11/1/18 - This is an original "first production run" S&W "Bekeart" revolver in very good original condition. These guns were made by S&W starting in 1911-1912 at the request of a well known dealer of the era, Phil Bekeart, who thought that there would be a great demand for these .22 LR target guns, built on .32 frame. S&W designated these guns "Heavy barrel target 22/32" and ended up making over half a million of them over a period of 25 years, owing to the great popularity of these neat, beautifully made pistols with American shooters. The first 1,000 guns were made specifically for Phil Bekeart with some shipped to him and some shipped to other dealers. All had a separate production number stamped on the bottom of the left grip. The guns were equipped with a heavy target barrel, oversized target grips and had a beautiful high polished finish. This gun is serial number 138690 and was part of the first 1,000 pistol run. An early 3-digit production number, 590, is stamped on the bottom of the left grip. The gun is in very good original condition with most of the wear present on the cylinder and the underside of the trigger guard, with about 85% of the bluing remaining overall. Excellent bore and grips without cracks. All matching, including the barrel, frame, cylinder and the grips. A super rare, most desirable variation in original condition. It would be interesting to see if S&W has any factory records available for this gun - we would leave this interesting research opportunity to its new owner.
