How Old is your Oldest Revolver?

9mmfan · Nov 24, 2018

There are some pretty sweet old revolvers in this conversation.

My oldest is a S&W .38 M&P that I have been told shipped in 1920.

My wife shoots it most often, I can’t remember the last time I fired it off.

I mainly like to look at it, handle it a little.

It amuses me to set it on my desk when I’m working on something else.

Graywolf686 · Mar 11, 2019

Mine is a Hopkins & Allen 38 Safety Police 1903 I think . Doesn’t fire no main spring and one grip panel missing. I took this off a kid back in 1980 who tried to rob me and my girlfriend one night. He pulled it I tackled him and took it away from him . Man I was scared. When I looked it over and saw the condition it was in I thanked the Lord.

Olon · Mar 11, 2019

The oldest (and only) revolver I own was made in 2015... sorry guys

CraigC · Mar 11, 2019

My oldest revolvers are from the 1920's.

Old Stumpy · Mar 11, 2019

The oldest revolver that I ever owned was a Webley Mark IV in .455 Eley.
The backstrap had several identifier/date markings which had been struck out.
The last, which had been current, and not struck out, was S.A.M.R. 96.
This was probably the South Australian Mounted Rifles, which existed during the Boer War when this revolver would have been current manufacture.
I shot it a fair bit using Dominion .455 Colt brass loaded with a .45 ACP full-length resize Lee Loader and my cast .45 ACP round nose lead bullets.

jar · Mar 11, 2019

Today my carry choice is a Colt Army Special made in 1919.

Karl.T · Mar 11, 2019

You guys have some fine old wheel guns, thanks for the pics.

Vern Humphrey · Mar 11, 2019

My oldest is a Colt M1849 Pocket Revolver. I rarely shoot it. But my next oldest is a Colt New Service in .45 Colt made in 1906 -- and it goes everywhere with me.

Sovblocgunfan · Mar 12, 2019

My oldest. Hard to date but I think sometime in the mid-1920’s

My other revolvers are modern (1970s-1990s) so I’m a pup relative to many.

BigBlue 94 · Mar 12, 2019

Colt New Navy in 32-20, which puts its mfg date between 1905 and 1907. It has a very weak lockup so I haven't shot it yet. Haggled it from cabelas for 340 bucks.

Colt New Service 1917 Army, from 1918. I do shoot this one, and many of you know I carry it from time to time.

I also have a New Service in 38-40, and a new service shooting master in 38spl, both pre 60s. I dont know if they are prewar of not.

I've also got an H&R Premiere top break 22RF from 1910-1919 I believe.

I've also got a couple colt police revolvers that are from around 1920. One an new police target in 22lr. I cant really remember exactly what they are.

Kind of funny, my oldest autoloader is potentially older than my oldest revolver. It's a 1903 colt pocket hammerless from 1904 or 1905.

Deanimator · Mar 12, 2019

My ~1920 vintage Colt New Service in .45acp. It's horribly inaccurate, even at 50'. I think it started as a .45 Colt and was converted to .45acp in Mexico. That .452 bullet just bounces down the .454 barrel. Some day I'm going to load some .454/.455 bullets in .45acp cases to see how it shoots.

My late aunt's boyfriend took it off of a Mexican criminal when he was a Chicago cop in the '60s.

Mark 40 · Mar 12, 2019

A few years ago my BIL gifted me this 1954 Colt Officers Model Match. He was an FFL, and had picked it up at an estate sale. During a range trip he noticed how much I liked it and said "It's yours".

One pic with rubber grips and the other with Colt wood stocks, but not original to the gun, they are grips from the 1960s. Also included an ad from the 1954 catalog. Check out the prices.

Vern Humphrey · Mar 12, 2019

BigBlue 94 said:
I also have a New Service in 38-40, and a new service shooting master in 38spl, both pre 60s. I dont know if they are prewar of not.

Almost certainly pre-war. Manufacture of the New Service stopped when we went to war, although some revolvers were assembled later from parts on hand.

mavracer · Mar 12, 2019

I've got these two Iver Johnson's top is a 44 American Bulldog first model and is oldest ~1884-5 the bottom is a Owl Head 38 probably a decade or so newer. I've only shot them with wax bullets.

I've shot my 1917 S&W Army quite a bit, I still trust it emphatically. It was made around Sept of 18.

Hanshi · Mar 12, 2019

I've owned a few Colts & Rugers from the early 1950s and a bit earlier. Hate I no longer have some of them. I think the currently oldest revolvers I currently own are a couple of 3-screw Ruger BlackHawk .45 Colts from sometime - can't recall exactly - in the 1960s. Semi Autos are an older and different story, though. And while it doesn't count, I have the barrels and cylinders for both a S&W 1950 .44spl and .45acp.

Taroman · Mar 14, 2019

Same as me - really old.

Coyote3855 · Mar 14, 2019

Colt New Service from 1906. .45 Colt

Vern Humphrey · Mar 14, 2019

Coyote3855 said:
View attachment 831163

Colt New Service from 1906. .45 Colt

I have one just like it, same year. Mine had been vigorously buffed and reblued, and shot about 18" high and a foot to the left -- I finally cut the barrel back to 5 1/2", mounted adjustable sights and put on a set of Herrett's grips.

