Posted on 01/03/2023 4:01:29 AM PST by marktwain
It is the money the auction house pockets for their services.
And the buyer pays that? Seems like something the seller would pay.
Later, they produced a load for their navy (same revolver)which was reasonable, about a 200 gr .45 caliber bullet at about 700 fps. As a bureaucracy, when the navy stocks ran low... They discontinued the decent navy cartridge...
They are extremely well built revolvers, but they are slow to reload. I had a chance to grab another of those for a $1000 a few weeks ago... probably should have, but they are a specialty item.
Yes, that is my understanding of why it is called the buyer's premium.
If you don't read the fine print at the auction houses, you will be surprised.
To be fair, RIAC includes the premium when they publish what the item's price was.
“Smith and Wesson #3. Commonly known as the Russian.” [Georgia Girl 2, post 10]
“...In my opinion, they were a good revolver for their time, but they have a reputation for getting dirty and refusing to work. They have a number of precisely fitted parts...” [marktwain, post 9]
“...I can’t get them {44 Russian} to cycle through my 44 Mag lever guns...” [karbine, post 14]
Smith & Wesson’s No. 3 was the first large frame revolver made in America designed from the start to chamber centerfire metallic cartridges. Available a couple year’s before Colt’s Single Action Army, it never attained a similar domestic sales volume. Most were sold on contract to the Imperial Russian government, but not all production was termed the “Russian Model;” to judge by the photo, this Presidential handgun is a New Model 3. Production ceased about 1912.
A modified version designed by George Schofield (brother of John M Schofield, Secretary of War, CG US Army) was adopted as a substitute standard revolver. The War Dept purchased several thousand. Chambered in a 45 cal cartridge slightly shorter than that for Colt’s SAA, the “Schofield Model” earned a reputation for better accuracy but (as marktwain noted) was a bit more delicate and somewhat trickier to work on. And as a hinged frame gun, it was weaker than the solid-frame Colt. Schofields were sold as surplus to Wells Fargo.
The 44 Russian cartridge - the first big-bore round loaded with an inside-lubricated projectile - was developed specifically for the guns sold to the Russian government but soon gained a reputation Stateside for superior accuracy. It became the choice of many handgun competitors in the late 19th century; 200-yd matches were said to be be common. The 44 Special, introduced by S&W in 1907, was its direct descendant. The 44 Magnum round became its grandchild. And the 444 Marlin was a still later offshoot.
Lever actions are notoriously fussy when it comes to feeding cartridges of non-standard length.
Winchester 73 is impossible if fed shorter-than-standard rounds; some Winchester 92s chambered for 44 Magnum feed 44 Russian and Special OK, and some won’t. Same goes for the Marlin 94; my own feeds great but groups abysmally when firing unjacketed bullets (Micro-Groove rifling). I once owned a Rossi 92 in 357 but gave up after 20 years - it never would feed 38 Special. Trying to duplicate the title sequence of “The Rifleman” TV series was a non-starter.
Before this RIA sale, I was not aware that Theodore Roosevelt had ever owned a No. 3. The price is assuredly impressive, but still has a ways to go to equal the RIA auction of a few years ago, where the highest condition Walker Colt initially sold into the civilian trade fetched some $2,600,000.00 if memory serves. Provenance of that was unimpeachable: bought by a Danish ship’s captain. The original bill of sale accompanied it, signed by Sam Colt himself.
The 1873 Ordnance Revolver is another of my favorites. I had 2, sold one. I wound up trimming down 44 Mag cases and reworking the rims to reload that pathetic 11mm French cartridge. I tried some 44 bullets, but mostly just shoot round balls that I tap in with a soft mallet. Again, Trail Boss is the perfect powder—very, very low density and you can fill about any case and push a bullet in without danger of over pressure. Wanted a pair of those ‘73’s and leather shoulder’s like in the movie Mummy. I also have an 1886 Lebel rifle to go with it. SR4759 was the perfect powder for the Lebel, but it was discontinued and now I’m searching the world for it.
Great informational post! I have original Win 73’s and 92’s but nothing in 44cal. I know how important cartridge OAL is from reloading for my 1871 Swiss Vetterli that I converted to center fire. Same type of cartridge lifter as in the Win 73 and Volcanic’s needing perfect OAL. I don’t remember if I tried the 44 Russian loads in my Winchester Model 94 in 44Mag, but they wouldn’t feed in my Marlin. No point really, since I like to load up some Trail Boss 44Mags for relaxed shooting.
The Russian Czar took a liking to it so S&W sold a boatload of them to the Russians who promptly started producing knock offs and sold them all over Europe. The general term for the model 3 used by the people on the frontier was the Russian. From what I’ve read lawmen generally carried the colt peacemaker with the Russian as a backup rather than the primary weapon.
McCarthy sold for $0.24.
“...S&W sold a boatload of them to the Russians who promptly started producing knock offs...general term for the model 3 used by the people on the frontier was the Russian...lawmen generally carried the colt peacemaker with the Russian as a backup rather than the primary weapon.” [Georgia Girl 2, post 28]
No matter who was in charge, the Russians have been remarkably free in producing knockoffs when it has suited.
By production totals if nothing else, S&W’s No. 3 certainly earned the title “Russian.” I’ll defer to your expertise on what users called them within the USA. And as for primary/backup choices, I’ve never read a word.
From what I’ve read, collectors have come up with nomenclature for variants. Hence complex monikers such as “Model No. 3 Third Model Russian.” I think I recall seeing that in _Smith & Wesson 1857-1945_ by Neal & Jinks.
If I can remember their manufacturing history accurately, S&W did not bring out a solid-frame double action handgun until 1893 or so.
Teddy was perhaps the best loved President. He founded the Bull Moose party and lost, was not reelected.
Adulation does not equal electability
President Trump's popularity in the part likely exceeds that of Teddy.
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