearms of all kinds was not learned sitting behind a desk or reading someone else’s magazine articles – although he did have an extensive library.
One of the revolvers he favored for concealed carry and close quarters use was Smith & Wesson’s old top-break Safety Hammerless 38. This was S&W’s first so-called hammerless revolver. It was chambered in .38 S&W (not Special) held 5 rounds, and featured a grip safety that presumably made it safe to carry around in one’s pocket without a holster – which many people did. This model was introduced in 1887 and continued in the S&W line until 1940 or 41. It was the last of their traditional top-break pocket guns. As a matter of trivia it is known that president Theodore Roosevelt carried a “Safety†occasionally, and it is believed that president Franklin Roosevelt also owned one.
Perhaps the biggest fault of these guns was the cartridge they used. The .38 S&W with a 146-grain round-nosed lead bullet was not the best of manstoppers. Applegate learned this the hard way in Old Mexico where he was working on an assignment. When a tenacious gent tried to separate his head from his shoulders with a machete, Applegate dropped a cylinder full of .38 slugs from his little gun into the appropriate center of mass, but it took no immediate effect. The story ended when someone else stepped in with a .45 automatic.
Upon returning home, Rex sought out the then top honcho at S&W, Carl Hellstrom, and strongly suggested that they should mate the Safety Hammerless snag-free design with their new J-frame in .38 Special. Hellstrom concurred, and the result was the Centennial Model and Centennial Airweight (pre-model 40 in steel, pre-model 42 in aluminum).
The Centennial Airweight and model 19 Combat Masterpiece with a 2 ½†barrel became two of his favored carry guns, and when Rex passed away and his collection was auctioned I was fortunate enough to obtain the custom-made shoulder holster he carried his Centennial in, but not the gun. After that I became interested in the history of S&W hammerless revolvers, but didn’t happen to come across one of the earlier model 42’s with the grip safety. I could have bought one brand new when they were still in production, but this was years before I met Col. Applegate.
But that was then, and this is now. Shortly before the SHOT Show I received a P.M. from Preacherman informing me that he’d found something, and would I be interested? Oh boy! Would I be interested! Another message soon came my way with necessary information to put me in contact with the seller, and a deal was quickly arranged. When I returned from the show my receiving dealer called to say a box was waiting for me. What it contained is pictured below.
Thanks again Peter … You can set me up any ol’ time …
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