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.44 S&W special CTG

5K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  Thewelshm 
#1 ·
I was recently given this gun by a family member who didn’t know much about it. I’m looking for the year it was made and what it’s worth hopefully, and any other info on it. It’s a .44 s&w special CTG serial number 59280. It does have some scuff marks along the side which I’m assuming are from a holster but seems to be in decent shape. It does occasionally seem to have an issue pulling the hammer back but then I just give the cylinder an assist in rotating and it comes back. Shoots great though.
 

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#3 ·
It's probably worth properly cleaning the action inside, especially if it's been a while and oil or grease could have dried inside. If you're not familiar with the S&W action, find a gunsmith with experience working on them to do the job. You can always try cleaning it without disassembly, but then proper lubrication is an issue. The gunsmith can check the timing, and make sure that internal springs are in good condition.

These were very well made firearms, made to last several lifetimes if properly cared for.
 
#6 ·
Your .44 Hand Ejector 3rd model - Model of 1926 was originally a distributor exclusive special model ordered by Wolf & Klar of Fort Worth, Texas. It was available only thru them until about 1940 when available as a regular production item for the general market.

It's essentially the same as the .44 Hand Ejector 2nd Model introduced in 1915. The only difference is the shroud under the barrel to protect the extraction rod originally used on the .44 Hand Ejector 1st Model - Model of 1908 that was added back on at the request of Southwest lawmen and border patrol officers.

OLD GUN CLEANING AND SAFETY CHECK PROTOCOL FOR HEIRLOOMS & NEW GUN OWNERS:

Simply put, the only usual issue with these marvels of yesteryear is they are gummed up and dirty. Old oils of its time do not match the quality of these old guns nor the technology of today, and actually dry up and harden to the point of impeding operation and accelerating wear. The simple solution does not need a gunsmith or removal of the side plate. Just one of many premium modern gun care products from any sporting goods, gun store or hardware store.

Most are both cleaning and preserving agents; Breakfree, Kroil & M-Pro7 are some of the best, and there are others, but do not use WD-40. Disassembly is not necessary. With grips removed and a spray can version of the product, flood and flush the revolver thru every opening and crevice until the black gunk stops flowing out, let it drain for an hour and wipe it down thoroughly with the same product.

Scrub barrel bore and cylinder chambers with a simple cleaning rod kit found at the same places as the cleaning agents above; patches cut from rags is all you really need. And scrub any observed exterior and crevice crud with an old toothbrush with bristles cut off short for stiffness.

To remove grips for cleaning the gun: loosen the grip screw completely and carefully push down on the screw head until the bottom grip separates, then remove. Now carefully push the top side grip off with a finger or toothbrush from the backside thru the grip frame. Mother of Pearl (MOP) grips take extreme care: if they are pulled off from the butt at an angle, the upper two corners are susceptible to chipping, even walnut grips. They must be pushed off the grip frame and kept parallel to the grip frame until they release and come away.

The gun is now original and will never have greater value. I would not refinish it and throw away all of the "character" acquired thru its life so far. It will only retain its value by retaining its originality. The only way to make it more original is to remove anything that it did not have on it when new, like any rust or corrosion. Black and dark brown areas thru the blue, on bare metal should be removed. Carefully polishing with the correct products is the way to do that. Well known polishing products are Flitz, Semi-Chrome, Mother's Mag Wheel polish or the equivalent.

An application of wax, Renaissance wax is a popular one, will enhance and protect the finish if you want something to do while watching the news!

For rust spots, Blue Wonder cleaner will remove the rust but leave the bluing. Or use Bronze wool, not steel wool, size 0000 and toothbrush with bristles cut short, and a gun cleaner like M-Pro 7 (odor free), Kroil or Breakfree and gentle scrubbing.

Rust pitting must have all red color removed to arrest it's cancerous growth (use 5x glasses or stronger to see progress). White areas of cleaned pitting can be 'toned down' and touched up with OxPho Blue cream (from Brownells) and works best after heating the metal with a blow dryer until it’s too hot to touch. Actual rust pits in the surface can only be removed with a re-finish, but not always if too deep. If you choose to ‘touch up’, clean with acetone or lacquer thinner to remove all traces of oil.

Once cleaned and lubricated, with a few simple checks you can determine if it’s safe to use; no need to waste time and money on a gunsmith, especially if you don't know one. Cock the hammer in single action mode. Gently push on the hammer to confirm that it will not drop w/o pulling the trigger. Cock the hammer slowly and confirm the cylinder locks in position for each of the 5 or 6 chambers about the same time the hammer cocks. If satisfactory, now operate the gun in DA pulling the trigger very slowly; again confirm the cyl locks before the hammer drops. After each cycling of the action, confirm that the cyl is still locked in position for all 6 chambers.

Cylinders can have fore and aft movement and rotational movement. Check rotational movement with the hammer cocked just to make sure it won’t skip to another chamber. That's all that is really important from a safety concern. Then unless you experience 'spitting' at the barrel/cyl gap when fired, you have no reason for concern.

You have a quality made, very well engineered, assembled with skilled craftsmanship, and hand fitted revolver, no longer affordable on a competitive market basis, and the likes of which we'll never see again, ever.

Shoot it to your hearts delight, and it will delight you with its fine accuracy, and not too formidable recoil.

Any current off the shelf ‘standard’ factory loaded ammo is loaded safely for use in these old guns.

Enjoy shooting it and you'll be amazed at its accuracy.
 
#14 ·
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#10 · (Edited)
Trivia: I learned this from "Pop" (my Grand Dad).

Back in the late teens and early 1920's, many S&W fans bemoaned & regretted the absence of the ejector shroud (removed with the 2nd Model). With the reintroduction of the shroud in the W&K Models of 1926, some folks incorrectly referred to the new N-Frames with shrouded ejector rods as "Triplelocks" even though the 3rd lock was not included is these models. Evidently, the term was driven by aesthetics (visual) reference rather than the technical/mechanical attribute.

This misnomer was again brought to my attention via a period hand written letter that I received about some history of a specific S&W 1926 revolver (3rd Model) where the author (retired US Border Patrolman) refers to the gun a "Triplelock" (although it clearly only has 2 locking devices but it does have the ejector shroud).

Anyway, I just thought you may be interested in that bit of trivia seeing as all of those "Old Timers" are now gone.
 
#11 · (Edited)
1926...

Welcome to the forum! Quite and introduction.

Judging from the carved MOP steerhead grips, there is a good chance your gun was originally sent to Wolf & Klar Co., Fort Worth, Texas. Replacing the factory grips with such grips was a common practice at Wolf & Klar. As stated is an earlier post, the mother of pearl grips are fragile and subject to chipping so handle them with care.

I replaced the pearl grips on my 1926 and stored them for safekeeping and also ordered a factory letter as seen below. A letter will verify the date the gun was shipped from the factory and to whom it was shipped. There has been a change in how to order a letter since I ordered mine so maybe someone can chime in on the latest procedure and price...anybody?

BTW- CTG is just an abreviation for the "cartridge" to be used in the gun.

Firearm Gun Revolver Trigger Gun accessory

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Firearm Gun Revolver Trigger Gun accessory
 
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