Looking for a first "era" revolver.

T

Tickling

New member
I was hoping maybe you revolver experts could help me.

My interest in firearms was sparked many years ago by reading the tales of Sherlock Holmes and I've always wanted a revolver since then. Somewhere along the way semiautos seemed more practical and that is what I got. I've recently come into some money, so I think it's time to scratch that itch.

I would like to purchase a revolver or style of revolver that fits the 1880-1914 time period. Only I don't know hardly anything about revolvers from that time period! I've started some research, but perhaps you fellows could point me in the right direction.

Naturally I'm looking at used, with available ammunition, and I'd like to keep it under $800 so I don't get burned to bad from buyers inexperience (read and reading the "Revolver checkout guide," worry not).

Depending on what/if I can find, I would be using it as a conversation/occasional CCW piece.

Thanks for your help :)
 
The old revolvers from the 1880s are often of the black powder era, and not always suitable for modern ammo of the same caliber and dimensions.
So, be cautious of that.
Many of the later smokeless powder models, of that era, were designed for the factory cartridges of the day.
Generally much weaker than modern ammo.
Once again, use caution.
There's a lot of .38s from that same era that are not .38 special.
Ditto for other familiar sounding calibers, that are quite different from their modern counterpart.
More caution.
 
G. Willikers,

Do you think this might be too big an undertaking for someone, with admittedly, no revolver experience?

Perhaps I could buy used from a the mid-1900s. I'm a practical person and would like to have a use for this revolver even if it's only a whimsical purchase on my part.
 
Go to a good gun store, preferrably nationally know if this is your first revolver, and in most cases they'll talk you through the whole process. You should get a replica of an 1880's gun, and they're tons of good ones out there. They'll help you through the registering process and recommend the proper ammo. Alot of my guns are 1880's replicate guns converted to cartridge ammo. With an original, you're be paying a hecku'va lot more and really not know if it's safe. It's better to be standing in front of someone who knows what their talking about, and can ask questions of them. then you can get to the point of watching this forum and buying what you need on line
 
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Naw, don't give up so easily.
Old revolvers are a world of their own and very interesting.
They might not be the best choice for a defensive carry gun, but are definitely worth learning about.

If you can find that good gun store, with knowledgeable people behind the counter, that's a good idea.
If.
Some of the specialized forums are focused on these old guns, and are a wealth of good info.
If you are in no hurry, just start moseying around the web and reading up on the old guns.
You might also check your local book stores and online books stores on the subject.
Use keywords like Guns of the Old West, Classic Revolvers and the like.
To help sort out all the calibers that have been used in those revolvers, look for info on cartridges, ammo, collector cartridges, 'etc.
Or by the specific cartridges by name, like .38 S&W, .38 Colt, both long and short, .44 S&W, .44 Russian, and so on.
If nothing else, it will keep you occupied and out of trouble.
 
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"Sherlock Holmes" immediately evokes the era of Webley RIC and Bulldog revolvers, as well as such revolvers as the Webley series of British service revolvers (the kind Watson might have brought back with him from the Second Afghan War (1878-1880). (Watson was a medical man but in that area - then and now - any foreigner was fair game for local fighters and had better be armed. The revolver was probably his own, as officers had to buy their own sidearms.)

So, I would look for a Webley Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) revolver, a Webley-made Bulldog, or a Webley MkI or MkII service revolver. Any of those should be in your budget zone. I paid $900 for a Mk I a year ago, but it was in near-new condition; one in average shape will run less.

Many so-called "British Bulldogs" were made in the U.S. and would cost a lot less ($100 or so in top shape), but whether they would fit your desire, I don't know.

Good luck,

Jim
 
OK...first, you're not looking for a "first era" revolver. I would put "first era" at stuff that came out before Colt invented the Patterson in 1836 - flintlock revolvers, some pepperbox types, etc.

Second era starts with the Patterson and covers all of the percussion revolvers.

Third era overlaps the second because you see very small 22 and then bigger wheelguns with rimfire cartridges starting in the 1850s. Arguably, this covers the solid-frame cartridge types up through to the Colt SAA and the like. (And we could argue for days :D over this.)

Fourth era starts with the breakopen that had a fully modern type of cartridge and continues to the present: the S&W in 44Russian, which was different from all previous cartridges in a very significant way and was the ancestor of all of our modern rounds except for the 22Short and .22LR which are surviving throwbacks.

Heh. OK, I'm being a jerk :). Sorry.

What you're asking for is a Victorian Period revolver that would be typical of what Holmes and Watson might have got ahold of. And in that department the word "Webley" stands out. Bigtime. Watson was British Army and would have been familiar with 'em (yes, I know they're fictional). But some other stuff would have been very familiar in England in that pre-gun-control period (NOT fictional, that part!). Colt SAAs and the like show up, you get all sorts of stuff from Europe, possibly even some Nagants from Russia in the pre-Soviet era. In fact $120 worth of Nagant is stereotypically European of that period:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagant_M1895
 
Empire Arms has a very nice Swiss Model 1882 Schmidt Ordinance Revolver for $625 right now.

http://www.empirearms.com/pistols.htm

While 7.5 Swiss Ordinance Revolver ammunition isn't common or cheap, it is manufactured by Fiocchi with fully reloadable brass.

Another option, while not technically Victorian or Edwardian era, would be a Webley Mk. IV or Enfield No. 2 Mk. I* .38. Both of these are WWII era guns but they're of the same basic Webley design that dates back to 1887. The most convenient thing about these is that they're chambered for .38/200 which is dimensionally identical to .38 S&W. This means that, while the POI may be low, commercial .38 S&W ammunition is perfectly safe to use in these revolvers and reloading equipment is readily available if you want to try to duplicate the original Brit military load (200gr bullet at 600fps). Webley Mk. IV and Enfield No. 2 Mk. I* revolvers can often be found on the used market for $300 or less (a local shop has a fairly nice Webley Mk. IV right now for $265).

