DEFENDER RIMFIRE REVOLVER
1. .22 rimfire breech loading revolver
2. sheath trigger
3. rosewood birdshead grips
4. 7 shot round cylinde (not fluted)
5. round removable cylinder pin
6. 2 1/4" round BBL
7. nickel plate finish (BBL, frame, & cylinder)
8. cylinder pin release lever (push to release) on front/center of frame under BBL
9. right side of frame cut out/grooved to facilitate loading and unloading
10. 5 1/2" OAL
11. TOP OF FRAME: "DEFENDER"
12. BBL is rifled
13. bead front sight
the gun locks up tight, and functions. finish is at about 90%, and will get better with a light cleaning. the rifling, lands and grooves, and muzzle crown are superb. even the finish on the cylinder is great. i would call the gun NRA FINE condition or better.
my research shows that WHITNEYVILLE ARMORY produced a model with these specs and dimensions marked only with the trade name "DEFENDER". the pics i have found are very close allowing for differences in finish, BBL length, etc...
IVER JOHNSON CYCLE WORKS made a similar gun, but i can find no pictures.
what is it??? how do i tell for sure who made it??? is it of intrest to collectors??? what is it worth??? does the limited production of 500 pieces affect the value??? is there a book other than FLAYDERMANS that is a better reference for arms of this type??? can anybody add anything??? best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.
2. sheath trigger
3. rosewood birdshead grips
4. 7 shot round cylinde (not fluted)
5. round removable cylinder pin
6. 2 1/4" round BBL
7. nickel plate finish (BBL, frame, & cylinder)
8. cylinder pin release lever (push to release) on front/center of frame under BBL
9. right side of frame cut out/grooved to facilitate loading and unloading
10. 5 1/2" OAL
11. TOP OF FRAME: "DEFENDER"
12. BBL is rifled
13. bead front sight
the gun locks up tight, and functions. finish is at about 90%, and will get better with a light cleaning. the rifling, lands and grooves, and muzzle crown are superb. even the finish on the cylinder is great. i would call the gun NRA FINE condition or better.
my research shows that WHITNEYVILLE ARMORY produced a model with these specs and dimensions marked only with the trade name "DEFENDER". the pics i have found are very close allowing for differences in finish, BBL length, etc...
IVER JOHNSON CYCLE WORKS made a similar gun, but i can find no pictures.
what is it??? how do i tell for sure who made it??? is it of intrest to collectors??? what is it worth??? does the limited production of 500 pieces affect the value??? is there a book other than FLAYDERMANS that is a better reference for arms of this type??? can anybody add anything??? best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.
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Mike: There was a an Arms maker that went by the TRADE NAME of DEFENDER..Company was actually N.Shore & Co., Chicago, Ill. circa 1920 Made a Handgun/Knife Pistol...Called the Model #215...Worth $250.00/$300.00 in Good Condition...Don't know if its the Company Your looking for or not.....?
Captain Kirk, Tech Staff<P><BR>0 -
CAPT., my gun appears to be much earlier, circa 1880.
GB AUCTION NUMBER 10394417 is almost identical, excepting that my cylinder is wholey round, with no fluting. i only have the inset grooves for the hand to turn the cylinder. my gun is in much better shape.
GB AUCTION NUMBER 10315320 shows a later piece, possibly IVER JOHNSON CYLCE AND MACHINE WORKS. its a larger chambering, and appears to be less well made.
FLAYDERMANS, STANDARD CATALOUGE OF FIREARMS, WILSONS price guide, etc... all point to a WHITNEYVILLE ARMORY production, but mention arms of a simaler design, copying the nomenclature and lines of the WHITNEY. i think its the real thing, but i am not 100% positive.
best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.0 -
Mike i have that same type of gun but mine has hard rubber grips i was told that it was made by hoppkin & allen in the 1880s it has no loading door for the cylinder. i am also interested in finding out about it?
rusty10 -
'defender' brand name revolvers were sold by j.p. lovell & co. both wholesale (to other dealers) and retail from the large their large boston ma store. the very early one's were manufactured by hopkins & allen for lovell but after 1873 they were manufactured by johnson * bye gunsmith (later iver johnson & co. and finally iver johnson's arms& cycle works).
the defender series of spur trigger revolvers were offered in three frame sizes and four calibers; small 22rf. medium .32rf, large .38 & .41rf. there were two frame types birds head and square butt, and two main type grips (hard rubber wtih eagle and rosewood).
the defender series is just one name or many names that iver johnson
produced for lovell. some of the other names were favorite, tycoon and encore these were all basically the same revolvers with minor detail changes.
the defender series is covered in detail in my soon to be published book on iver johnson's arms & cycle works.
the iver johnson built defender's were manufactured from 1873 until 1888 when it was replaced by the defender 89 series. (they were offered for sale for several years after 1888 because of the quanity manufactured.
b.goforth0 -
b.goforth,
if i send you a picture, or post one here, would you be willing to take a look at it and nail the ID down for me??? many of my referance works seem to contradict each other when discussing the "DEFENDER" trade name, ie. who made it. i try to compile a complete and thorough file on all my personal firearms, especialy the history of the gun and the maker. any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
i think i speak for all of us when i request more information on your soon to be published work. please inform us of the details. best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.0 -
yes, i would be happy to try. you can send it to me at bgoforth@ev1.net or post it here where more people can see it.
b.goforth0 -
thanks!!! i will attempt to send you or post here a pic this weekend. best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.0
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