What is it and what is it worth?
Greetings
Have a antique revolver. .22 cal, 7 shot. Small pocket gun. No trigger guard. Trigger is built into post. Says Ranger on gun. Single action with 1/4 cock to load. 5 1/2 inches long. 2 inch barrel. No rifling in barrel. Extensive engraving. Small brass front seight. Wood handles.
Best
Gary
Have a antique revolver. .22 cal, 7 shot. Small pocket gun. No trigger guard. Trigger is built into post. Says Ranger on gun. Single action with 1/4 cock to load. 5 1/2 inches long. 2 inch barrel. No rifling in barrel. Extensive engraving. Small brass front seight. Wood handles.
Best
Gary
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I picked up a pistol today that appears to be very much like a Belgian 1878 Nagant, but has some differences in appearence. See attached photos of gun and proofs.
It measures about 8 3/4" long, 5" deep. It appears to be chambered for a .38 or similar cartridge. Weight is 1lb., 5 1/2 oz. It is a 6 shot pistol.
The bore is excellant. Mechanisms are crisp and functional. Some bluing left on bore, about 60% with rust spots. Reciever appears to have been left in the white with some fading. Safety (if that is what the lever on the left rear of the reciever is) does not work. It is double action. It has an octagonal barrel with a length of 3 1/4". The top octagon is narrower than the rest. Regarding markings, the proof on the right side of the barrel might be an "R" not and "L". It has a loading gate and pull pin covered by a swing out pin/ejector much like the Nagant.
So what is it and what is it worth? I also have the original holster and was told a guy's grandfather picked it up in WW1.
"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf
Edited by - jonk on 09/29/2002 00:04:180 -
I got a few responses on another board by people who also post here, but am still interested in any further info.
"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf0 -
Per "Official Guide to Gunmarks, Third Edition (1996)" by Robert H. Balderson:
On the cylinder breech face at 6 o'clock: The ELG in a crown with star beneath is the Belgian proofmark for definitive proof from 1893.
On right receiver under barrel: The L with star over it is a Belgian inspector's mark. I think that the inspector's initial was L, so the letter under the star is not constant.
I could not find the other marks in this reference or elsewhere.
I could not find your exact revolver as it appears in your excellent photo. However, I believe I found its type.
Per "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Handguns (1997) by A. B. Zhuk:
If it is truly .38-caliber it is of the "Constabulary" pattern made in Belgium. The above book shows a revolver that appears almost identical to yours on page 144 (plate 1003). However, the illustration in the book does not have the large knob on the end of the ejector as shown in your photo. Yours could just be a minor variant along the line.
Similar guns are also pictured in this book with the note:
.320, 7.62 Nagant, 8mm Lebel or .380 calibers. Six, seven, eight or nine-shot. Guns of this type are generally known as "Service Revolver," "Police Revolver" or "Postal (Services) Revolver.
They were also sold in Russia prior to 1917 as the "Zashchitnik."
Their distinguishing characteristics are merely details --- a round barrel with an annular boss at the muzzle, a short octrahedral section at the breech (part of the frame or barrel), fluted cylinders, distinctive cylinder-stop notches and bird's head grips. Most were made prior to 1914. Similar guns were made in Spain."
Under the title, "Polizei-Revolvers" is also noted:
Owing to common features, these can be separated into their own group. As the guns were once popular amongst German policemen, they are generally known as "Polizeirevolver" instead of "Constabulary" patterns. It is a useful distinction. They have a characteristic one-piece wood grip retained by a solitary vertical screw.
The revolver most resembling yours in the book, it is noted, were advertised as "Cobold" in pre-1917 Russian catalogues.
I have no idea of your revolver's value. I think it may be safely assumed it was made in Belgium and probably in Liege, that great Belgian city that has been making arms since the Middle Ages.
As to caliber, I suspect your .38-caliber revolver is made for the .380 Short, a British revolver cartridge dating to the late 1860s that was popular on the continent as well.
"Cartridges of the World, 8th Edition (1997) notes that many .380-caliber Brtiish revolvers will also accept the .38 Short Colt cartridge. The Colt cartridge was copied from the British cartridge and is nearly identical.
It notes that .380 British ammunition is available from Fiocchi Ammunition, made in Italy and sold here in the states.
Whether you want to risk firing that revolver is up to you. If it's in sound shape, it might be fine. On the other hand ... it may be dangerous. One never knows.
Have a gunsmith check it before firing, if you decide to try it.
If it was, indeed, recovered from a World War I battlefield you need to contact the man who told you that and have him write it on paper. If possible, he should include the name and rank of the soldier who picked it up, his unit and under what circumstances he got it.
At the very least, find the name of the grandson and explain that his grandfather picked it up in the war.
This will add to the revolver's value and be of interest to historians long after you and I are dead.
Keep this note with the revolver and holster.
Also, scrutinize the holster for any marks designating who made it or the original owner of the revolver.
"A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44!"0 -
GATOFEO has made the right call...Glad to see someone besides me using Balderson's Books...Value wise this Revolver is only worth $150.00 to $175.00...and you can add another $50.00 for the original Holster.. And I sure would'nt shoot it either...Hang it on the Wall and make up a Good story to go with it!..........
Captain Kirk, Tech Staff0 -
Hey, I paid $150 for the revolver AND holster as a set so I guess I did pretty good. I don't anticipate ever shooting it though I may make a casting of the cylinder and take some measurements to sort out the caliber once and for all and perhaps pick up 6 collector's cartridges of the appropriate caliber and vintage. Though if it is .380 Revolver and .38 short colt chambers, I might trim down some .357s and see if I could chamber them, just to know, perhaps to fire a few blanks- I'm sure it would handle that- and call it a day. I would LIKE to shoot it but am understandably hesitant. I'm sure (reasonably) that I could get away with it especially with black powder and round balls. Well, perhaps someday though I doubt it.
"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf0
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