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The .455 Second Model in my collection is the most interesting of the three Smith & Wessons discussed in this article, simply because more is known of its history. This gun and a companion leather holster were offered for sale on-line by a licensed dealer in New Jersey. One of several photos displayed on the seller’s website was a close-up of the revolver which showed the letter “C” enclosing a double broad arrow, stamped on the frame near the thumb-piece. The “C” told me the gun had originally been the property of Canada. The double broad arrow inside the “C” indicated that at some point the revolver had been an “out of store” purchase, meaning it had been sold to someone by the Canadian Government.

Additional photos showed there was a large chip in the base of the gun’s left stock panel and someone had carved the initials “MHB” in the bottom of that panel. Otherwise, the revolver appeared to be in very good condition and most importantly, it was still in its original chambering.

But what really caught my attention were the photos of the old military holster. Even though its exterior was in pretty rough shape, what made the holster so intriguing was the hand-printed inscription on the underside of the flap, which read: