1870 Wesson handgun

M

Mikegrey

Inactive
I found an old Wesson (not Smith & Wesson) handgun when cleaning out my grandfathers house. It must be old as its got Pat. 1870 stamped on it. It looks like its about a .22 cal with a hex shaped 10" or so barrel. It looks quite unique because there is no trigger guard on it and its a single fire, but not a break barrel type, it rotates open to load. The other unique feature is that it has a rifle like steel framed stock that can be attached to the butt of the gun. Is this gun worth anything? I'm not a collector just an small game hunter?
 
There are three different versions of the Frank Wesson 1870 Pocket Rifle, you probably have either the small or medium frame, the large is not listed with a barrel as short as 10". Made from 1870 til 1890 or 1893 depending on size. If in NRA Antique Very Good condition, and with the stock, the value is in the high hundreds of dollars. One very nice one is listed on GunsAmerica for $1100. If beat up or rusty, value is much less.
Best to not shoot these old guns with smokeless ammo, keep it as a memento of Grandpa or sell it to a collector.
 
Thanks. I'm from Canada and handguns are not permitted anyway. I have an 11 year old boy who's bedroom is all western style. A friend said he could weld/plug the chamber shut making it legal and safe so that it could be hung up on my son's wall. It would look great and give him a really neat connection to his great grandfather.
 
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