#275 - S&W Model of 1950 Target

 There are said to be only six of these guns made with a 3 1/2" barrel...This one is documented by letter to have had three different barrel lengths, all from the factory...It was obviously ordered and customized for a very demanding client...My extensive research has yet to identify that enduser...I even did a FOIA request on the serial number to no avail...I left the trigger shoe on it as the previous carrier preferred...The stocks were modified for concealed carry and this modification may have been the inspiration for the later PC Magnas offered by the factory...The box is the same one that was first used to ship the gun when it left as a 5"...Read the documentation below for the clues...All the factory rework stamps are where they would be expected...I sourced a JT Lloyd Distributor catalog to add to the provenance here, but strangely the S&W gun pages are blank, another mystery...No value has yet been set for this gun...

Additional thoughts: This was a single gun order in an era when production was still shifting from wartime to civilian demand and gunmakers were struggling to fill orders for distributors and stores which would typically order many more guns than they expected to receive in order to get as many as possible...A large established distributor like JT Lloyd would have only turned in an order for a single gun for a very important or influential client, such as a law enforcement department chief, a county sheriff, a high ranking federal agent, a state government official or even the leader of a financial institution accustomed to carrying large sums of money...

This leads me to think this gun was carried and expected to be accurate, reliable and depended upon by a very demanding client who knew exactly what he (or even she so as not to discount the abilities of half the population) needed in a defensive tool...The trigger on this gun is incredibly smooth which further enhances my thoughts of a demanding client...I suspect the carrier may have previously carried a 5" barreled gun in a different caliber which would explain the 5" choice in the original order...The later factory modification to 3 1/2" might have been the result in a change of clothing choice which would have led to a need for concealed carry...

The above thoughts are mere speculation on my part as I continue my research into the identity of the original owner...Anyone with suggestions is welcome to submit a comment which I will certainly consider...At this moment my research leads me into area news and history sources from that era for leads to the mystery owner...