Other period guns to keep in mind include the Swedish and Russian Nagants, Italian Bodeo, German Model 1879 Reichsrevolver, French Chamelot-Delvigne Model 1873, and French Lebel Model 1892.
 
They sold Smith & Wessons in England and the Continent, too.
A .32 or .38 Safety Hammerless can be had at a reasonable price and if you get a fairly late model, 1907 or later, they are stout enough for smokeless.
 
(Mr. March I think you missed the OP's point. He was referring to his first revolver from a past "era" not a revolver from "the first era")

Tickling - Some advice. For a first one stick with those in 38 special. It was introduced in the late 1890's and you can readily find colts and S&Ws from 1905 throughout the 20's

These "hand ejector" revolvers are more modern looking than antique "top breaks" like 1890's S&Ws and Weblys etc. However they can still shoot regular target .38 special ammo you can find in the store. Just stick with lead bullets and no +Ps.

Similarly there are plenty of S&W's out there from this period in .32 s&W long. Harder to find ammo but still made.

Anything older than these "modern" designs are going to be more fragile, harder to maintain and hard to feed.

You can get to those, after the bug really hits.
 
I don't know if the OP intended to keep to guns available in England (though the reference to Conan Doyle's immortal detective tends in that diirection), but if so I doubt any of those millitary revolvers like the Russian Nagant were sold or commonly available in England. They are common today in the US only because continental armies sold hundreds of thousands as surplus in the post-WWII era. I doubt any Swiss, Swedish, Italian, or Russian service revolvers would have been for sale in an 1890's London gun shop. Even similar civilian guns were not common or popular in Victorian England, where xenophobia ruled supreme and any foreigner or foreign product was looked on with deepest suspicion. It was the rare "progressive" (like Churchill) who would actually buy a German pistol, when everyone knew that only English revolvers were suitable for ownership by an English gentleman.

Jim
 
"the Webley series of British service revolvers (the kind Watson might have brought back with him from the Second Afghan War (1878-1880)."

Dr. Watson would have done no such thing.

Webly didn't start supplying the British military until 1887 when the Webley Mk. I was adopted.

Britain adopted the Enfield Mk I revolver in .476 (basically interchangeable with later BP .455 cartridges) in 1880, probably a little too late for use in the Second Afghan War.

The revolver used by the British at that time was the Adams-designed double action in .450 Adams.

A Webley RIC revolver wouldn't have been out of the question as a personally purchased arm for Watson.
 
I've been away from a computer awhile, so I haven't had a chance to reply to many of these posts.

A lot of good advice and information here! Thank you all, this serves as a good basis for further research.

Definitely interested in something chambered in .38 special.
 
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Well, a century old gun does present condition challenges and the possibility of obsolete or at least difficult to find ammunition.

One thing you could consider would be to start with a Smith & Wesson Model 36 or Model 10. These are classic police revolvers first made in the 1940s. Roots of the guns go back earlier. They've been produced up until recently though, so it's not a great trick to find one new or like new, and they fire contemporary, widely available .38 Special ammunition.

You could cut your teeth with one of these from recent production - they are still antique designs, but will be risk free, before trying to acquire and use a gun that was actually built circa 1900.

Here's what they look like - historical, if not Victorian:
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If you want something from the area you are talking and still be able to shoot and not break the bank why not look at some of the many 22 calibier rimfires that are available. Most are very reasonable with an affordable price although the coolest the Colt 22LR Bankers Special comes with a major sticker in any condition. From derringers to target pistols many are still very shootable with todays ammo if in good shape.
 
An Uberti Schofield .45 Colt 45 as advertised here at Gunbroker with a current $595 bid.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=292933790

It’s is not a gun from the time period or country you asked about. It is a replica manufactured recently with modern materials and chambered for an easy to find cartridge the .45 Colt.

It’s a ‘top break’ revolver which you might find to your liking because it is kind of old timey and unusual but it works just fine. See a video of someone showing how to load it here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQvFM70uleY

Lots more info about it here:
http://www.nramuseum.com/media/365574/Jun 07.pdf

And in MY mind Dr. W was so practical, intelligent and worldly that he might have taken a liking to the Schofield after seeing it in the Clint Eastwood movie 'Unforgiven' it was just that Arthur Conan Doyle never mentioned it because it was not British.

(Wait, could a turn of the century fictional character see a modern movie about an old west character starring a modern movie star? Never mind the Schofield is real.)
 
French Lebel 8mm revolver model 1892,,,

I would like to purchase a revolver or style of revolver that fits the 1880-1914 time period.
Click to expand...

French Lebel 8mm revolver model 1892,,,
They show up at gun shows quite often and are not too expensive.

07-margeaux.JPG


The last one I saw at a show had a price tag of $175.00,,,
It was in decent shape and was shootable.

Ammunition is available from Fiocchi,,,
Also from two custom reloaders here in the US.

Click here please,,,

Mine is a good shooter,,,
Once a year I take her out and run a few cylinders.

Aarond

.
 
I have a few pre 1900 revolvers but only shoot one, a beater Mosin Nagant M1985 that I paid $60 for. The Mosin Nagant does not have character/wild west history like my old Colts. Aim Surplus sells the MN for $99-$109.
 
The Moisin Nagant is a bolt-action rifle.

The handgun is simply a Nagant, as Col. Moisin, who collaborated with the Nagant brothers on the rifle, had no role in the development of the revolver.
 
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