Gun Digest – August 2019

gundigest.com GunDigest the magazine AUGUST 2019 (^) | 17
ESTIMATED VALUES OF SELECTED
MODELS/SMITH & WESSON HAND EJECTORS
(Courtesy of Standard Catalog of Firearms, with input from standard Smith &
Wesson catalog) EXC VG GOOD
.32 Hand Ejector First Model (1896)SN 1-19712 (pull-forward cylinder latch) $650 $425 $
Add 2 or 3 times for target model
Add 25 percent for 6-inch barrel
.32 Hand Ejector Model of 1903SN 1-19425 (sliding cylinder latch) $1,500 $1,100 $
.32 HE Model of 1903, 1st changeSN 19426-51126 $1,750 $1,300 $
.32 HE Model of 1903 2nd–5th changeSN 51127-263000 $650 $500 $
.22 LadySmith 1st ModelSN 1–4575; 1902–1906 $2,500 $1,700 $1,
.22 LadySmith 2nd & 3rd ModelsSN 4576–13950; 1906-1910 $2,300 $1,500 $
SN 13951–26154; 1910-
add 50 percent for 2.25 or 6-inch bbl.
.38 HE, Military & Police Model of 1899
SN 1–20975 (.38); 1–5,311 (.32-20) $1,750 $1,300 $
1899-
U.S. Navy Model SN Range 5000-6000 $3,500 $2,600 $1,
U.S. Army Model SN 13001-14000 $3,500 $2,600 $1,
.22-32 Hand Ejector (Bekeart Model) $2,000 $1,400 $
SN range: 138226–139275 (see article)
.44 Hand Ejector 1st Model (New Century, Triple-Lock, .44 Military
Model of 1908) SN 1–15375; 1908–
.44 Special $2,800 $1,500 $1,
Other Calibers $6,000 $4,000 $2,
.44 Hand Ejector 2nd Model
(No Triple-Lock)
SN 15376–60000; 1915–1937, .44 Special $2,500 $1,900 $1,
Other Calibers $5,000 $4,000 $2,
Model 1926 .44 Hand Ejector 3rd Model
(Return of heavy ejector shroud)
SN range as above; 1926–1941; .44 Special $3,500 $2,400 $2,
Other Calibers $5,500 $4,500 $3,
Note: Add a 100 to 200 percent premium for factory adjustable sights
semi-auto and later for a J-frame .38 Special, which is still in
the catalog.
The Bekeart Model
The .22-32 Hand Ejector had an interesting beginning. A
San Francisco gun dealer named Philip Bekeart came up
with the idea for Smith & Wesson to build on the .32 Hand
Ejector I-frame a .22-caliber model with a 6-inch barrel and
adjustable sights. He believed in the concept so much that
he placed a special order in 1911 for 1,000 of these revolv-
ers. These guns became known as Bekeart models and are
highly collectible. Only 292 of the fi rst 1,000 guns were de-
livered to Bekeart, and some went to other dealers. It was
1915 before Smith & Wesson put the model into regular
production.
Bekeart models were not marked, so identifying them can
be confusing. Serial numbers were included in the range
of those for the .32 Hand Ejector (from 138226–139275),
but there was a special and separate series of serial num-
bers stamped on the buttstock of the fi rst 3,000, beginning
with the letter “I.”^4 Some collectors consider any .22-
Hand Ejector with a letter showing shipment to Bekeart’s
gun shop to be a Bekeart model. This revolver remained in
production until 1941.
The N Size
The largest frame for Smith & Wesson revolvers for nearly
100 years was the N size. It was designed for a new cartridge,
the .44 Special, and came aboard the S&W train in 1908.
Based on a lengthened .44 Russian case, the .44 S&W Spe-
cial could hold three more grains of black powder under a
round-nosed, 246-grain lead bullet.^5 (Some .44 Special fans
might disagree with the statement that the cartridge was
originally loaded with black powder, but six-gun guru John
Taffi n says so in Gun Digest Book of the .44.)
The Triple-Lock
The complete name of this revolver was quite a mouthful:
.44 Hand Ejector First Model (New Century, Triple-Lock,.
Military Model of 1908). Buried in the name is a feature that
referred to the lockup of the cylinder; this feature became
one of the nicknames of the model: the Triple-Lock. It was
also often called the New Century.
In the Gun Digest Book of the .44, Taffi n describes it as “the
epitome of double-action six-guns: The New Century, alias
the .44 Hand Ejector First Model, which would forever be
known to its loyal followers as the Triple-Lock ... In addi-
tion to enlarging the frame, two other improvements were
made. A shroud was added to the bottom of the barrel to
enclose the ejector rod, thus not only protecting the ejector
rod, but also improving the looks of the S&W revolver. The
second, unfortunately short-lived, improvement was the
addition of a third lock, giving the Triple-Lock its unoffi cial
name. Before, the .44 Hand Ejector First Model S&W cylin-
ders locked only at the rear of the cylinder and at the front
of the ejector rod. On the New Century, a third lock was
brilliantly machined in the front of the frame at the yoke
and barrel junction to solidly lock the cylinder in place.”
Interestingly, the Triple-Lock was in production only
seven years. Apparently, in 1915, someone at Smith &
Wesson decided that the third lock was too expensive to
manufacture, and it was eliminated—as was the shroud
around the ejector rod. Following the changes, the price of
the revolver was reduced from $21 to $19.
About 15,375 Triple-Locks were made before the changes
took place; most, but not all, were .44 Specials. A limited
number was chambered in .38-40, .44-40, .445 Colt and.
Mark II.
The .44 Hand Ejector Second Model—as it was now
known—was made from 1915 to 1917, when wartime work
called a halt to large-frame revolver production. The model
returned to the S&W line in December 1920 and remained
there until 1940.
The Third Model
Another popular .44 Hand Ejector model, called the Third
Model or the Model of 1926, was added in that year. It was
identical to the Second Model except for the return of the ejec-
tor rod shroud. Smith & Wesson received a large number of
inquiries asking for the heavier barrel lug—many from law
enforcement agencies wanting a slightly heavier revolver. The
Third Model was a special-order gun until July 1940, when it
was listed in the Smith & Wesson catalog shortly before it was
discontinued. It was reintroduced in 1946, following the war.^6
For more historical and technical information on these great
revolvers, the books listed below in the footnotes are excellent
sources. GDTM
A life-long shooter, hunter and fi rearms afi cionado, Jerry Lee built
his career in the fi rearms publishing business. He is the editor of
the Standard Catalog of Firearms and Gun Digest Annual, and he has
authored the Standard Catalog of Ruger Firearms.
FOOTNOTES
1, 6: History of Smith & Wesson, Roy G. Jinks, Beinfeld Publishing, 1977
2, 4: Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, Jim Supica and Richard Nahas,
Gun Digest Books, 2004
3, 5: Gun Digest Book of the .44, John Taffi n, 2006