|
Smith and Wesson Model One First Issue Revolver |
This is Smith and Wesson's first revolver known as the No. 1, 1st Issue. S&W built around 11,000 of them from 1857-1860. In its initial form, it had a rounded brass frame, small round side plate, and a two-piece hammer. This little gun is where it all started 153 years ago...one could argue that every cartridge gun we own today is derived from this little .22 revolver. What made this gun possible was not just the invention of a self-primed and contained cartridge but the inventors', Horace Smith's and Daniel Wesson's, wise purchase of the Rollin White Patent. With the Rollin White Patent under their control, S&W had exclusive rights to manufacture revolvers with bored-through cylinders. This kept their competition out of the cartridge revolver business (at least legally) until the early 1870's. It's interesting to note that there were quite a number of patent infringements and clever designs to circumvent the Rollin White patent itself. This presents an entire field of guns that S&W collectors can branch into beyond the Model One and its successors. That said, this one will need a fair bit of work but it's all there and a good chance for a collector who's operating on a tight budget to pick up an important piece of American firearms history. Within that run of 11,000 1st Issues, S&W was on a learning curve and they figured out ways to improve their design six different times with advances in the recoil plate, ratchet design, rifling, and barrel latching system. There are six different subtypes within the Model One, First Issue revolver making this a challenging gun to collect...especially the earliest and scarcest variants. This particular gun is in the 4,700 range which makes it a 5th type. We recently saw a Number 1 in the 4,800 serial range with a research letter from Roy Jenks at Smith and Wesson, stating it shipped on Jan. 4, 1859. Our guess is this would have shipped very close to this gun in either late 1858 or early 1859. The big improvement from the 5th type is the addition of 5-groove rifling...the 4th type had three grooves. It has the improved barrel latch system...which came along in the 3rd type. One aspect of the 5th type that I personally like is that it's the last type among the 1st Issue guns to use its recoil shield to rotate the cylinder. Essentially, it uses an internal ratchet which spins a small plate in the center of the recoil shield. The plate turns the cylinder which rests on a guide pin (cylinder pin) and is locked in place via a small key. Thus, the cylinder has no grooves on the back...just a small hole for the key to lock it in place. See photos. Like all Model One revolvers, it has a brass frame with a 7-shot cylinder that holds a small .22 caliber cartridge. Condition: Overall, this gun is in Fair Condition but with some work should grade up to NRA Antique Good. Like any project, there are pros and cons to restoration and this is not something that all collectors will be able to tackle. So let's start with the bad news before we delve into some of the positive aspects of this gun. The Bad News: -The metal has been cleaned too brightly...with traces of what looks like traces of a very thin layer of silver plating. -Patent Dates on the cylinder have been worn off. However, the cylinder is a rare 5th type with the key hole and no ratchet (see photo). -The two-piece pivoting hammer design is intact but one of the two pillow blocks on the hammer spur has chipped off. The screw was lost but quite fortunately, someone had the foresight to keep the spur attached with a small piece of rod or wire. It's crude but it saved the spur which would be nearly impossible to replace. Good news is this can be repaired. -Cylinder stop is bent slightly and spring is either worn or broken. -The hinge has been broken and repaired-- works but a so-so job. The repair is sound but needs to be done again to properly align the barrel, cylinder, and frame. Barrel is fine but the soft brass pillow blocks on the brass frame were probably torn so someone replaced them. This isn't the first time we've seen a blown hinge on a First Issue and probably won't be the last. The main culprit to these damaged hinges are owners who think that it's fine to shoot these with modern smokeless .22 short cartridges. DON'T DO IT! In case you're still curious, I've seen enough of these to eliminate the guesswork. A modern smokeless round in a 150 year old gun made of brass and soft iron will win every time. If that doesn't help, just imagine trying to unclog your shower drain with a stick of dynamite. No more clogs...and you won't have to worry about taking showers either. The last one of these I saw like this had a blown hinge AND a CRACKED cylinder. FORTUNATELY, the cylinder on this gun DID NOT crack and the barrel is fine. OK, if you've survived reading the Bad News, there are a number of things this little S&W has going for it. Here comes The Good News: -The action mechanism appears to be in good working order. It's not easy to cock with the damaged hammer spur but we were able to cock this a number of times and found the hammer cocking and everything cycling properly. This is a big Plus for a Model One First Issue as from a gunsmithing point of view, they are difficult to work on. The access plate on the left side of the frame is tiny. This was the number one reason why S&W re-designed the frame with a larger access plate. These early guns, although beautiful with their round frames were simply too difficult to assemble in the factory. -Aside from a couple of small screws, this gun is complete with every major component intact. If you're going to purchase a gun that's fairly scarce with spare parts virtually non-existent, you'll save yourself a lot of time and subsequent headaches by finding one that's complete. -This gun has a decent look to it and it's virtually complete sans a couple of screws. -Very Good original grips which are solid and numbered to the gun. See photos. -Smith and Wesson Barrel Address is mostly intact. -Bore is good with the 5th type 5-groove rifling intact. Finally, the last bit of good news we have is the price. In today's market, you'll often see zero finish examples of 1st Types (meaning no silver plating left on the frame and no blue on the cylinder and barrel) in the 1,200-1,800 dollar ranges. This gun, warts and all is priced to where almost any S&W collector could own one...with the option of fixing it themselves to save several hundred dollars, saving it for later to fix when funds permit, or simply keeping it as-is as an inexpensive example of the gun that put S&W on the map. Item# 1258 SOLD BTW, If you're looking for a 1st Issue that needs no work, perfect mechanics, and has nearly all of its original silver plating intact, we have a nice 6th type priced comparably to other guns on the market in lesser condition and no finish remaining. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |