MAGOPUS Update 24AUG26
I’ve been rather busy the past few weeks with some research with the Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation and the result has been that my personal research has taken a bit of a hit time-wise. However, I have started looking in directions I otherwise might not have gone in. For example, I’ve been spending a fair bit of time in the K-frame section of the archives. It’s an area I usually just pass through looking for specific things and not one where I just snoop around looking for little treasures like I do in the N-frame section.
The other change is that I find myself spending more time in the postwar section of the archives. I prefer the pre-war archives because the variety of documents (orders, correspondence, repair orders, etc.) is greater but some of the post-war destinations, particularly as the Cold War was heating up, are quite interesting.
One day, when I finish my Magnum Opus project, I’m going to start looking at some of the post-war destinations and models and find something interesting to work on. Maybe the Atomic Energy Commission guns that I’ve been seeing more and more records on, or perhaps some of the post-war “Compliments of Uncle Sam” engraved and inscribed guns that went to various dignitaries and leaders.
So in this update to the Magnum Opus project I added 170 guns to the database I’m working on.
FBI Guns – Fifteen of these were FBI guns. It’s important to note that FBI guns generally come in two flavors: Company Guns and Private Purchase. The Company Guns are those that were ordered by and were property of the Bureau. The Private Purchase guns, obviously, are those that agents would order and pay for themselves.
The thing with the private purchase guns is trying to determine which ones went to agents. Unless you review the paperwork, there is usually nothing in the Shipping Ledger entry that will identify the gun as going to an FBI agent. Occasionally, you may see an entry listed as S.A Jon Smith or Jon Smith SAC or Jon Smith FBI. Most of the time though the entry will simply read Jon Smith and unless you pull the order form or shipping invoice, you may never know that Jon Smith was an FBI agent.
I have been keeping a spreadsheet of Magnums will letter as private purchase and at some point will put it all together in a single write up.
Nickel Guns – I did come across four more nickel plated from the factory Magnums: RM3243, RM3660, RM5257, RM5258. Three of those are nickel guns that do not appear on Jinks’ list from his marvelous Winter 1989 V24 N3&4 Smith & Wesson Collectors Association (SWCA) Journal article, nor do they appear in Magnum: The S&W .357 Magnum Phenomenon by Timothy J. Mullin (a recommended purchase, by the way).
As I dig through the Registered Magnum archive I have been making notes of when I find factory nickel guns. The belief up till now was that there were approximately 173 such guns, of which 144 could be documented. At the moment my list of guns nickel plated by the factory is up to 169, almost all of which can be documented.
Bernard R. Hubbard a.k.a. “The Glacier priest” – A half dozen Magnums (RM2403-2408 inclusive) went to the famous “Glacier Priest” and occasional hunting companion of DBW in July 1937. The Padre received six 6.500” inch Magnums fitted with Sheard gold bead front sights and Magna stocks. The same order also included four K-22’s. There was a notation reading “No charge per DBW”.
Demonstration Guns – One of the interesting things about the Magnum being a made-to-order gun was that, as DBW had pointed out on some occasions, there were not samples lying around that could be sent out.
Early in production when DBW needed a sample gun, he would pull one out of the shipping room and use that and then return it when done! An economical system to be sure, but a tricky one if anything happened to the revolver! DBW learned that the hard way in August of 1935 when he grabbed RM122/46330 to take to a police conference in Atlantic City and the gun was stolen. DBW then had to contact the fellow whose gun it was and explain that it had been stolen and there would be a delay while a new one was made. Not a letter I would have wanted to write!
DBW then had a few guns made up for himself; some had regular serial numbers and some had zero-prefix or “Club Gun” serial numbers. He would use these as samples when needed and there are many invoices listing guns being used for displays at trade shows or for photographic purposes with the notation “DBW gun”.
One example would be RM468/46665, which was sent to Hartold Kirtz in Washington, D.C. to use as a sample gun in demonstrations to the Argentine Government in September 1935. No mention is made of the gun being DBW’s, however, in June of 1938 the Hibbing, MN police department wrote asking for a sample Magnum to evaluate. DBW’s response was thus:
As the Magnum is a custom gun, which means that they are only put through the plant after receipt of the order with full specifications, we, of course, never have any in stock, but I am, frankly, so interested in having police departments try out these guns that I am going to forward you one of my personal arms with 6” barrel (Registered No. 468), and I will have it sighted in at 6 o’clock at 25 yards with Mid Range ammunition and will be mighty interested in hearing what your boys think about it.
This must not have been the most efficient system because by 1939, Cy Bassett ordered up three guns to be made specifically for exhibition and demonstration purposes.
These three guns, RM5365, RM5366 and RM 5367, were “…to be held in the shipping room for show purposes…”.
The guns were in the three most popular barrel lengths (3.500”, 6.000” and 8.750”) and fitted with the three most popular front sights (McGivern gold bead, Patridger and Baughman QD w/ plain ramp). Two had hump back hammers and all wore Magna stocks. A bit surprisingly, none sported a Wesson Grip Adapter.
Postal Magnums – I did come across the paperwork for the 15 RM’s (15-gun order: RM2795/53333, RM2796/53335, RM2797/53315, RM2798/53321, RM2800/53323, RM2801/53325, RM2802/53326, RM2803/53328, RM2804/53322, RM2805/53317, RM2806/53329, RM2807/53330, RM2808/53313, RM2809/52777, RM2929/52653) that went to the US Post Office through Springfield Armory. There was quite a bit of paperwork on these guns as they were originally rejected by SA because they initially were not marked as specified in the contract. The factory was given a chance to fix the issue, they did and the Magnums went to the Post office.
So that’s where I am on my Magnum Opus (MAGOPUS) project.
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Best,
RM Vivas
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