S & W .38-44 Update
For those who were interested in the the S&W .38-44 Outdoorsman that I inherited and helped with it's identifcation here is an update.
I stoped by my cousin's house and asked about the blue "picture box" for the revolver and as I suspected there was no box. However, he did give me a full box Remington .38-44 cartridges. The box is the old green box with the red "dog bone" trade mark. The box is printed in white and says "These cartridges have metat point bullets, the lead only coming in contact with the rifling. Thy are equal in accuracy to cartridges haveing lead bullets, but give increased penetration. Specially adapted for .38-44 Smith and Wesson special."
I also took the advice and sent for a factory letter. It came yesterday. After a lot of background on the two .38-44 models the last paragraph says "We have researched your Smith & Wesson .38/44 Outdoorsman Pre-World War II Variation, caliber .38 S&W Special, (adjustable sight) model in company records which indicate that your handgun, with serial number 521**, was shipped from our factory on June 24, 1937, and delivered to E. K. Tryon Co., Philadelphia, PA., one of America's oldest sporting goods stores. The records indicate that this pistol was shipped with a 6-1/2 inch barrel, adjustable rear target sight,blue finish, and checkered walnut grips."
Thank you to one and all that helped me with this project. Now all that I have to do is figure out how this revolver got from Philadelphia to Cattaraugus NY. Scout
I stoped by my cousin's house and asked about the blue "picture box" for the revolver and as I suspected there was no box. However, he did give me a full box Remington .38-44 cartridges. The box is the old green box with the red "dog bone" trade mark. The box is printed in white and says "These cartridges have metat point bullets, the lead only coming in contact with the rifling. Thy are equal in accuracy to cartridges haveing lead bullets, but give increased penetration. Specially adapted for .38-44 Smith and Wesson special."
I also took the advice and sent for a factory letter. It came yesterday. After a lot of background on the two .38-44 models the last paragraph says "We have researched your Smith & Wesson .38/44 Outdoorsman Pre-World War II Variation, caliber .38 S&W Special, (adjustable sight) model in company records which indicate that your handgun, with serial number 521**, was shipped from our factory on June 24, 1937, and delivered to E. K. Tryon Co., Philadelphia, PA., one of America's oldest sporting goods stores. The records indicate that this pistol was shipped with a 6-1/2 inch barrel, adjustable rear target sight,blue finish, and checkered walnut grips."
Thank you to one and all that helped me with this project. Now all that I have to do is figure out how this revolver got from Philadelphia to Cattaraugus NY. Scout
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Scout.... The 44 designation in your 38/44 Outdoorsman refers to the frame size the gun was built on. Smith & Wesson uses letter designations for their frames with the "N" frame being the biggest.
Their .44 caliber revolvers are all built on the "N" frame, which is the one you have, hence the 38/44 Outdoorsman. The gun is actually chambered in .38 special. It could be made to shoot .357 mag by reaming out the cylinder holes, but that would ruin the collector value of the piece.0 -
Scout, The letter will make a nice addition to an even nicer gun,don't ever think of altering that gun in any way.The original box would have been great to have but most are long gone. The box of .38/44 cartridges is a nice go with too. I wouldn't shoot any of them,they aren't all that common anymore.There are more than a few guys that would like to have a box of those for display. You have a great gun made in the days of S&W's very best build quality,enjoy. 0 -
Your revolver probably got from Philadelphia to Cattaraugus NY by U.S. Mail or Railway Express.
E.K. Tyron did a large mail-order gun business.0 -
Barrocky,
Rest assured that no alterations will be made to this revolver as I have been a collector for over 40 years and know better.
Xracer,
I think think that you are probably right. I would put my money on the rail road express.0
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