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LOT 1514
Documented Texas
Ranger Carried
Smith & Wesson K-38
Masterpiece “Pre-Model
14” Double Action Revolver
with Box and Factory Letter -
Serial no. K92368, 38 Special cal., 6
inch solid rib bbl., blue finish, walnut
grips. Manufactured in 1950, this is a desirable
example of a documented Texas Ranger carried Smith & Wesson K-38
Masterpiece revolver. The included factory letter with this revolver lists
it having a 6 inch barrel, adjustable rear target sight, blue finish, and
checkered walnut grips when shipped to W.A. Holt Co. in Waco, Texas
on 29 December 1950. An included 1974 dated affidavit signed by
Senior Ranger Captain Clint Peoples states that this revolver was carried in service as a Texas
Ranger by Sergeant J.P. Lynch (1920-1996). Lynch is noted as serving in the Texas Highway
Patrol from 1948 to 1957 and as a Texas Ranger from 1957 to 1982. He joined Company
C of the rangers in 1957, was later promoted to sergeant and transferred to Company E in
November 1969, and later was promoted to captain in 1975. In the previously mentioned factory letter, Roy Jinks also indicates that he believes Lynch ordered this gun himself through W.A. Holt Co. as it was
a single gun shipment. The barrel has the Smith & Wesson and caliber markings, while the frame has the trademark and four-line address. The matching serial number is on the butt, rear face of the cylinder and the bottom of the
barrel. It is fitted with a ramped Patridge blade front sight, adjustable target notch rear sight, and a pair of checkered walnut grips with “S&W” monograms at the tops. Includes a correctly labeled factory gold box. Formerly in the
“Guns of the Texas Ranger’s collection” of Charlie Schreiner III, the famous owner of the Y. O. Ranch in Kerrville, Texas.
CONDITION: Very fine, retains 90% of the original blue finish and 80% of the original case colors on the hammer with some light wear, a few scattered light handling marks, and a cylinder turn line. The grips are very fine with a few
scattered light handling marks and crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. A desirable, Texas Ranger carried Smith & Wesson K-38 Masterpiece!
Provenance: Charles Schreiner III; The Michael Priwer Collection.
Estimate: 2,500 - 4,000
LOT 1513
Historic Smith & Wesson
Model 29-2 Double Action
Revolver Documented and
Inscribed to Texas Ranger
John M. Wood with Signed Affidavit - Serial
no. S253054, 44 Magnum cal., 4 inch solid rib bbl.,
blue finish, goncalo alves grips. Manufactured c. 1964-1965, this is an excellent example of a
Smith & Wesson Model 29-2 revolver that is documented as having been the property of Texas
Ranger John M. Wood (1913-2013) and is inscribed to him. The included 1975 dated affidavit
signed by Wood lists this revolver by serial number as passing into the possession of Dr. E.E.
Dunlap of San Diego, Texas, and that it was previously
in the possession of Wood as part of a pair of .44
Magnum revolvers. Wood is noted as beginning his law
enforcement career as a city policeman in 1942, joining
the Texas Department of Public Safety as a highway patrolman
in November of the same year. He became a Texas Ranger on 1 January 1949 and
was assigned to the oil fields of Midland and the Permian Basin. He is noted as
having recovered more stolen oil field equipment than any other Ranger in the state.
In 1970, he was promoted to captain of Company D, which was headquartered in
San Antonio, where he spent much of his time investigating government corruption
in Duval County, which led to hundreds of cases brought against two dozen different individuals. He retired at the end of October in 1978, before
becoming the chief of security for the Lower Colorado River Authority in 1980. Wood’s life and career are documented in the autobiography “Texas Ranger
in the Oil Patch”, published in 1994, a copy of which is included. It is noted that when he passed away in 2013, he had been the oldest living Texas Ranger at 99 years old.
The left of the barrel has the Smith & Wesson marking, while the right has the caliber marking. The right of the frame has the trademark, “JOHN M. WOOD/TEXAS RANGER”
(cut through the finish), and the four-line address. The matching serial number is marked on the butt and the frame, and the matching assembly number is on the left of the
grip frame and the crane. It is fitted with a ramped blade front sight with orange insert, adjustable notch rear sight, and a pair of checkered goncalo alves grips with “S&W”
monogram medallions at the tops. Also included is a copy of Wood’s obituary posted by the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum.
CONDITION: Excellent, retains 97% plus of the bright, original, high polish blue finish and 95% plus of the vibrant original case colors on the hammer and trigger, with some
very light handling evidence and a faint cylinder turn line. The grips are also excellent with a few scattered light handling marks and crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent.
A desirable, documented, Texas Ranger owned Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum!
Estimate: 3,000 - 5,000
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