Identifying a Spanish 44 S&W Special - The Firearms Forum

bigbore45colt · 05-05-2003, 08:35 PM

My wife's grandfather has a spanish copy of a S&W Hand Ejector in 44 special. Markings are P. Aranzabal Eibar (Espana). The barrel is marked "for 44 special and US Service Ctg". Proof marks are of the letter R in a circle with small rectangle on top of it. S/n is 322,XXX.

Does anyone have any ideas as to when it was made, if it's safe to shoot (I'm a 44 special fan), and it's value (i'm guessing not much but you never know).

Thanks in advance!

Take care, and RKBA!

BB45C

Smokin Guns · 05-05-2003, 09:03 PM

Welcome!...bb45c...I will look it up and check around...but, I reckon the "Doc"...will be around before long, also...

CountryGunsmith · 05-05-2003, 09:41 PM

Well, Bob's the Spanish gun expert, but I'll try. The proof you mention is a Spanish proof used since the 20's as a final proof for revolvers.

For some reason, the name Pedro Aranzabal sticks in my mind. I do know that there was a gunmaker in the Eibar region called 'Trocaola Aranzabal y Cia' who made copies of the S&W Hand Ejector in various calibers including .44 Special. Perhaps they are linked...

In any event, the quality of these S&W copies are almost uniformly poor. I would have it checked throughly by a gunsmith before attempting to shoot it.

05-06-2003, 05:40 AM

The Aranzabal family was prolific in the firearms industry in the Eibar region of Spain - they either ran their own small shops making handcrafted shotguns and handguns, or worked with larger concerns (such as T.A.C.) to produce more voluminous offerings. What does the fit and finish on yours look like? does it have a brass inlay disk on the grips that has a fancy intertwined "PA" that looks suspiciously like a S&W logo? I have several of these pistols in the smaller calibers (32 and 38) that are actually quite well made and run on the higher end of quality of the Spanish manufacture. The 44 special is also a harder caliber to find in these revolvers, as the smaller calibers seem to have been more popular.

In very good to excellent condition, the 32 and 38s run about $100 to $125, the 44s will fetch more in the $150 to $170 range.

Of course, that is to the right collector!

bigbore45colt · 05-06-2003, 07:47 AM

Bob,

Thanks for the info...you are right with the grip medallion. As a matter of fact, when he pulled it out to show it to me, I thought, wow a triple lock! Then I realized it wasn't a S&W and I wanted to find out more about it.

Where they good enough quality to shoot modern mild loads through it now?

Thanks again, take care, and RKBA!

BB45C

05-06-2003, 08:40 AM

The current milder loads should be perfectly fine in these revolvers. You also have a plus in knowing who has had it for most of it's life, and can attest as to it's usage.

05-05-2003, 08:35 PM	#1
bigbore45colt Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Emmaus, PA Posts: 5	Identifying a Spanish 44 S&W Special My wife's grandfather has a spanish copy of a S&W Hand Ejector in 44 special. Markings are P. Aranzabal Eibar (Espana). The barrel is marked "for 44 special and US Service Ctg". Proof marks are of the letter R in a circle with small rectangle on top of it. S/n is 322,XXX. Does anyone have any ideas as to when it was made, if it's safe to shoot (I'm a 44 special fan), and it's value (i'm guessing not much but you never know). Thanks in advance! Take care, and RKBA! BB45C -->

05-05-2003, 09:03 PM	#2
Smokin Guns Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: "Gun Culture Members Clubhouse"... Posts: 4,463	Hey! Welcome!...bb45c...I will look it up and check around...but, I reckon the "Doc"...will be around before long, also... __________________

05-05-2003, 09:41 PM	#3
CountryGunsmith Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Deep Piney Woods of East Texas Posts: 5,116	Well, Bob's the Spanish gun expert, but I'll try. The proof you mention is a Spanish proof used since the 20's as a final proof for revolvers. For some reason, the name Pedro Aranzabal sticks in my mind. I do know that there was a gunmaker in the Eibar region called 'Trocaola Aranzabal y Cia' who made copies of the S&W Hand Ejector in various calibers including .44 Special. Perhaps they are linked... In any event, the quality of these S&W copies are almost uniformly poor. I would have it checked throughly by a gunsmith before attempting to shoot it. __________________ The autonomic nervous system provides for involuntary muscle function - the work of breathing, digestion, and so forth. On some folks, that's a pure waste of ingenuity.

05-06-2003, 05:40 AM	#4
Guest Adnanced Senior Member Posts: n/a	The Aranzabal family was prolific in the firearms industry in the Eibar region of Spain - they either ran their own small shops making handcrafted shotguns and handguns, or worked with larger concerns (such as T.A.C.) to produce more voluminous offerings. What does the fit and finish on yours look like? does it have a brass inlay disk on the grips that has a fancy intertwined "PA" that looks suspiciously like a S&W logo? I have several of these pistols in the smaller calibers (32 and 38) that are actually quite well made and run on the higher end of quality of the Spanish manufacture. The 44 special is also a harder caliber to find in these revolvers, as the smaller calibers seem to have been more popular. In very good to excellent condition, the 32 and 38s run about $100 to $125, the 44s will fetch more in the $150 to $170 range. Of course, that is to the right collector!

05-06-2003, 07:47 AM	#5
bigbore45colt Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Emmaus, PA Posts: 5	Bob, Thanks for the info...you are right with the grip medallion. As a matter of fact, when he pulled it out to show it to me, I thought, wow a triple lock! Then I realized it wasn't a S&W and I wanted to find out more about it. Where they good enough quality to shoot modern mild loads through it now? Thanks again, take care, and RKBA! BB45C

05-06-2003, 08:40 AM	#6
Guest Adnanced Senior Member Posts: n/a	The current milder loads should be perfectly fine in these revolvers. You also have a plus in knowing who has had it for most of it's life, and can attest as to it's usage.