This is a very nice early Smith and Wesson Topbreak Revolver in .38 caliber. Scarce blued finish with an equally scarce pair of S&W red and black marbled hard rubber grips. 3-1/4" barrel and five-shot cylinder. Serial number is in the 27,000 range...circa late 1870's. Model-wise, this is a fairly early 2nd Model Single Action with the improved ejector and smaller housing on the barrel. It was essentially the successor to the 1st Model a.k.a. "Baby Russian" which had the larger box housing beneath the barrel like the large framed .44 Russian and American Models. When the design was improved and made more compact, the housing was eliminated on all S&W Models from this little SA, the new line up Double Actions, as well as the large frame in .44 Russian which became known as the New Model Number 3.
Overall Condition grades to NRA Antique Excellent with 93% original blue overall. Good case colors on hammer and trigger. Screws and pins are Fine+ Overall. Action is in great shape and barrel still latches firmly to the frame with zero play. Ejectors work perfectly. Bore is Mint. Hard Rubber grips are Excellent with nice fit to the metal. There are lots of nickel plated examples out there but these early blued S&W's are really getting tough to find in Fine to Excellent Condition as few collectors are willing to part with them.
Item# 1689
SOLD
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