c1882 mfr. Antique SMITH & WESSON “FRONTIER” 1st Model .44 S&W RUSSIAN Six-Shooter Carried by the likes of Hardin, Selman

Product Description

c1882 mfr. Antique SMITH & WESSON “FRONTIER” 1st Model .44 S&W RUSSIAN    

Six-Shooter Carried by the likes of Hardin, Selman

Here we present an antique Smith & Wesson .44 Caliber Double Action First Model Revolver, also known as the .44 Double Action Frontier, made circa 1882-83 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Though the production run for this revolver was between 1881 and 1913, all frames were made between 1881 and 1898, making all of these revolvers antique. Smith & Wesson’s .44 Double Action First Model revolver seems to be one of that company’s more neglected designs. It tends to be overlooked as it came between the popular No. 3 Single Action and the various Hand Ejector Models. The primary chambering for this revolver was .44 Russian, of which 53,590 were made between 1881 and 1913. Some 15,340 “Frontier” models were also produced, as was a .38-40 Win. Those guns were numbered in individual ranges and are basically considered separate models. The First Models continued to be listed in catalogs for a number of years after their production ceased to clear out old stock.

Following the lines of smaller and slightly earlier S&W .32 and .38 top-breaks, the First Model Double Action incorporated an excellent self-cocking mechanism that was as good as many British and Continental designs. It was also head and shoulders above Colt’s more popular Model 1877 “Lightning” and Model 1878 “Frontier” models, a happenstance that must have been more than frustrating to the folks at Smith & Wesson. Smith & Wesson’s First Model DA incorporated the company’s familiar curved grip frame, fitted with either hard rubber or checkered walnut stock panels. The revolver was available in blue and nickel-plated finishes, and barrels were 4, 5, 6, 6½ and 8 inches (rare) in length, with 5 inches being the most common.

First Model DA .44s employed the usual S&W top-break ejection system. The revolver could be fired in double or single action, though it had no safety position, and the hammer did not rebound after the trigger was released, resulting in a potentially dangerous setup if the gun were dropped. Even though the .44 Double Action was not one of S&W’s most popular products, it still had a following. In fact, Texas gunfighter and all-around bad guy John Wesley Hardin was carrying a .44 S&W Frontier when he was killed in the Acme Saloon by Constable John Selman in El Paso in 1895. Ironically, when Selman was killed a year later by George Scarborough, also in El Paso, he was toting a .44 New Model.

The overall condition is good. Original nickel finish with gray patina. The action is excellent in single action. The bore indexes and locks up as intended. The hammer and trigger are strong in double action but the cylinder is out of time in that mode. The bore is bright with strong rifling. The grips show use and remain in great shape. Numbers match.

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrel is 6 inches.

Caliber: .44 S&W Russian

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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$2700
#240520