U.s. Revolver Co

A

AJB35

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I just bought an old 38 cal. snub nosed revolver that sayes "U.S. REVOLVER CO MADE IN USA" across the top of the barrel and has U.S. at the tops of the black bakelite grips. Does anyone know anything about this gun like age value ect?
 
these old .38 S&W cal revolvers were usually nickle plated. Notice how they don't index unless cocked and freewheel out of battery? That is NOT a desireable feature! Mine blew the front sight out as the slot was bored thru into the barrel! These guns sold for $3-5 New and I had a hard time getting rid of a pretty clean one for $75 last year.Made from 1884-1934 or there abouts. This is the proverbial 'suicide special' or saturday night special'. :)
 
Thanks for the reply!

Mine doesn't have a hammer and it is black in color. I noticed it doesn't have a safety on it. I just thought it was an interesting looking gun so I bought it. I gave a hundred dollars for it and it came with a box of remington 38 shorts so I think it was probably a fare deal. Thanks again! any other info will be appriciated.
 
Those are good quality 38 S&W (short) revolvers. The actual manufactuer is Iver Johnson. It should be a good blue finish. They were basically hardware store revolvers. Generic. I have seen them go for $85.00 up to $300.00 NIB. IJ, H&A/H&R, S&W and cottage built small frame 32s and 38s were popular as pocket pistols in their day.
 
Made by Iver Johnson, starting around 1890, IIRC, as a low-price alternative to its brand-name guns. Most were sold at hardware stores and through the catalogs.

Value is low.
 
I took the gun out and shot it last night and it seems to work great. The trigger is kind of hard to pull. Maybe they made it that way to make up for the lack of a saftey. If I clean it up real good with steel wool and re blue the metal parts I think it would look like new. I might as well, since it isn't worth anything anyway. Thanks everyone!
 
"Japanese 1911-type safety..."

Huh? Japanese?

No, their J-frame Centennials, Models 40 and 42, used a grip safety. Those were the only two S&W revolvers ever to use a grip safety.

Others, made on special order, used a sliding safety, mainly K-frames for overseas sales.
 
That is what I was speaking of. Murabito?(sp) Mainly Asian sales. The cylinder latch rose up into a notch that locked the action. Pushing down disengaged.
 
Iver Johnson was a pretty innovative gun valley manufacturer. There is an article about the Owlheads in the most recent American handgunnr
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same writer as the above linked one on the Smith New Departure
 
Dave85,

Not so fast! Let's not forget the original "Lemon Squeezer!" The grip safety on the Safety Hammerless actually predates that on the 1911.
Click to expand...

Yup. :) Here's my re-nickeled 1899 4th Model. :cool:

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I'll bet S&W spent more time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries stomping on patent infringements than they did making revolvers. :eek:
 
My revolver is about identical to that first one exept it doesn't have the owls on the hand grips. I wonder if there is any way I could find out the exact year it was made.
 
the one in the picture was made in the early 20th century but it looks like IJs made from the mid 1890s. The pre 1900 ones had a leaf mainspring while tho sone has a step adjustable coiled spring. Very likely, yours is the same pattern- a basic tear off of the Smith Safety Hammerless with no grip safety.

the Smith came along in the late 1880s and like the similar IJs (and others) sold in big numbers up until WWII. The Smith cost about $30 in 1940 while the IJ went for half of that.
 
I took my hand grips off and it looks like a single leaf spring to me. Do you think that means it's a pre 1900? There is also a number behind the hand grip that matches the number on the bottom of the trigger guard exept it has a D at the begining.
 
Likely late 19th or very early twentieth century. I believe the pictured owl head was from 1908 or 08 and kind of introduced the coil mainspring. It seems like I read that surviving records of IJ serial numbers are inconclusive as to date but may not be remembering that right.
 
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