The New Model No. 3 was first introduced in 1878, and would become the most popular single-action revolver S&W produced. Over its 34 year production run 48,713 pieces were made, including the 44 rim fire Turkish Model, the .44 Frontier, the .320 Revolving Rifle, and the .32-44 and .38-44 Target models. The New Model No. 3 was available in a total of 14 calibers. It's the target models I want to describe in more detail.
Before continuing, we need to differentiate between the true target models, and the target configuration of the regular New Model No. 3. The latter was a .44 Russian caliber revolver fitted with adjustable sights and the normal, rebounding hammer of the New Model No. 3, whereas the former came only in 32-44 and 38-44 calibers, and had the rebounding hammer eliminated. It was believed that a non-rebounding hammer made for a crisper trigger pull, and made the gun more accurate.
The target versions of the New Model No. 3 were the idea of famous American pistol shot Ira Paine, who worked closely with Smith & Wesson. Paine preferred the S&W No. 3 frame revolvers for his exhibition and competitive matches, using the .44 Russian cartridge. When he approached Daniel Baird Wesson with his idea of a smaller caliber built on the same frame as the .44, Wesson was very interested. Paine's reasoning was that many target shooters would value a smaller, "gentler" caliber gun for accurate target work. Target shooting was a huge sport at the time, and having the most accurate target revolver on the market would bring S&W enormeous publicity and reputation. The result were the .32-44 and .38-44 Target Models, introduced in 1887. The Target Model was numbered in its own range, from 1 to 4,333, with 2,930 made in .32-44, and 1,413 in .38-44. The earliest specimens were fitted with the shorter, 1 7/16 inch cylinder, while later models have the 1 9/16 inch cylinder. Standard barrel length is 6 1/2 inches, however some special order lengths are known to exist. The catridges used in the target models were also a special invention developed by Smith & Wesson: both the 32 and 38 calibers had an extra long case into which the bullet was seated with the nose flush with the rim of the cartridge. They were not crimped, and could be had as a round ball or "picket" shaped bullet, in various weights and powder loads. By all accounts, this was the world's most accurate target revolver at the time, dominating international competitions for many years. Sales were brisk in the beginning, however by 1891 the hype had worn off, and sales slowed significantly. It would seem that many target shooters still preferred the heftier .44 Russian cartridge which was also much easier and more reliably available than the .32-44 and .38-44 ammunition. S&W continued to sell the target models from inventory until 1910, when they were removed from the catalogue.
For the collector, there are many variants of either model available - various barrel addresses, caliber markings and styles of sights could make this a challenging specialty. For the shooter, the .32-44 is compatible with the 32 S&W Long cartridge, and even smokeless loads should be safe due to the thick cylinder and barrel walls. The 38-44 is compatible with a .38 Special, if a wad-cutter bullet is used. This one is easy to reload with .38 Special or .357 Magnum reloading equipment as long as the amount of powder is adjusted and the bullet seated deep enough to clear the front of the cylinder.
Two early specimens of the .32-44 Target Model. The top one has a rare fixed rear sight which was only applied to this model from 1887 to 1889.
Original .32-44 and .38-44 target ammunition
38-44 Target Model, Factory restored in 1922, "Lyman Bead" target sights, ca. 1895
Before continuing, we need to differentiate between the true target models, and the target configuration of the regular New Model No. 3. The latter was a .44 Russian caliber revolver fitted with adjustable sights and the normal, rebounding hammer of the New Model No. 3, whereas the former came only in 32-44 and 38-44 calibers, and had the rebounding hammer eliminated. It was believed that a non-rebounding hammer made for a crisper trigger pull, and made the gun more accurate.
The target versions of the New Model No. 3 were the idea of famous American pistol shot Ira Paine, who worked closely with Smith & Wesson. Paine preferred the S&W No. 3 frame revolvers for his exhibition and competitive matches, using the .44 Russian cartridge. When he approached Daniel Baird Wesson with his idea of a smaller caliber built on the same frame as the .44, Wesson was very interested. Paine's reasoning was that many target shooters would value a smaller, "gentler" caliber gun for accurate target work. Target shooting was a huge sport at the time, and having the most accurate target revolver on the market would bring S&W enormeous publicity and reputation. The result were the .32-44 and .38-44 Target Models, introduced in 1887. The Target Model was numbered in its own range, from 1 to 4,333, with 2,930 made in .32-44, and 1,413 in .38-44. The earliest specimens were fitted with the shorter, 1 7/16 inch cylinder, while later models have the 1 9/16 inch cylinder. Standard barrel length is 6 1/2 inches, however some special order lengths are known to exist. The catridges used in the target models were also a special invention developed by Smith & Wesson: both the 32 and 38 calibers had an extra long case into which the bullet was seated with the nose flush with the rim of the cartridge. They were not crimped, and could be had as a round ball or "picket" shaped bullet, in various weights and powder loads. By all accounts, this was the world's most accurate target revolver at the time, dominating international competitions for many years. Sales were brisk in the beginning, however by 1891 the hype had worn off, and sales slowed significantly. It would seem that many target shooters still preferred the heftier .44 Russian cartridge which was also much easier and more reliably available than the .32-44 and .38-44 ammunition. S&W continued to sell the target models from inventory until 1910, when they were removed from the catalogue.
For the collector, there are many variants of either model available - various barrel addresses, caliber markings and styles of sights could make this a challenging specialty. For the shooter, the .32-44 is compatible with the 32 S&W Long cartridge, and even smokeless loads should be safe due to the thick cylinder and barrel walls. The 38-44 is compatible with a .38 Special, if a wad-cutter bullet is used. This one is easy to reload with .38 Special or .357 Magnum reloading equipment as long as the amount of powder is adjusted and the bullet seated deep enough to clear the front of the cylinder.
Two early specimens of the .32-44 Target Model. The top one has a rare fixed rear sight which was only applied to this model from 1887 to 1889.
Original .32-44 and .38-44 target ammunition
38-44 Target Model, Factory restored in 1922, "Lyman Bead" target sights, ca. 1895