Mike Irwin- Ever seen one of these?

SaxonPig · April 1, 2014, 03:26 PM

My friend's 10" Registered Magnum.

**Mike Irwin** · April 1, 2014, 04:19 PM

Not with a 10" barrel, I've not. Does he have the registration certificate, too?

Somewhere around here I have a link to an original price list for all of the options and features that were offered. IIRC each half inch of barrel over 6" cost $1.50 or something like that.

**Mike Irwin** · April 1, 2014, 04:23 PM

Nothing I've got that I can lay my hands on quickly mentions a 10" barrel. I suspect that was an extra special order and very possibly one of the very few with a barrel that long.

If he's got all the goodies he's got a very pricy gun.

glenncal1 · April 2, 2014, 03:57 PM

Is it lettered?

**Tom Servo** · April 2, 2014, 05:14 PM

I thought they capped out at 8 3/8", but I could be wrong.

**Mike Irwin** · April 2, 2014, 05:55 PM

Back then, with the right money, you could pretty much get what you wanted

BigG · April 2, 2014, 06:01 PM

IIRC, 8 3/4" was the longest advertised. It was reduced to 8 3/8" when that added up to the NRA longest sight radius allowed.

GaryED50 · April 2, 2014, 06:01 PM

Talk about Buntline Wyatt Earp would love this

Gary

**Mike Irwin** · April 3, 2014, 06:50 AM

"It was reduced to 8 3/8" when that added up to the NRA longest sight radius allowed."

Is that true?

It would explain how they ended up with such an odd measurement.

**44 AMP** · April 3, 2014, 11:20 AM

Can't say its true, and I won't say it's not, but there's been talk!...

Unban legend (quite possibly true) says that while any barrel length was available as a special order, 8 3/4" was the longest standard offered length, and it was reduced to 8 3/8" a bit later to comply with NRA match rules for max sight radius.

Perfectly understandable, from a business standpoint, as the tiny difference in length is essentially meaningless from a practical standpoint, and making a gun that can be used in the matches broadens the sales potential.

GaryED50 · April 3, 2014, 12:08 PM

I know barrel length really doesn't effect black powder velocity but it can aid smokeless right?

Gary

Grant D · April 3, 2014, 12:23 PM

I looked at that, and the first thing that came to mind was Danny Vermin's ".88 Magnum" in "Johnny Dangerously"

His was a Colt New Service though.

Awesome revolver, I like it!

Sevens · April 3, 2014, 12:58 PM

I think it would be awfully interesting to find a value on something like that. Of course, the picture doesn't tell us a lot about it's condition and we've heard nothing about what ever else he has with it...

There's an outfit called Fugate Firearms that would be a pretty good source to give an opinion on it. Nice guys, too.

SaxonPig · April 3, 2014, 04:14 PM

Every April 1st I post this on the S&W Forum but so many folks get mad that it gets immediately deleted any more. I think they were embarrassed at trying to buy this gun from me the first time I posted it.

Yes, the RMs started out with a max barrel length of 8 & 3/4" and this was reduced to 8 & 3/8s because on an N frame that makes the max allowable sight radius for competition.

No RMs were made with a barrel longer than 8 & 3/4".

**Mike Irwin** · April 3, 2014, 04:22 PM

"No RMs were made with a barrel longer than 8 & 3/4"."

I've heard rumors about them existing for years, though. At the time, S&W was supposedly capable of making barrels of pretty much any length.

The one thing I've learned to say, even on April 1, is nothing is impossible if you've got the money to have it done.

Sevens · April 4, 2014, 01:01 PM

Quote:

The one thing I've learned to say, even on April 1, is nothing is impossible if you've got the money to have it done.

Well, neat little axiom, but you're suggesting here that MONEY... could change history. Perhaps you meant MONEY in like 1935 to 1940, or whenever the RM's ended.

**44 AMP** · April 4, 2014, 01:13 PM

One thing nearly all the gunmakers did before WWII was, to one degree or another, the whole factory was the "custom shop".

Meaning, some, if not most would build you anything you wanted, and paid the premium for, (within physical limiitations) even when it was outside the standard offerings of features.

Today, if you want a combination of features the factory doesn't offer, they will still make it for you, if you order a few hundred (or more) guns at once.

