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LOT 340
Desirable H.M. Pope Barreled Special Ordered Smith & Wesson .38 Military & Police
“Model of 1902” Second Model Target Double Action Revolver with Factory Letter - Serial no. 30489, 38 S&W Special cal., 8
3/8 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. Manufactured in 1903, this is a very interesting, Harry Pope barreled, special ordered Smith & Wesson .38
Military & Police Second Model Target revolver. According to Supica and Nahas in “Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson”, only 12,827 of these “Model of
1902” revolvers were produced, with far fewer being the Target variation like this example. Knowledgeable collectors estimate that around 5-10% of the “Model 1902” production were
the Target variation, meaning that as few as 641 to 1,282 were produced. The included factory letter states that this revolver was shipped without the barrel length listed, blue finish, and
checkered walnut grips to C.T.G. Armstrong in Boston, Massachusetts on 26 June 1903. Roy Jinks theorizes in the letter that the lack of a barrel length listing may have indicated a special
order barrel length, although it appears it may have meant that it shipped without a barrel as Armstrong intended to have it barreled by Pope. Included copies of correspondence between the
consignor and Jinks indicates that Jinks believes the recipient of this revolver to be a well-known shooter, often referred to as George Armstrong, who was active in the early 1900s. The George
Armstrong that Jinks refers to is mentioned in “Bullet Holes: A Record of Records” by D.B. Wesson, and is often referred to as competing in competitions in Washington, Oregon, and California.
Harry Pope is known to have had a gun shop in San Francisco, California, which was destroyed in an earthquake in 1906, at which time he moved his operation back to its original location in
Massachusetts, which likely explains the connection between C.T.G. Armstrong, this revolver, and H.M. Pope. The top of the barrel is marked “H.M.POPE”, while the bottom is numbered “269”.
The Smith & Wesson trademark is on the right of the frame. The matching serial number is on the butt and rear face of the cylinder, while the inside of the right grip panel is stamped “9214”. It is
fitted with a pinned beaded blade front sight, adjustable notch rear sight, checkered trigger, and a period replacement pair of checkered walnut grips.
CONDITION: Fine, retains 98% original case colors on the hammer and trigger, 75% of the original blue finish on the frame and cylinder with some mild edge/handling wear and a cylinder turn
line showing a grey patina, and 97% of the blue finish on the Pope barrel with minimal wear. The grips are very fine with a few scattered light handling marks and crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. A very interesting Pope
upgraded .38 Military & Police Second Model Target revolver!
Provenance: The Milan J. Turk Collection; The Michael Priwer Collection.
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,500
LOT 341
Exceptional Smith & Wesson Fourth Model Straight Line Target Single Shot Pistol
with Metal Case and Factory Letter - Serial no. 496, 22 LR cal., 10 inch solid rib bbl., blue
finish, walnut grips. Manufactured in 1926, this is one of only 1,870 Fourth Model Straight
Line Target pistols produced by Smith & Wesson, with this one being from early in production
with a three-digit serial number. These pistols were primarily developed for target shooting
but unfortunately suffered from a new style of N.R.A. gallery match being introduced around
the same time and quickly gaining popularity, an event which needed to be shot with a
revolver or semi-automatic pistol. These pistols were supplied with a blued, pressed steel case
manufactured by The Stanley Works in New Britain, Connecticut, an accessory which is quite
unique to this model. The included factory letter lists the pistol with blue finish, a 10 inch
barrel, Patridge front sight, adjustable rear sight, and smooth Circassian walnut grips with
“S&W” medallions. It also lists the pressed steel case and the two-piece cleaning rod. It is listed as shipping to Ellery Arms Company
in San Francisco, California on 1 March 1926, as part of a two-gun shipment. The matching serial number is marked on the butt, the
bottom of the barrel, and inside the grips. The pistol has standard markings and features. Includes the correct pressed steel case, a screwdriver, and the two-piece cleaning rod.
CONDITION: Exceptionally fine, retains 95% plus of the original blue finish with some slight thinning on the grip straps from limited handling and a few scattered light handling marks. The refinished grips are very fine with only the
slightest handling marks. Mechanically excellent. The case is fine with some oil soaking of the lining, mild handling/storage wear, and a patch of light oxidation on the lid.
Estimate: 1,800 - 2,750
LOT 339
Desirable Pre-
World War II Smith & Wesson .357
Registered Magnum Double Action
Revolver with Box - Serial no. 51119,
357 Magnum cal., 8 3/4 inch solid rib bbl., blue
finish, walnut grips. Manufactured between
1935 and 1939, this is a very fine example of
Smith & Wesson’s legendary “Registered Magnum”, the first of the
production revolvers chambered for the powerful new .357 Magnum
cartridge. In total, approximately 5,500 of these “state-of-the-art”
revolvers were produced, with each one being essentially a custom built, hand fitted piece that was
registered to the owner by Douglas Wesson himself. Due to the expense to the company of handcrafting these revolvers, they were discontinued after just a
short production run, leaving few available to collectors and making them relatively scarce. The left of the post-World War II factory replaced, “S” prefix serialized
barrel is marked with “SMITH & WESSON”, while the right has the caliber marking. The right of the frame has the standard trademark and “MADE IN U.S.A.”
markings. The patent marking is on the rear face of the hammer. The matching serial number is marked on the butt, on the barrel within the ejector rod housing,
rear face of the cylinder, and stamped inside the right grip. The registration number “2089” is stamped on the frame under the crane, and the assembly number
“8044” is stamped on the frame and crane. The top of the barrel rib and top strap of the frame is matted with very fine checkering. It is fitted with a pinned
gold bead blade front sight, micrometer adjustable “U” notch rear sight, and the original checkered walnut grips with “S&W” monogram medallions at the tops.
Includes the original factory box with a faintly hand numbered label on the bottom matching the gun.
CONDITION: Very fine as factory rebarreled, with 90% of the slightly faded original blue finish, light edge/high spot wear, a few scattered light scratches, and a
cylinder drag line. The grips are fine with light handling marks overall and crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. The box is very fine with some edge wear.
Estimate: 4,000 - 6,000
Collector’s Fact
According to "Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson"
by Supica and Nahas, only 735 Smith & Wesson
.357 Registered Magnum revolvers were produced
with an 8 3/4 inch barrel.