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S&W Triple Lock

himiko
At the local den of iniquity where all my money goes, I saw a S&W .44 Special Triple Lock on consignment for $400. It looked pretty rough, with mottled blue over most of it and light pitting on the barrel, but the grips are original and it seemed reasonably tight. What magic can a restorer do (and at what price)? I know that this is hypothetical without seeing the gun, but price range might be interesting to posters (and me).
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  • himiko
    Can anyone tell me anything about an S&W triple lock with a 45 AR (auto rim) caliber designation? This is not an alteration, unless the original barrel was not marked at all for caliber. This appears to be one of the guns assembled for Great Britain in 1914-1915, as it has British proof marks on the barrel, receiver, and each cylinder.
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  • rufe-snow
    The S & W Book, notes that these revolvers were made for the British military in .455 Mark II Cartridge. This was the standard revolver cartridge of the U K military forces. It also notes that few of the Triple-Locks had caliber markings on the barrel. Many were converted to accept .45 ACP/.45 Auto Rim when they were imported for sale in the U.S. in the post W W II era, ie 50's & 60's.

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  • himiko
    Thanks. The book I have on S&W by Roy Jinks discusses these, but I could not find any remarks pertaining to caliber markings on the barrel when they were originally sold.
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  • rhmc24
    You didn't say your Triple Lock is marked 45 AR but if it is my guess it was modified from the British .455. IF it has the serial number on the cylinder face (alongside of where the heads of the cartridges are when loaded) it is probably original and not modified. S&W specialists can give more accurate info than I can, but my recall is that the face of the cylinder had to be machined off some to make space for the thicker rim of the Auto Rim cartridge and/or the 45 ACP with half moon clips. My Triple Lock has the s/n as described, also an earlier S&W single action I have. I also seem to recall that the Auto Rim cartridge didn't exist until WWI when Colt and S&W started chambering their large frames for .45ACP. Hope this helps.
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  • himiko
    Thanks. I think rufe-snow nailed it when he pointed out that most of the pistols sent to England were not caliber marked on the barrel. My gun is marked 45AR, and I am satisfied that the gun was modified when it returned to the states. The barrel and butt serial numbers match. Also, since it was already bored out for the 455, it could not be set up for the 45ACP without changing the cylinder. Of course, it does handle the 45ACP in the half moon clips, just as the 45ACP revolvers handle the 45AR. But without the clip, the 45ACP has no chambering reference, and just drops down in the cylinder.
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