Who made this

[nanewt02]

just picked up an old spur hammer revolver yesterday. action was filthy but functions now. It appears to shoot 38 rimfire and the only marking is on the top strap labeled "BULLDOZER". It is my understanding that both norwich arms and forehand and wadsworth used this name, but im not sure which it could be. serial number is in the low 2000s and is on the bottom of the frame.
No other markings on the rest of the gun. after tearing into the action it appears to be decently built.

 

[PetahW]

.

AFAIK, It's a Norwich, made prior to 1881.


The nickname for that genre of very inexpensive revolvers was "suicide specials".


.

 

[James K]

Both my sources say the maker is "unknown".

FWIW, that gun is far too old to have been named for the machine. Its name and later the name of the machine were derived from the older meaning of a person or group that achieved its goals by brute force and violence toward its opposition. The term originated in the southern U.S., so some conclusions as to the victims might be drawn.

Today, of course, the only common meaning is that of the powerful earth-moving machine, and the older meaning has been largely forgotten.

Jim

 

[RJay]

Standard Catalog describes it as being made by Norwich Pistol Company, 5 shot , 38 rim fire { also in 22, 41 and 44 rim fire }. No picture, but the description fits it to a " T ".

 

[nanewt02]

I suspected it was Norwich . A more known company such as forehand and wads worth surely have stamped a name. At least now I don't feel guilty for starting to redo it

 

[RJay]

aah, it is a twisted tale we weave when the gun companies of the late 19th and early 20th century's are discussed. especially when those in Norwich Connecticut are discussed, they were all in bed together. Merwin and Hulbert never made any firearms { they owned a large sporting goods store }, they only furnished their name to guns made by Hopkins and Allen. The fact that Merwin and Hulbert owned 50 percent of Hopkins and Allen and had a seat on their board of directors may have had something to do with it. All of them, Bacon, F&W, M&H, the list goes on and on, they were all in cahoots with each other. In addition to the guns that bore their name, Forehand and Wadsworth had at least 18 other different names on the market, all were so called suicide specials.

 

[nanewt02]

So for all I know this is a rare smith and wesson
I really don't understand it, if I were an arms manufacturer, I'd want my name out there, not mixed up . Tomorow I will begin the long process of making this gun a shooter for very low pressure reloads.