Coyote3855 · Mar 14, 2019

Vern, I noticed your earlier post. Mine has light freckling all over and some scratches on the left rear of the frame. Trigger and top/bottom of the hammer are fire blued. Shoots to point of aim with my Cowboy Action handloads. Grips are excellent. Probably paid more than I should have, but always wanted a New Service and this one was in the right caliber. My Colt 1917 has been reblued and the front sight modified, replacement grips and swivel. They make a nice pair.

Vern Humphrey · Mar 14, 2019

Coyote3855 said:
Vern, I noticed your earlier post. Mine has light freckling all over and some scratches on the left rear of the frame. Trigger and top/bottom of the hammer are fire blued. Shoots to point of aim with my Cowboy Action handloads. Grips are excellent. Probably paid more than I should have, but always wanted a New Service and this one was in the right caliber. My Colt 1917 has been reblued and the front sight modified, replacement grips and swivel. They make a nice pair.

The New Service is an often ignored revolver -- I often wonder if the .44 Mag would exist if Elmer Keith had carried a New Service instead of a modified SAA.

Sistema1927 · Mar 14, 2019

S&W .32 DA 4th Model, 1898

stownsend · Mar 25, 2019

I have a few that came from my father's collection:

First is a very well worn pinfire revolver.

I think this is an 1849? Colt.

An unknown pocket pistol.

Remington New Model.

Rogers and Spencer.

jimbo555 · Mar 25, 2019

My 1955 Colt Cobra. Still in my carry rotation.

Diane Ross · Aug 26, 2019

Driftwood Johnson said:
Howdy

I have been thinking of starting this post for a while, but have been putting it off because I did not want to intimidate anybody. But after yesterday's What is your Favorite Revolver post, I thought I would start this one anyway.

Most of you probably already know that I like old revolvers.

So what is your oldest revolver? Do you know how old it is, or is it just a guess? Nothing wrong with guesses, I'm just curious.

Anyway, I'll start.

This little Smith and Wesson No. 1 Tip Up, First Issue, 5th Type is the oldest revolver in my collection at present. Roy Jinks says it shipped in June of 1859.

Probably silver plated when it left the factory, almost all the plating is gone now, revealing the brass frame and iron cylinder and barrel.

View attachment 809169

View attachment 809170

View attachment 809171

Seven chambers, 22 Short. The only 22 Rimfire cartridge that was in production at the time.

View attachment 809172

You can see here what little is left of the silver plating.

View attachment 809173

OK, so maybe this little guy is not fair because I don't actually shoot it. Much too old, and even modern 22 Shorts would be too much for it.

So, let's add another category.

What is the oldest revolver you own that you actually shoot?

It's actually a tie with me. This Smith and Wesson New Model Number Three shipped on August 15, 1882. It was sent back to the factory and refinished in March of 1965. That's why it looks so good. I know this because when I bought it a factory letter was included from the previous owner. It is chambered for 44 Russian, which was the most popular chambering for this model.

View attachment 809174

View attachment 809175

I don't shoot it a whole lot, but it does make it to a couple of Cowboy Action Shooting matches every year. Of course, I only shoot it with Black Powder.

View attachment 809176

I'm not exactly sure when this Merwin Hulbert Pocket Army shipped. According to Art Phelps' book, The Story of Merwin Hulbert & Co. Firearms, the Open Top version of this model was only made from 1880 until 1883. In 1883 a top strap was added. Phelps does not give a serial number range for this model, so I really don't know exactly when in that time period it left the factory.

View attachment 809177

View attachment 809178

Don't be fooled by the name Pocket Army. This is a big revolver, just as big as a Colt or S&W Top Beak. It is chambered for the 44-40 cartridge. I don't know why I put six cartridges in this photo because like so many old revolvers, these were only safe to carry loaded with five rounds and the hammer down on an empty chamber. This style of grip is called the Skull Crusher because the steel grip frame extends down below the hard rubber grips.

View attachment 809179

Like most Merwin Hulberts, the cylinder arrangement is unusual. To empty it, you push a knob in front of the trigger guard back. Then you pull the barrel and cylinder forward while rotating them 90 degrees. The empties fall out. Most of the time.

View attachment 809180

View attachment 809181

However not many folks know that you cannot reload while the gun is broken open. You have to close it up and reload one round at a time through a loading gate not much different than a Colt.

View attachment 809182

This one usually shows up at a CAS match a few times a year too. It usually comes along on the same day I shoot the New Model Number Three.

View attachment 809183

Of course, I only shoot it with Black Powder.

View attachment 809184

OK, so what is your oldest revolver, and do you shoot it?

1965 Colt Python 2 1/2 inch I can't wait to get evn more older models

Tallball · Aug 26, 2019

It's not a revolver, but I bought one of these newfangled inventions when I was in China a long time ago. I didn't think they would ever become popular.

View media item 2571

How Old is your Oldest Revolver?

Member

Member

Member

Sixgun Nut

Member

Contributing Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Attachments

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Similar threads