Any thoughts and/or help on a couple S&W Hand Ejectors?

[mcapo]

Recently picked up two hand ejectors. This era is well outside of my limited sphere of knowledge and was wondering if you could help verify/correct my identification and provide any info on the grips? Maybe range of value. Both are 32 SW Long. Both were owned by one family since new (allegedly great-grandpa police service and personal guns).

The nickel one is Serial # 77394. I believe it's a 2nd change 1906-09. Nickel is in decent shape. Very minor freckling upon close inspection. Action and lock up is excellent. Little evidence of use. Like new bore. I wonder if trigger and hammer are period? Grips aftermarket?

The (formerly) blued one is #193777 which I believe to be a fifth change 1910-17. This one has been shot. A lot. Cylinder has play but the trigger is smooth as butter.

Thoughts? Corrections to my findings?

https://imgur.com/a/9yNas

View attachment 61686

 

[indiucky]

Top one was nickled at some point but not by the factory...Grips are an aftermarket...The bottom one appears all original...

Smith and Wesson did not nickle the hammer or the trigger but left them case colored.....You are correct on the dates...They are built on the I frame and were also chamber in 38 s&w....They make excellent "camp, kit, tackle box, woods roaming" guns....Value is not high on them so there is no worry taking them out and using them the way they were intended to be used....The "Terrier" snubbie version is starting to get some collector love now but the little I frames in 4 inch are IMHO some of the best deals going on the used revolver market...The 32 s&w long is a very under rated cartridge...Nice shooter grade classics...VERY popular guns back in the day in Kentucky...They and the Colt Police Positives, even in 4 inch barrel lengths, could easily fit in a bootlegger's/feuding man/coal miner/tobacco farmer's pocket.....

Thanks for sharing....

 

[mcapo]

Thanks for the confirmation. The roll marks on the nickel do look like a refinish though it was (to my eyes) a first rate job. I'm guessing it was done a long long time ago. Maybe post WWII? The gentleman I got them from had them in a drawer since the early 60's and they were in his Dad's before that for as long as he could remember.

I gave what the LGS offered him and got another gun thrown that's worth the entire purchase price so I have little in them and did not anticipate any real value in them.

I actually like the used and original look of the one. To me, that is honest use and wear. Original only happens once. The original one was allegedly a police sidearm so maybe it spent some time in pursuit of your referenced bootlegger. Probably not, but I can make up any story if it starts with "maybe"!

Always amazes me how good a 100+ year old trigger can be and makes me wonder why striker fired triggers are so bad...lol...

 

[indiucky]

You'll enjoy shooting them...The 32 s&w long is an inherently accurate little round.....Backwoodsman magazine had an article about what a great bargain these "shooter grade" H.E.'s are for a woods gun.....I believe the reason the prices remain good on them (and the Police Positives as well) is do to the sheer number of them out there....They were very popular guns in the first half of the 20th century...It seem after WW 2 the 32 long and 38 s&w kind of fell out of favor with both sportsmen and the law enforcement community....

Revolvers like that trip my trigger....I wish they would have come in my shop....I guarantee one would have went home with me...

 

[Leadeye]

Solid info from Indiucky. These also came in a 6 inch barrel.