Original Item: Only One available. This is an amazing find! Every young "Wild West" fans dream: A real Cowboy Six-shooter! This is a very nice frontier-used Smith & Wesson Russian Second Model No. 3 revolver in .44 Russian, identical to the Russian Contract models, except for the markings. It still retains lots of the original blued finish, and has some very nice well broken in walnut grips. We rarely see examples this nice! The S&W Model No. 3 was introduced in 1869 as the U.S. Army's principal sidearm, which they used until 1873.

This fine example features the standard long 8" barrel of the 2nd Model, with a cylinder capacity of 6 shots, and functions in single-action only. It has the longer ejector housing under the barrel of the 2nd model, and there is no screw on the top above the cylinder, which is correct. The top of the barrel bears all the S. & W. patent dates up to 1869, without any 1871 Reissue marking:

While designed for the Russians, after they reverse engineered the design, Smith & Wesson turned to the commercial market and other Governments to sell the revolver to. The serial number on this example is 10546, found on the bottom of the grip, and stamped onto the inside of right wooden grip scale. Assembly number 415 / B is marked on rear-face of cylinder, barrel latch, barrel extension, and on the right grip frame under the grip scales. That makes this a great "ALL MATCHING" example, with no major parts swapped out over the years.

This is a Top-break revolver, making loading extremely easy and frankly a much better system than the side loading Colts and Mervin & Hulbert revolvers. This was the same model revolver that the famous Lawman Wyatt Earp used in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26th 1881.

Unlike many examples that we see, this revolver cycles very well, with crisp indexing and a solid cylinder lockup. There is a bit of wobble, but we did not notice any of the finicky behavior we often see with revolvers of this age. The revolver breaks open correctly with strong ejection, though we have not tested it on actual cartridges. The bore on the barrel is in very good condition, with strong lands and grooves and a mostly bright finish. There is a bit of light fouling and past oxidation, but for a black powder revolver, it's really in fantastic shape.

Exterior condition is a lovely gray oxidized patina, with some areas of past peppering / pitting, now removed. We have found no traces of nickel plating, so we believe that this revolver was originally blued, with the standard walnut grips. These are in very good condition, though there is a chunk missing from the front toe of the left grip scale.

A very nice frontier used example, completely honest, ready for display! Perfect for any Americana collector!

Specifications: 
Years of Manufacture: 1871
Caliber: .44 Russian
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 8 inches
Overall Length: 13 1/2 inches
Action: Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

More on the "Russian Model" No. 3:
Almost as soon as Smith & Wesson’s Model No. 3 American, the first practical big-bore metallic cartridge revolver, was introduced in 1870, a sample was presented to Russian military attaché Gen. Alexander Gorloff. By May 1, 1871, the first of many large contracts for the Russian military were being filled. The single action handgun also began going through several modifications—most of these alterations were those requested by Russian military officers at the factory. A major change they required was a newer, more powerful cartridge than its .44 American round. S&W developed the .44 S&W Russian, resulting in the retooling to fit the Russian ammunition for the Russian contracts as well as for commercial sales. Thus, the First Model Russian looked virtually identical to its American predecessor.

History of the Smith & Wesson Model No. 3
The Smith & Wesson Model 3 was a single-action, cartridge-firing, top-break revolver produced by Smith & Wesson from circa 1870 to 1915.

It was produced in several variations and sub-variations, including both the "Russian Model", so named because it was supplied to the military of the Russian Empire (41,000 No. 3's were ordered in .44 caliber by the Imperial Russian Army in 1871), and the "Schofield" model, named after Major George W. Schofield, who made his own modifications to the Model 3 to meet his perceptions of the Cavalry's needs. Smith & Wesson incorporated these modifications into an 1875 design they named after the Major, planning to obtain significant military contracts for the new revolver.

The S&W Model 3 was originally chambered for the .44 S&W American and .44 Russian cartridges, and typically did not have the cartridge information stamped on the gun (as is standard practice for most commercial firearms). Model 3 revolvers were later produced in an assortment of calibers, including .44 Henry Rimfire, .44-40, .32-44, .38-44, and .45 Schofield. The design would influence the smaller S&W .38 Single Action that is retroactively referred to as the Model 2.