Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Smith & Wesson .38 Military & Police (Model of 1902) Target that received the “ultimate upgrade” – a barrel by Harry Pope, America’s premier accuracy specialist of the early 1900s. The factory letter tells an interesting story. This revolver shipped to C.T.G. Armstrong in Boston on June 26, 1903, with no barrel length listed – unusual for Smith & Wesson records. Roy Jinks theorizes this indicated either a special barrel length or, more likely, that it shipped without a barrel so Armstrong could have Pope do the work.
Armstrong appears to be the well-known competitive shooter George Armstrong, active in matches across Washington, Oregon, and California in the early 1900s. The connection makes sense – Pope had a gun shop in San Francisco until the 1906 earthquake forced him back to Massachusetts. A serious West Coast competitor would naturally seek out Pope’s legendary accuracy work.
Only 12,827 “Model of 1902” revolvers were made, with collectors estimating just 5-10% were Target variants. That puts total Target production around 640-1,280 guns, making this Pope-barreled example exceptionally rare. Pope’s signature barrel work is evident – “H.M.POPE” stamped on top with his serial number “269” on the bottom. The adjustable rear sight and pinned beaded front sight were essential for the precision shooting Armstrong likely pursued.
Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!
“Pope Barreled Smith & Wesson 38 M&P 2nd Model Target Revolver.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4095/340/pope-barreled-smith-wesson-38-mp-2nd-model-target-revolver. Accessed 12 Aug. 2025.
Writer | TheFirearmBlog
Writer | AllOutdoor.com Instagram | sfsgunsmith Old soul, certified gunsmith, published author, avid firearm history learner, and appreciator of old and unique guns.
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