Found Holy Grail of Rare S&W Revolvers

C

centag

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I was perusing the Gunbroker auctions for used Smith and found one I had not heard of. The model 56 2" USAF snub nosed revolver. It is so rare that there is not even a photo of one for its entry in the new SCS&W. It is so rare that there is not a single Tube video for this revolver. One auction house listed them as likely to be unavailable. That got my attention.

The photos on GB were not of the quality that one would expect for an expensive purchase of a (theoretically) Unicorn handgun. That was something in my favor. Only the foolhardy would the bid need to be for this one. My S&W gun addiction kicked in and I started bidding. In the end it was mano e mano between two of us. MrTrolleyguy verus Wormy99. He stopped at $5,500.00

So did I win or did I pee away five grand, eh? You tell me.

If I collected rare US military revolvers I would be jealous and green with envy. For them it would be a good price. They have sold between $9,000 and $12,000. On the low side in 2008 (I think it was 08) someone did not realize what they had and sold it for $2,500 with extras. I doubt that they will go down in value.

There are other types of collector who have been hunting for one for years.

How many people have a model 56? Of the the 15,205 produced only 20 to 25 are in civilian possession. The Springfield Armory Museum bought four of them but they are not on display now.

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Last "Model 56" I saw at a gun show was an obvious fake...

The serial number wasn't anywhere near the correct range, and the barrel?

No pin, which means that the gun had been produced post 1983 or so.

Didn't stop the clown who had it from pricing it at $9,500.

I laughed and walked away.
 
I'm curious to know more about why there are so few of them? USAF tried something different and it didn't pan out? When were these made? J or K frame? And is the low numbers the sole reason for the high value? I see it has a ramp front sight with a target rear.. Is there something about the configuration that adds to the scarcity and value of it?? In other words, is it the fact that it was USAF issue alone that makes it valuable or is there something different about it's config that has not been done since as well?

Either way, congrats on a cool acquisition :)
 
I had to look this up and never heard of a Model 56 before. I have the book on S&W but never read it page by page. Here's a quote:

"Serial number range K500001-K515205 15,205 manufactured, most are reported as destroyed. Exceptional military collectors item. Produced circa 1962-1963."

Supica, Jim; Nahas, Richard. Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson (Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson) (Kindle Locations 8624-8625). F+W Media. Kindle Edition.

Apparently, this model later became S&W's Model 15, which must not have yet existed. I don't know why the Mod. 56 was designed or whether it was ever adapted and saw use. I don't know why most were destroyed, but this seems to be the U.S. Government's current method of guns it no longer wants to keep (some type of policy or law). If it was for the USAF, was it for pilots, air-crew, or for the Office of Special Investigations (OSI), I don't know. Perhaps someone else here can enlighten us.
 
Apparently, this model later became S&W's Model 15, which must not have yet existed.
Click to expand...

I've never heard of the M56 and I'm also curious about it but they're not the genesis of the M15. Originally the M15 was called the K38 Combat Masterpiece and came from the K38 Target Masterpiece. Started about 1949-50. Looking at the pic the rear sight is unique but I wonder what else is different.
 
Wow very cool revolver, historically and rarity wise. When I looked at the first picture picture I thought: "is that a model 36?" Nope.
 
Apparently, this model later became S&W's Model 15, which must not have yet existed.
Click to expand...

The Model 56 is indeed basically a Model 15-2. But, the Model 15 was originally made as the Combat Masterpiece in 1952. The "Model 15" was the designation they gave the CM in 1957 when they switched over to the model numbering system.

Now just why they called it a M56 is something of a mystery.
 
Funny. My wife and mother were discussing expensive dolls, Hummel figurines, and the like because there are glass cabinets in my parents house with lots of them.

I mentioned to them guns basically NEVER depreciate.

Will need to save this thread
 
Wow, that is some price. Congrats on the new addition, I'm sure it will fill a special place in your collection.
 
That revolver is like a Bigfoot. I have read about it years ago... but never saw one and had doubts it existed. Very rare and cool! Belongs in a museum! Nice pictures by the way! Very clear.
 
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