Did S&W ever make a tiny stainless revolver,,,

A

aarondhgraham

New member
Like or near like the NAA Mini revolvers?

The reason I am asking is that I have a space in a case to fill.

I have put together a set of stainless S&W Revolvers:
S&W 629 in .44 Mag,
S&W 686 in .357 Mag,
S&W 67 in .38 Special,
S&W 63 in .22 Long Rifle.

I've considered adding a non-S&W to the mix,,,
An NAA Mini revolver in .22 short just for the heck of it,,,
But a friend says S&W actually made something like it at one time.

I do recall from my dim past a single-shot .22 derringer,,,
But was it S&W and was it stainless steel?

If you know of a .22 pistol that is teeny-tiny and is stainless steel other than the NAA models please let me know of it.

Pics would be greatly appreciated.

I'm in the process of making the display case for my 4 guns,,,
I would like to know if I need to plan a spot for a fifth.

Thanks gentlemen,,,

Aarond

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Not as small as the NAA revolvers.

The M frame .22s were, however, quite a bit smaller than even the old I frames, which were a bit smaller than the modern J frames.

Question is, how much money do you have to spend to fill that hole in your case?

A decent condition M frame can easily start at four figures.
 
Hello Mike,,,

A decent condition M frame can easily start at four figures.
Click to expand...

Ouch!

I think the little single-shots I referred to were Colts,,,
So, an NAA Mini it probably is then.

Unless S&W made a stainless steel derringer,,,
Any info on that option?

Aarond

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No. They never made a stainless steel derringer.

The closest thing they made was a very small .22 semi-auto called the Escort.

8e826f592e7938d0cab05246d17ec360.jpg
 
Mike,,,

I dub you the Font of All Knowledge, Smith & Wesson.

Thanks my friend,,,

This could be an option,,,
Now to GunBroker.com to hunt.

Aarond

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I have been desperately waiting for S&W to make a pocket revolver smaller than a J frame chambered for the .32 caliber, preferably .32 H&R. It may never happen but a man can dream. I know all about the I frames before someone chimes in, but they are marginally smaller than a J frame.
 
As has been mentioned, the smallest hand ejectors ever made by S&W were the M-Frame "Ladysmiths" in .22 S&W (.22 Long). Because these revolvers were discontinued in the early 1920's (1921 IIRC), none were ever made in stainless steel although you might find one in nickel. Legend has it that these D.B. Wesson made the decision to discontinue the M-Frame because they were favored by "ladies of the night" and he did not want his product associated with "the oldest profession," though the truth of that story cannot be verified.
 
A decent condition M frame can easily start at four figures.
Click to expand...
In addition, many M frames have cracked forcing cones, including many otherwise "decent" ones. :(

The gun is designed for .22 Long but will chamber and fire .22LR. Many owners did not understand this, due to the non-standard ".22 S&W CTG." barrel rollmark, an artifact from a long-abandoned ploy to sell S&W-branded .22 Long ammo. :rolleyes: .22LR ammo will crack the forcing cone, particularly high-velocity .22LR, which was rare when these guns were built but is the de facto standard today.

These guns also have a notoriously fragile DA trigger mechanism that uses many parts made of Unobtanium, an exceedingly rare metal also used in 1960s Lamborghini steering parts, Mazda 323 GTX strut cartridges, and Kinner airplane engines. ;)
 
Another more affordable option for a smaller S&W revolver might be to look for an I-Frame which was the slightly smaller predecessor to the J-Frame. I-Frames were made in three calibers: .22 Long Rifle (.22/32 Target), .32 S&W Long (.32 Hand Ejector and .32 Regulation Police), and .38 S&W (.38 Terrier and .38 Regulation Police). The I-Frames were actually the first hand ejectors (introduced in 1896) and were made, IIRC, into the early 1960's.

After 1958, the aforementioned models received model numbers as did the rest of S&W's line and the .22/32 Target became the Models 34 (4" Kit Gun) and 35 (6" Target), the .32 Hand Ejector became the Model 30, the .32 Regulation Police became the Model 31, the .38 Terrier became the Model 32, and the .38 Regulation Police became the Model 33. Be aware, however, that model number guns may be either I-Frames or J-Frames as the model numbers were not changed after the I-Frame was discontinued (the Models 30, 32, 33, and 35 were produced into the 1970's on the J-Frame).

As with the M-Frames, no I-Frames were ever made in stainless but you may be able to find a nickel example. Also, If you come across a cosmetically challenged example that is in good mechanical shape for a good enough price, it could be worth the time and money to have it refinished to a satin nickle or hard chrome finish to make it look more like stainless in order to complete your "set".
 
"Legend has it that these D.B. Wesson made the decision to discontinue the M-Frame because they were favored by "ladies of the night" and he did not want his product associated with "the oldest profession," though the truth of that story cannot be verified."

Uhm...

It's VERY easy to verify that Daniel Baird Wesson NEVER made that decision.

He died in 1906, while the third model LadySmith was discontinued in 1921.

Daniel Baird Wesson II, D.B.'s great grandson, couldn't have made that decision, either. He was born in 1916.
 
It's VERY easy to verify that Daniel Baird Wesson NEVER made that decision.

