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LOT 1538
Highly Desirable Ed McGivern Inscribed Smith & Wesson .38 Military
& Police Model of 1905 Fourth Change Double Action Revolver with
Roy Jinks Letter - Serial no. 644924, 38 Special cal., 2 7/8 inch round
bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. Manufactured c. the early 1930s, this is a
very interesting example of Smith & Wesson’s .38 Military & Police Model
of 1905 Fourth Change revolver, which is inscribed to the legendary
handgun shooter Ed McGivern and was presumably customized for him
by the factory as a special order. The included letter from Smith & Wesson
historian Roy Jinks discusses this revolver along with two others, stating
that this revolver remains open on the Smith & Wesson books. Jinks goes
on to state that often the guns that stayed open on the books were given
or lent to famous shooters and not properly recorded as the guns were
generally specially built and then handed off to company executives for
special handling. Jinks says that it is unfortunate when guns are recorded
in this way as it removes positive proof of delivery to McGivern, but
also states that it is his opinion that it was given to him in its current
configuration. Also included is a signed letter from Dennis Redpath stating
that the revolver was acquired by his father, Howard Redpath, from Mrs.
McGivern shortly after Ed’s death. The revolver had its barrel shortened
with the front sight base reattached, a gold bead “McGivern” front sight
blade installed and the hammer “bobbed” for double action only use. All of
these modifications were quite possibly carried out by the factory under
the direction of McGivern, and make for a very fast shooting double action
revolver in a very compact package. The left side of the barrel has the
Smith & Wesson marking, while the right has the caliber marking. The left
of the frame has the small trademark and the right of the frame is inscribed
“ED McGIVERN/OF MONTANA/1938”, as well as having the “MADE IN U.S.A.”
marking. The matching serial number is on the butt and the bottom of
the barrel. It is fitted with the previously mentioned “McGivern” pattern
gold bead blade front sight, an adjustable notch rear sight, the “bobbed”
hammer with the spur removed, and a pair of diamond pattern checkered
walnut grips with “S&W” monogram medallions.
Ed McGivern (1874-1957), “the World’s Fastest Gun,” was fascinated by
fast shooting after witnessing a shootout in Sheridan, Wyoming. He
lived in Lewistown from 1924 until 1949. Even after gaining fame for his
shooting, he earned much of his living painting for Graham’s Sign & Poster
Shop and later his own business called McGivern Outdoor Advertising.
He is easily one of the most famous and renowned exhibition shooters
and handgunning authors of the 20th century and also trained law
enforcement officers locally as well as the FBI. He published “Fast and
Fancy Revolver Shooting” in 1938. He held many records in his day for fast
and accurate shooting and still holds some, such as drawing and firing 5
shots into a 1 inch group at 20 feet in less than half a second (recorded as
9/20th of a second in August 1932). He could shoot dimes thrown into the
air and performed fast shooting demonstrations with guns in each hand.
He preferred double action revolvers and claimed he could shoot faster
with a revolver than any semi-automatic pistol could keep up with. In fact,
his rate of fire is said to be faster than an AK-47. One of his recorded stunts
was hitting a can thrown roughly 20 feet in the air six times with a Colt
double action revolver before it hit the ground. Elmer Keith said McGivern
was “the fastest and finest double-action revolver shot that ever lived and
probably ever will.” Some of his handguns are on display in the National
Firearms Museum, and very few of his guns are in private hands today.
This particular revolver is a fantastic example of the sort of modifications
McGivern preferred on double action revolvers to make them more
practical and faster shooting.
CONDITION: Exceptionally fine, retains 90% of the original blue finish,
some mild edge/holster type wear, cylinder turn marks, and faint evidence
of the front sight base being reattached. The grips are very fine with some
light blemishes in the otherwise crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent.
A rare chance to own an Ed McGivern inscribed Smith & Wesson revolver
with the look of being customized for the “Fast and Fancy” shooter himself!
Provenance: Ed McGivern; Howard Redpath; Dennis Redpath;
Monte Mandarino; The Michael Priwer Collection.
Estimate: 5,500 - 8,000