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LOT 128
Exceptional and Award Winning Nickel Plated Smith & Wesson Model 320 “Buntline Special” Revolving Rifle with
Shoulder Stock, Scope and Factory Letter - Serial no. 589, 320 S&W Rifle cal., 18 inch solid rib bbl., nickel finish, hard rubber
grips. Manufactured from 1879 to 1887, the Model 320 revolving rifle is one of the rarest Smith & Wesson firearms produced with
a total production of 977 and only 85-90 feature nickel finish. These firearms were serial numbered from 1 to 977 and out of the
977 manufactured, 514 had the 18 inch barrel. Only 840 of these were sold in the U.S., and the remaining 137 were exported. This
scarce and unusual revolving rifle was sometimes referred to as the Smith & Wesson “Buntline Special” in the combination of a long
barreled revolver with attaching shoulder stock. This Model 320 was manufactured using the frame, cylinder, and basic action of the
New Model No. 3 revolver with some minor differences in the hammer and trigger, and with the barrel being made of two pieces. A
slot is cut into the butt and a hole drilled in the back strap to accommodate the shoulder stock. The rifle features an 18 inch barrel
with a globe front sight with cross hair aperture and a nickel plated 23 3/4 inch long tube scope with blue finished mounts, showing
characteristics of being either influenced and/or manufactured by Malcolm. This is the only one known with a period scope. The
rifle is chambered for the 320 Smith & Wesson rifle cartridge. The top of the rib is marked with the two-line address/patent dates.
The matching serial number appears on the butt, cylinder, barrel, and barrel latch. Nickel finish with casehardened hammer and
trigger guard. The barrel is fitted with a checkered hard rubber red mottled forearm with the Smith & Wesson monogram on the
underside. The grips are matching with Smith & Wesson monograms in a circle at the tops. The shoulder stock features nickel plated
attaching iron and a checkered hard rubber buttplate with the Smith & Wesson monogram. The included Smith & Wesson factory
letter addressed to Mr. Tom Lewis states that the firearm was shipped on March 3, 1895, to J.P. Lovell & Son of Boston, MA. The letter
confirms the 18 inch barrel and checkered mottled hard rubber grips and forearm. Although the factory records were incomplete as
to not list the type of finish, the nickel plating on this example is factory original. Blue was the standard finish for Model 320s, making
nickel finished examples even more scarce and desirable to collectors, as only 85-90 total nickel examples are known to have been
produced. Included with this rifle is the “Best Single Gun Display Award” from the Columbus, OH - 2014 Smith & Wesson Collectors
Association annual meeting to David L. Carroll.
Collector’s Fact
of the 977 Smith & Wesson Model 320
Revolving Rifles manufactured, only 514 were
produced with an 18 inch barrel.
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