He died in 1906, while the third model LadySmith was discontinued in 1921.

Daniel Baird Wesson II, D.B.'s great grandson, couldn't have made that decision, either. He was born in 1916.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I should have been more specific as to which D.B. Wesson I was referring:o

If my history is correct, Douglas B. Wesson (one of the most famous users of the .357 Magnum upon its debut) was president of S&W when the M-Frames were discontinued in 1921. Apparently, the Wesson family preferred to have as few sets of initials as possible:eek:
 
The story has always referenced the founder of the company, Daniel B. Wesson, who was rather Victorian and puritanical in his outlook. Jinks even makes reference to it having been the original DB Wesson who ordered the M frame to be discontinued.

Douglas Wesson was not president of the company in 1921 when the M frame was discontinued.

Harold Wesson was named president in 1920. Douglas was a trustee of the company, but I doubt that he would have been able to order a product line to be discontinued.

Douglas Wesson's main claim to fame was his being the driving force behind S&W taking Phil Sharp's work with up-powered .38 Specials and getting the company behind the concept of the .357 Magnum.
 
Thanks for all of the kind responses,,,

I was considering adding something to the 4-gun set I call The Harem,,,
01-harem.jpg

A teeny-tiny gun like an NAA Mini would be perfect.

But I don't think I want to add something that isn't S&W,,,
And while that Escort is as cute as a bugs ear,,,
It's a semi so it doesn't fit the theme either.

The Harem stays at four revolvers.

Thanks for the info my friends,,,
As always, I learned something new.

Aarond

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I see a couple of these Freedom Arms ...mini revolvers at the gun shows..most months...

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...C54D3E137CCD31688E98A2A298BA4975123&first=141

and I'm a big S&W fan too ....these are some of my .357's mag's ...
http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=82015&d=1339792625

but I don't adding a 4 3/4" barrel Freedom Arms revolver to the mix is necessarily a bad thing ...like this one I ordered and received a few weeks ago. This one is in .357 mag as well.

Handguns - .44 mag's Nov 2009 013.jpg

Handguns - Freedom Arms Mod 83 003.jpg Here is the Freedom Arms ...next to a S&W model 27-2 4" in Nickel ..( and a Henry rifle in .357 mag too ) ....I'm kind of addicted to the .357 mag caliber...
 
Hey BigJimP,,,

Adding a freedom arms to a collection isn't a bad ideas at all,,,
But this is a themed set of revolvers so it wouldn't fit well.

N-frame in .44 Mag
L-frame in .357 Mag
K-frame in .38 Special
J-frame in .22 LR

The 5th gun would have to be tiny and preferably chambered in .22 Short.

I could always get that one NAA Mini that fits the bill,,,
But it wouldn't be a S&W set then.

Oh well,,,
It's good as it is.

Aarond

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You're collection is very nice....but you have some holes now ...not to aggravate you buddy ....stainless and Nickel mix pretty well ....in my opinion...

but there are no N frames in your collection in .357 mag ( mod 27's, 28's, 627's ) ..

No K frames in .357 mag ....( mod 19's, 66's )....
K frame ...model 18's ..( Nickel is rare, but they're out there ) or maybe a 617..

( but we all have to have limits in this hobby !! ) I understand...
 
Hey Jim,,,

I wouldn't call The Harem a collection,,,
I would use the term Set.

What I wanted was one gun in each frame size,,,
And a representation of the 4 most popular cartridges.

I admire your collection of .357's,,,
They be some slick looking shooters for sure. :)

One hole in my collection could be filled by a Model 19/66,,,
Although I would probably never shoot .357 rounds,,,
I'm a fan of the venerable .38 Special round.

My favorite revolver to shoot is my S&W Model 15,,,
Although I am shooting the Model 67 more often,,,
It's so darned much easier to clean stainless. :o

The Harem actually has a use though,,,
I take a lot of newbies out shooting,,,
The Harem is a perfect set for that,,,
We start with the .22 and work up.

Aarond

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Hey, I understand...we approach the same hobby ( collecting and shooting S&W revolvers ) from a little different perspective....but its all good !

With new shooters - in revolvers...I do something very similar ...K frame model 18 in .22 lr in 4" / K frame mod 66 ( in .38's ) in 4" ..usually go to a N frame ( mod 27 ) or L frame mod 686 in .357 mag - for more weight ...

Everybody should collect and shoot what they love.

( I had the 4" mod 27 Nickel and the Freedom Arms ...at my range yesterday with 4 boxes of .357 mag ..../ and a very nice 1911 in 9mm and 4 boxes ...and had a great time ...). I even ran some tactical drills with the model 27 ....draw from a holster... triple tap ( 2 in chest / 1 in head ) ...in under 5 sec ( targets started at 6 Ft, then 9, 12, 15, 21, 24, 27 and 30 Ft ) and while I'm quicker with a good 1911 ...I did pretty well with the model 27. I was able to do it - with the Freedom Arms as well ...from the low ready ...( which is kind of cheating ) ....but still fun. ( I play a game ...if I miss a shot, or go over time ...I drop $ 0.25 in the Pizza kitty ...) ...and there were no donations yesterday !!

good way to get some practice in ...and amuse myself for about 3 hours...
 
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