Please help me ID this Iver Johnson .32

J

JD Powell

New member
Just picked up this old pocket revolver. It is an Iver Johnson. 5 shot .32 s&w. 3" barrel blued finish. Black rubber grips. Top of barrel reads;
*Iver Johnson's arms and cycle works*
* Fitchburg Mass U.S.A. *
Bottom of grip reads; Pat Nov. 17.03 Pats pending.
Serial # G 11496
Condition is quite good despite age. Blueing is extremely dark, plum-black. Bore is pristine, cylinder locks up tight. Seems to be a pretty sweet gun .
 
You have a Safety " Cycle " Automatic ( automatic means ejection ) Revolver, 3rd Model, 2nd Variation. Serial number dates it to 1915. In 1915 serial numbers G0001-G17100 were used. Made for modern ammunition. It is not unusual to find these guns in new condition, they were bought for home protection, placed in a shoebox with a box of ammo, at the top of the closet and forgotten. Hope that helps:)
 
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Here's some pic's. Sorry, it took me forever to figure out how to link them. Apparently my phone makes them too big to just post here.

RJay, thank you sir. That was the info I needed. I will be picking up some .32S&W at my LGS tomorrow. We'll see how it shoots.
Condition is definitely not new, It has some wear marks and dings in it. But not bad at all for being as old as it is.
 
Iver johnson 32

I have the same on my grips-Nov-17-03. ser-30xx. I have been trying to find out when it was made,No luck. A guy told me that in walla walla county WA. Could tell me. No luck. Maybe they can help you. have a nice day.P.S. Mine is with out the hammer.
 
RJay
You have a Safety " Cycle " Automatic ( automatic means ejection ) Revolver, 3rd Model, 2nd Variation. Serial number dates it to 1915. In 1915 serial numbers G0001-G17100 were used. Made for modern ammunition. It is not unusual to find these guns in new condition, they were bought for home protection, placed in a shoebox with a box of ammo, at the top of the closet and forgotten. Hope that helps
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I hope you have a copy of one of Goforth's books and looked that up.
I hate to think anyone carries around that information in their head.

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Modern jacketed 32acp ammo will drop in that revolver and fire.
It will screw it up and make the action loose with the first shot.
Don't do it.
The tiny screw that is the latch pin pivot goes through a hole in sheet metal. The hole in the sheet metal with stretch oblong from the force of bullet friction of a jacketed bullet in the bore.

Get 32 S&W cast bullet ammo or handload it or ... not as good with a semi rim, handload 32acp ammo with 1 gr of powder and a soft cast bullet.

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In that condition, that gun is worth extra, maybe $100 instead of $50.
Try to have $200 worth of fun from owning it.
 
That is a very nice Yohnson you have there. With good case hardening on the trigger and hammer I am thinking it does not have a reblue job, but ?? If RJay is correct with the 1915 date, and I think he is, it is probable that the gun is chambered for the .32 S&W Long. It is chambered because you can see the shoulders in your cylinder picture. Find out in a Long fits. The competing Harrington & Richardsons of the era were chambered for the Long. If, on the other hand, it is chambered for .32 S&W (short), then that ammo is readily available, well, sort of. In such case, a .32 Auto will not chamber as the case is longer than the .32 S&W case. As was pointed out above, it is not a good idea to fire .32 Auto, which is loaded to higher pressure, in any of these old top breaks.
 
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