S&W Lemon Squeezer Help

[cyclopsshooter]

Hi all, a friend is asking for help on his relatives revolver.

nickle 2" lemon squeezer
bluedtrigger and trigger gaurd
sn 175357
38 s&w cartridge
5 shot

id rate it at about 80% the nickle is not flaking

grips are in tact

a screw looks to be missing from the side plate above the left grip- the action will cycle just fine but i find no evidence of the firing pin

would it be possible to find out the date of manufacture of this revolver? model name and range in value? is it safe to fire with modern ammo?

thanks much

 

[RugerMcMarlin]

Are the grips black hard rubber with red splater pattern, that effects the value a bunch.

 

[cyclopsshooter]

just black intact

 

[RugerMcMarlin]

If the nickle is good and you get it up and running. should be worth $325. on up. called, .38 safety hammerless, and or .38 new departure. 90% shows $550, 100% is $1200?! blue book. well thats for the 1st model anyway.

 

[cyclopsshooter]

because of the serial im thinking it is a 4th model- they didnt come in 2" so im guessin that it was cut... value probably 90 bucks

 

[RugerMcMarlin]

Guess I misunderstood the post.

 

[Radagast]

.38 Safety Hammerless 4th Model. Serial range 116003 to 220000. Manufactured 1898 to 1907. S&W didn't start advertising their guns as being safe for smokeless powder until around 1906, IIRC. Standard Catalog of S&W notes two inch and 1.5 inch barrels were special order and bring a high premium.
If you can find a gun smith who can work on it you might be able to get it running using second hand parts from gunparts.com, it would probably be safe to shoot with modern factory loads as they are downloaded to match original pressures, but the fast pressure spike/ burn rate compared to black powder will see increased wear.
TL.DR: May be worth something if fixed, wouldn't shoot it personally, would need a factory letter to to prove its an original short barrel.

 

[El Mariachi]

Kinda on topic, a friend of mine in the Mid West has this little guy---may wanna sell it to me, may not. But it's got a somewhat cool history behind it....



Hey Rick,
I don't know much about the revolver. It was my great grandfathers. He was the banker in Clarksburg, West VA and he called it his bodyguard.
My grandfather called it a lemon squeezer..

What I do know is it's a S&W .38 4" barrel from the late 1800s. It's a hammerless top breaking 5 shooter with a pressure safety in the grip.

I took some pics for you. I haven't been in my gun safe for awhile. Man, that's a good smell! Age, metal, gunpowder and oil somehow smell great. Like a cigar box....

Here is the top of the barrel, showing data:








I don't know where the red in the pic came from. There is no rust on it. It's still pretty shiny and blue.
I know nothing of its value or shipping of firearms but I'd sell it for the right price, whatever that is. I'd have to talk to my gunsmith.


Best I can tell is it's a 2nd Model...but pinning down an accurate value for it seems a bit difficult. Any clue?...

 

[Radagast]

It appears to be a 3rd Model, based on the 1890 patent dates. The third model was produced from 1890 to 1898. The top latch appears to be a third model version as well & it has the trigger guard cross pin introduced with the third model.
So 1890 to 1898, black powder only, serial range 42484 to 116002. In 2006 the Standard Catalog of S&W gave a value of $475 in excellent condition, $600 in excellent plus.
Check the inside of the barrel for pitting, if it was shot with blackpowder and not cleaned then it may have some corrosion.

 

[SleazyRider]

Doug Bates of the Handgun Repair Shop did an excellent job repairing my "Lemonsqueezer," properly called a New Departure Or Safety Hammerless. Local smiths in my neck of the woods seem only interested in mounting scopes and bolting accessories onto black rifles, and aren't true gunsmiths in a traditional sense. Doug did a masterful job repairing the gun, even to the extent of making some parts that were unavailable.
http://www.handgunrepairshop.com/

 

[PRM]

David Chicoine: Author ~ Gunsmith Extraordinaire ~ Purveyor of Fine Vintage Smith and Wesson(s), Parts and Accessories


Dave has been working on my guns for over 25 years. He's built several custom guns for me also. If you call S&W with a problem about a vintage S&W, they will refer you to Dave.


www.oldwestgunsmith.com

 

[Old Fuff]

cyclopsshooter

The common, short barrel length for this model was 3 1/4", but they did make some in a 2" length, and it was cataloged as an option after around the middle 1930's. That said, most you see are cut-offs, made by cutting down longer length barrels. You can usually tell the genuine ones, because the Smith & Wesson name and patent dates were stamped on the side of the barrel, rather then on the top of the barrel rib. This was because there wasn't enough room on the barrel rib. Also the stamping should be centered, and not run to the muzzle.

 

[Jim K]

El Mariachi's gun is a Third Model. I believe it has been (re)blued at some point. Blued guns were quite uncommon (most were nickel plated) but many were blued after the nickel plating flaked and fell off, after which they were polished and blued.

Jim

 

[El Mariachi]

Thank you, Jim. And just for drill, is this a $250.00 gun? Or a $100.00 gun?.....

 

[Jim K]

$200 tops, if it is fully functional and the barrel is in decent shape. In other words, it is a shooter. Except for a few rare models, that whole line doesn't bring a lot of money and only those in like new condition bring collector interest. There were just too darned many of them (well over 1/4 million total) and a lot were tossed in the sock drawer and never fired. So there is not a lot of money in a well used gun, unless the banker got the drop on John Dillinger and took that gun from him (and it can be proven).

Jim

 

[El Mariachi]

Thanx again, Mr. Keenan. Now maybe I'll save up my coins and buy that Husqy harpoon gun instead.....