Ladysmith

[James K]

I just acquired an S&W Model M .22 HE, Second Model, aka Second Model Ladysmith and have been checking it out. I will try to provide pictures later, though it is not in that great a condition with most of the nickel present but "frosty". Internally, it is near new.

All I can say is add this one to your list of guns NOT to be disassembled. The lockwork is different from other S&W's of the era, and everything inside is TINY. (The seven shot cylinder is the same size as that of the old Model 1 and the rest of the gun is scaled down accordingly.) I have little doubt that they would have been carried by women, though whether the story that they were discontinued when the Wessons heard that they were a favorite of certain "shady ladies" is true or not, I don't know.

Strictly .22 Short or Long (called ".22 S&W" at the time); .22 LR has been known to split cylinders and bulge barrels.

FWIW, the usual story behind the name is that Smith & Wesson made the gun for women, hence a "lady smith", and that was true of the recent J-frame guns made with that name. But that might not have been wholly the case with the original. The Ladysmith came out in 1902. A year or so before the gun was designed, the news had been full of stories about the four month British siege of the Boers in Ladysmith, South Africa. Many Americans admired the Boers for their fight against the British and the name Ladysmith was often used to express sympathy for the farmers ("Boers" in Dutch) who stood up to the mighty British Empire. There was at that time a widespread dislike of the British; later they would be our most loyal ally, but in 1900 memories of the Revolution, War of 1812, and their sympathy for the South in the Civil War still lingered.

Jim

[JT-AR-MG42]

Looking forward to photos.
Haven't seen one in some time, so maybe a J or K (no pun intended) frame in the pics for scale?

JT

[James K]

Here is a pic of the Ladysmith; the monstrous gun beside it is my old Model 36 (J frame).

More pics coming as soon as I downsize them so they will upload,

Jim

[James K]

Here are a couple more:

Jim

[James K]

In the picture of the lockwork, the mainspring tension has been relieved before taking off the sideplate. That should always be done with any S&W revolver to prevent the possibility of breaking the hammer stud if it is supported on only one end.

There are a lot of differences (other than size) between the Ladysmith and the current guns. One is that the crane is not held by the front sideplate screw but by the pin you can see in the frame ahead of it. Removing that pin can damage the frame, and it is best left alone. In the photos, the grips look like ivory, but in fact they are pearl, with gold seals. Absolutely factory.

Edited to add: There is no hammer block safety, so if you ladies are carrying them, don't drop them.

I notice I forgot to replace the upper sideplate screw before taking the pics. I will not retake them; just imagine the screw.

Jim