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LOT 105
Famed Marksman and Olympian Walter Winans Shipped, Inscribed Smith & Wesson New Model No. 3 Target Revolver with Rare Long Extractor and Factory Letter - Serial no. 28023, 44 S&W Russian cal., 6 1/2 inch solid rib bbl., blue finish, hard rubber grips. The accompanying factory letter lists this revolver with a 6 1⁄2 inch barrel (caliber not listed), adjustable rear target sight, blue finish and black hard rubber grips. This revolver was part of a shipment containing four units of this model that was shipped on January 5, 1893 and delivered to famed marksman and Olympian Walter Winans, London, England. The revolver also features the rare special order long extractor housing. The revolver in the previous lot was also part of this January 5, 1893 shipment delivered to Winans and it too has the long extractor housing. Known to us is a second January 5, 1893 dated shipment bound for England which contained 10 New Model
No. 3 target revolvers invoiced to Birmingham retailer W.C. Scott & Sons. At least one of the 10 revolvers, no. 27906, ended up in the hands of Winans and is also in this auction.
The Standard Catalog (page 103) confirms that Winans received 22 New Model No. 3 revolvers. On this revolver British proofs appear on the barrel and each cylinder flute, and matching serial numbers
are on the butt, right grip panel, cylinder and barrel. The side plate is lightly marked, likely in Winans’ own hand, “44” for the caliber .44 S&W Russian. Winans’ engraved “WW” initials appear just behind the hammer, and the back strap is inscribed “SLIDING 1893.” The back strap inscription likely references a shooting match involving sliding targets that occurred in 1893. In “Automatic Pistol Shooting,” Winans recounted one such sliding target match: “I remember on one occasion I had five shots in one ragged hole at ‘V o’clock’ in the ‘bull’ on the sliding target; and for fear lest I should put my last shot through the same hole and have it counted as a miss, I tried to hit the ‘bull’ at ‘X o’clock’ clear of that hole, and got just out of the bull.” In 1893, Winans was the winner of the North London Revolver Championship with a score of 205 out of a possible 210. More impressively he took 13 first prizes at Bisley that year. He was one of the most famous
and highly esteemed handgun shooters of the late
19th and early 20th centuries. “The Chicago Chronicle”
put it best when it opined, “The finest revolver shot in
the world, so far as gallery practice is concerned, is probably
Walter Winans, whose records at the galleries in London in
off-hand shooting with heavy caliber revolvers has never been
authentically beaten” (21 June 1896). Winans went on to become a
three time Olympic medalist winning the gold in running deer shooting
in 1908 (double shot) and the silver in 1912 (team). He also won a gold
medal in 1912 for his sculpture “An American Trotter”. He is the only American to win
a medals in shooting and art. His Olympic career was not without controversy. At the 1908 Olympics, Winans’ eligibility as an American competitor was questioned because he had never set foot in the United States. Winans was born to American parents in
St. Petersburg, Russia where he lived for the first 18 years of his life. Before taking up residence in England, Winans took the oath of allegiance at the U.S. Embassy. He did not visit the U.S. until he was 58 years old. To compete at the Olympic Games, Winans was required to swear his allegiance to the U.S. Consul General.
CONDITION: Exceptionally fine, retaining 90% original bright blue finish with brown patina and high edge wear on the balance. Nearly 97% original case colors remain
on the hammer and trigger guard. The grips are also exceptionally fine with minimal minor handling marks and crisp checkering overall. Mechanically excellent. A prized Winans shipped and inscribed New Model No. 3 deserving of the most advanced S&W collections.
Provenance: The Dr. Gerald Klaz Collection.
Estimate: 8,000 - 11,000
Collector’s Fact
This revolver was in the same shipment to as the previous lot, to Olympic Shooter Walter Winans.