I inherited this revolver along with several other guns. I don't know a lot about it but my dad told me it was black power only and the cartridges had to be milled down as the present types are too long. The shell I tried was .160 too long to seat in the revolver.
It isn't marked but I think it is a .44. I have a used .44 casing and it fits very tight but a new one is a bit loose. The used brass I have was probably from my dads Ruger Black Hawk .44 magnum which has had a problem since it was new. spent brass is very hard to eject. My dad said it was because the bore of the revolver was not machined correctly and may have scoring making it hard to remove the spent shells. He made a nylon dowel he used to drive them out with.
Anyway this old S&W doesn't have the caliber stamped in it at all. Serial number is on the butt and is 23121 and the same is stamped on the back of the revolver.
it is a break away with a star wheel that pulls out the brass. It seems to be double action only. The hammer will not lock back it has to be pulled back by the trigger. There is no half cock safety. The wood grips are in poor condition and may not be the original. The brass screws holding the grips are not correct. The revolver seems quite loose. Dry firing it empty the revolver doesn't always lock into position for the next round. It gets stuck between rounds.
Dates stamped on the barrel are Jan 17&24 65. I would be pretty sure that is 1865. There is also more - July 11 65, AUG 24 69, July 25 71, DEC 2 79, May 11&25 1880
It isn't marked but I think it is a .44. I have a used .44 casing and it fits very tight but a new one is a bit loose. The used brass I have was probably from my dads Ruger Black Hawk .44 magnum which has had a problem since it was new. spent brass is very hard to eject. My dad said it was because the bore of the revolver was not machined correctly and may have scoring making it hard to remove the spent shells. He made a nylon dowel he used to drive them out with.
Anyway this old S&W doesn't have the caliber stamped in it at all. Serial number is on the butt and is 23121 and the same is stamped on the back of the revolver.
it is a break away with a star wheel that pulls out the brass. It seems to be double action only. The hammer will not lock back it has to be pulled back by the trigger. There is no half cock safety. The wood grips are in poor condition and may not be the original. The brass screws holding the grips are not correct. The revolver seems quite loose. Dry firing it empty the revolver doesn't always lock into position for the next round. It gets stuck between rounds.
Dates stamped on the barrel are Jan 17&24 65. I would be pretty sure that is 1865. There is also more - July 11 65, AUG 24 69, July 25 71, DEC 2 79, May 11&25 1880