possible first revolver

L

landlord

New member
Iam from MI and have the chance to buy a pair of old revolvers. the guy says they are pre 1898 and can be shipped right to me, do I still need a purchase permit? and can a revolver that old shoot modern ammo? ones a 22 long and the others a 32?
 
I don't know about the .22 but I bought an old Iver Johnson revolver from around that time period chambered in .32 and was told by a gunsmith that guns that old are designed for black powder and may not be able to hold up to the pressure in current loads.
 
If you reload the .32 is easy enough to make ammo for, the .22 not so much. If you buy the guns have them checked by a good gunsmith before shooting them.
 
Doesn't sound like you're a collector. I wouldn't waste my money. Find a used Smith & Wesson M10.
 
Must agree, if you want a shooter go for a nice used Smith and Wesson model 10. Not going to cost a lot, will shoot modern ammunition with no problems, and with a minimum of care can last for several generations.
 
If they are pre-1899 (NOT 1898), as the seller claims, then they are black powder revolvers for sure, and most modern cartridges would be dangerous to shoot in them.

Then you have the problem that one of them is ".22 long." I don't think it is manufactured any more, or, if it is, it is only as a limited production cartridge. It is a calibre that has long been obsolete, and quite, frankly, useless. The only "modern" gun I can think of that was chambered for it was the tiny Bernardelli Baby.

I agree with the others: Buy a used Model 10 Smith & Wesson and enjoy it.

Also, since you did mention the fact that the seller will send them directly to you, you need to know that, while not a violation of any Federal law, it could possibly be a violation of state law.
 
landloard:

You need him to send you photoes from many angles and the name of the pistols. Being old doesn't mean value. There are many junk pistols over a hundred years old that are worthless, not to mention unsafe. If I were you I would pass.

Semper Fi.

Gunnery Sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
 
...can a revolver that old shoot modern ammo? ones a 22 long and the others a 32?
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Asides from the black powder vs. smokeless problem brought up by the other posters...

There's a variety of .32-caliber cartridges that were used during this time period. Whether they're practical to shoot depends on which specific one is needed.

.32 S&W Long is not stocked by most large sporting goods stores but is readily available for reasonable prices by mail order. .32 Colt New Police is the same exact cartridge. (Colt didn't like putting their archrival's name on their guns. :rolleyes:)

.32 S&W is moderately difficult to find and runs expensive, but it's available if you really want it, and it's readily reloadable. .32 H&R and .32 Merwin Hulbert are basically the same thing.

Beyond these, things get tricky. :(

.32 Short Colt is obsolescent but is supposedly still sporadically produced by Winchester; however, availability is spotty at best. .32 Long Colt has been out of production for a couple of decades but can apparently still be found at some gun shows, and guns chambered for this cartridge can fire .32 Short Colt. However, both of these cartridges use outside-lubricated hollow-base heeled bullets like .22LR, so reloading is an iffy proposition unless you have special tools.

Other .32-caliber cartridges, including the myriad varieties of .32 Rimfire, are obsolete and basically unavailable. IIRC the last known batch of .32 Rimfire was produced about a decade ago but was rapidly snapped up by people who mostly aren't willing to part with it.

Regarding the .22 revolver, .22 Long (not Long Rifle) is an odd chambering for a revolver, but you run into some odd stuff from this era. :confused: However, most .22 revolvers have the chambers bored straight through, so .22LR can physically be loaded into many .22 Short or .22 Long revolvers. The reason this is a problem is that smokeless .22LR loads may damage the forcing cone of a black powder .22 Short or .22 Long revolver, and since black powder .22 ammo hasn't been available since before WWII IIRC, chances are good that an ignorant shooter may have fired enough modern ammo to damage the gun well beyond any practical chance of repair. :(
There are many junk pistols over a hundred years old that are worthless, not to mention unsafe. If I were you I would pass.
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+1 to both. Unfortunately, many 19th-century revolvers really weren't safe to fire when they were new. 112+ years later, all bets are off. :eek:
 
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