Spanish Connection
For all these years as far as I knew there were no other Triple Locks ever produced. Then I got a phone call from my good friend J.D. Jones telling me he had found a Modelo Silo Nuevo, a Spanish copy of the Triple Lock or, if you please, a Candida Triple. J.D. was going to buy it himself but figured I would appreciate it much more since I am so enamored and captivated by the .44 Special. He gave me the name of the Ohio gunshop which I immediately called and for $300 plus shipping I had a Spanish Triple Lock. Where in the world did it come from?
The answer comes from the late Dan Shideler. We all know, if we’ve been around handguns very long, that Spain had been copying both S&W and Colt revolvers since the frontier days. This particular revolver came from Trocaola, Aranzabal y Cia (or TAC) of Eibar, Spain. This company began in 1905 and by the time of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 was out of business. Unlike many other Spanish revolvers there is no way these could be classified as junk and in fact Great Britain not only purchased .455 Triple Locks from S&W for use in WWI they also bought Webley copies from TAC.
The original S&W Triple Lock was never adopted as US military issue, however the Spanish version is officially known as the Modelo Militar. The Spanish considered revolvers with adjustable sights as target guns while fixed-sighted versions were considered military-style revolvers. TAC was obviously proud of their “Candado Triple” as they made no attempt to pass it off as a S&W. Many of those other S&W-style revolvers had such a misleading mark on the barrel as “For the SMITH & WESSON cartridge.” Many years ago, I answered an ad in the local paper and went to look at a pair of “Smith & Wessons” for sale. When I told the seller they were not S&Ws but actually Spanish copies, she became very indignant and practically threw me out of the house. However, the following week they were advertised in the paper once again for a lot less money.
My new Triple Lock seems to be very well-made, looks exactly like a 6-1/2″ fixed-sight S&W Triple Lock and is finished in bright blue with excellent checkered walnut stocks. Case colors on hammer and trigger are both still quite brilliant. The only down side is the fact the chamber mouths are well over size at .437″. The only loads I had made up for test-firing with bullets even close were .432″; next spring I will try some larger bullets and hope I can do better than the 2″ groups I am now getting.
While there is no attempt to pass this off as a genuine S&W it is somewhat humorous to read what it says on the barrel. On the left side we find: “FOR 44 SPECIAL AND U.S. SERVICE CTG” (I don’t know of any US service cartridge which will fit in a .44 Special). Then on the top we find: “BEST AMERICAN CARTRIDGES ARE THOSE THAT FIT BEST THE TAC REVOLVER.” At least they’re not warning labels! At my age discovering something new is pretty rare. This Candado Triple from Spain is worth much more than the price of admission to me. Thanks J.D.
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