One thing I've learned, like the Bond movie title "Never say Never".....

mete · April 4, 2014, 02:55 PM

One of the oddest guns is a Remington 'double barrel' pistol .Normally short barrels but this one had 6" barrels. No documentation but appears to be the real thing as you could get special features back then.

Jim Watson · April 4, 2014, 03:22 PM

The Registered Magnum was introduced with up to an 8 3/4" barrel for the NRA maximum 10" sight radius.
It was reduced to 8 3/8" when somebody noticed an obscure rule going back to the days of single shot target pistols that said the maximum barrel length OR barrel plus cylinder length was 10".

SaxonPig · April 4, 2014, 04:29 PM

Anything is possible. But the fact is that S&W never made a 10" RM. You can say they would have had someone thrown money at them, and that's likely true, but nobody ever did and they never made one. All of the RMs produced have been cataloged by barrel length and it is known which barrel lengths were manufactured and in what numbers. I created that image in PhotoShop and the very serious collectors on the S&W Forum got very angry when I fooled them with that image.

Jim Watson · April 4, 2014, 06:57 PM

Once the maximum barrel length based on NRA rules was decided, I figure they made forging dies to suit. It would not have been a matter of a special order to have a longer barrel made and installed. Not like the plain round barrel of a Colt.

GM1967 · April 4, 2014, 08:40 PM

GrantD, I also thought of "Johnny Dangerously" as soon as I saw the picture of that gun

SaxonPig · April 4, 2014, 09:15 PM

There was one customer with very deep pockets who ordered a pair of RMs with one being in 22 Long Rifle. I have heard big time collectors hint that the 22 is in a private collection. Nobody I know has any idea what that would have cost back when a "standard" RM retailed for $60.

James K · April 6, 2014, 07:08 PM

If the owner has the registration certificate, it will give the original barrel length.

Jim

April 1, 2014, 03:26 PM	#1
SaxonPig Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2006 Posts: 1,900	Mike Irwin- Ever seen one of these? My friend's 10" Registered Magnum.

April 1, 2014, 04:19 PM	#2
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	Not with a 10" barrel, I've not. Does he have the registration certificate, too? Somewhere around here I have a link to an original price list for all of the options and features that were offered. IIRC each half inch of barrel over 6" cost $1.50 or something like that. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

April 1, 2014, 04:23 PM	#3
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	Nothing I've got that I can lay my hands on quickly mentions a 10" barrel. I suspect that was an extra special order and very possibly one of the very few with a barrel that long. If he's got all the goodies he's got a very pricy gun. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

April 2, 2014, 03:57 PM	#4
glenncal1 Senior Member Join Date: April 21, 2009 Location: Denver area Posts: 504	Is it lettered? __________________ Jim Many K and N Frames

April 2, 2014, 05:14 PM	#5
Tom Servo Staff Join Date: September 27, 2008 Location: Foothills of the Appalachians Posts: 13,059	I thought they capped out at 8 3/8", but I could be wrong. __________________ Sometimes it’s nice not to destroy the world for a change. --Randall Munroe

April 2, 2014, 05:55 PM	#6
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	Back then, with the right money, you could pretty much get what you wanted

April 2, 2014, 06:01 PM	#7
BigG Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 1999 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 4,334	IIRC, 8 3/4" was the longest advertised. It was reduced to 8 3/8" when that added up to the NRA longest sight radius allowed. __________________ o "The Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching." Assyrian tablet, c. 2800 BC o "In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." Mark Twain o "They have gun control in Cuba. They have universal health care in Cuba. So why do they want to come here?" Paul Harvey o TODAY WE CARVE OUT OUR OWN OMENS! Leonidas, Thermopylae, 480 BC

April 2, 2014, 06:01 PM	#8
GaryED50 Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2012 Location: Dawsonville Georgia Posts: 542	Talk about Buntline Wyatt Earp would love this Gary

April 3, 2014, 06:50 AM	#9
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	"It was reduced to 8 3/8" when that added up to the NRA longest sight radius allowed." Is that true? It would explain how they ended up with such an odd measurement. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

April 3, 2014, 11:20 AM	#10
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,846	Can't say its true, and I won't say it's not, but there's been talk!... Unban legend (quite possibly true) says that while any barrel length was available as a special order, 8 3/4" was the longest standard offered length, and it was reduced to 8 3/8" a bit later to comply with NRA match rules for max sight radius. Perfectly understandable, from a business standpoint, as the tiny difference in length is essentially meaningless from a practical standpoint, and making a gun that can be used in the matches broadens the sales potential. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

April 3, 2014, 12:08 PM	#11
GaryED50 Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2012 Location: Dawsonville Georgia Posts: 542	I know barrel length really doesn't effect black powder velocity but it can aid smokeless right? Gary

April 3, 2014, 12:23 PM	#12
Grant D Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 2011 Location: Brazos County, Texas Posts: 1,038	I looked at that, and the first thing that came to mind was Danny Vermin's ".88 Magnum" in "Johnny Dangerously" His was a Colt New Service though. Awesome revolver, I like it!

April 3, 2014, 12:58 PM	#13
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	I think it would be awfully interesting to find a value on something like that. Of course, the picture doesn't tell us a lot about it's condition and we've heard nothing about what ever else he has with it... There's an outfit called Fugate Firearms that would be a pretty good source to give an opinion on it. Nice guys, too. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

April 3, 2014, 04:14 PM	#14
SaxonPig Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2006 Posts: 1,900	Every April 1st I post this on the S&W Forum but so many folks get mad that it gets immediately deleted any more. I think they were embarrassed at trying to buy this gun from me the first time I posted it. Yes, the RMs started out with a max barrel length of 8 & 3/4" and this was reduced to 8 & 3/8s because on an N frame that makes the max allowable sight radius for competition. No RMs were made with a barrel longer than 8 & 3/4".

April 3, 2014, 04:22 PM	#15
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	"No RMs were made with a barrel longer than 8 & 3/4"." I've heard rumors about them existing for years, though. At the time, S&W was supposedly capable of making barrels of pretty much any length. The one thing I've learned to say, even on April 1, is nothing is impossible if you've got the money to have it done. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

April 4, 2014, 01:13 PM	#17
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,846	One thing nearly all the gunmakers did before WWII was, to one degree or another, the whole factory was the "custom shop". Meaning, some, if not most would build you anything you wanted, and paid the premium for, (within physical limiitations) even when it was outside the standard offerings of features. Today, if you want a combination of features the factory doesn't offer, they will still make it for you, if you order a few hundred (or more) guns at once. One thing I've learned, like the Bond movie title "Never say Never"..... __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

April 4, 2014, 02:55 PM	#18
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	One of the oddest guns is a Remington 'double barrel' pistol .Normally short barrels but this one had 6" barrels. No documentation but appears to be the real thing as you could get special features back then. __________________ And Watson , bring your revolver !

April 4, 2014, 03:22 PM	#19
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,543	The Registered Magnum was introduced with up to an 8 3/4" barrel for the NRA maximum 10" sight radius. It was reduced to 8 3/8" when somebody noticed an obscure rule going back to the days of single shot target pistols that said the maximum barrel length OR barrel plus cylinder length was 10".

April 4, 2014, 04:29 PM	#20
SaxonPig Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2006 Posts: 1,900	Anything is possible. But the fact is that S&W never made a 10" RM. You can say they would have had someone thrown money at them, and that's likely true, but nobody ever did and they never made one. All of the RMs produced have been cataloged by barrel length and it is known which barrel lengths were manufactured and in what numbers. I created that image in PhotoShop and the very serious collectors on the S&W Forum got very angry when I fooled them with that image.

April 4, 2014, 06:57 PM	#21
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,543	Once the maximum barrel length based on NRA rules was decided, I figure they made forging dies to suit. It would not have been a matter of a special order to have a longer barrel made and installed. Not like the plain round barrel of a Colt.

April 4, 2014, 08:40 PM	#22
GM1967 Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2010 Location: Delaware - formerly NJ Posts: 276	GrantD, I also thought of "Johnny Dangerously" as soon as I saw the picture of that gun

April 4, 2014, 09:15 PM	#23
SaxonPig Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2006 Posts: 1,900	There was one customer with very deep pockets who ordered a pair of RMs with one being in 22 Long Rifle. I have heard big time collectors hint that the 22 is in a private collection. Nobody I know has any idea what that would have cost back when a "standard" RM retailed for $60.

April 6, 2014, 07:08 PM	#24
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	If the owner has the registration certificate, it will give the original barrel length. Jim