Iver Johnson .32 top break date?

[Jalopiejoe]

I have an Iver Johnson top break .32 revolver I would like to date?
It appears to have a blued finish and the serial number on the butt strap and under the top strap is 3200.
No letter prefix.
I believe it to be a very early 1st Model.
Thanks for any help!

 

[Freudianfloyd]

I have an Iver Johnson top break .32 revolver I would like to date?
It appears to have a blued finish and the serial number on the butt strap and under the top strap is 3200.
No letter prefix.
I believe it to be a very early 1st Model.
Thanks for any help!View attachment 1000465 View attachment 1000466 View attachment 1000467 View attachment 1000468

Can't help you on age, but I have the same gun. Mine is an early blackpowder version, thus I haven't shot it unfortunately.

 

[AndyUSMC1107]

Can't help you on age, but I have the same gun. Mine is an early blackpowder version, thus I haven't shot it unfortunately.

I can’t help w/age either, but here are 2 of my top break 32s. Top is H&R, bottom is IJ w/2” bicycle barrel/cylinder nestled in the right of Display Case.

 

[Freudianfloyd]

I believe the groove in the cylinder and the direction of the owl head can help you narrow down your search.

 

[Col. Harrumph]

Going by the top latch that's a second model not first. The full serial number, letter prefix included, will be on the grip frame under the left grip panel. These were made from 1897 to 1908, according to Goforth's book. Details of the markings can differentiate between the variations of this model, of which there were several.

 

[Jalopiejoe]

Going by the top latch that's a second model not first. The full serial number, letter prefix included, will be on the grip frame under the left grip panel. These were made from 1897 to 1908, according to Goforth's book. Details of the markings can differentiate between the variations of this model, of which there were several.

I looked under the left grip and found nothing! Just the 3200 under the top strap and on the butt!

 

[Col. Harrumph]

I looked under the left grip and found nothing! Just the 3200 under the top strap and on the butt!

Well OK then! Quoting Goforth p. 63: "About mid-year 1896, the letter code as well as the serial number was [sic] moved from the bottom of the butt strap to the left side of the grip strap under the grip panel...." And on the previous page there's a table showing that 1896 production guns' s/n's began at A0001, and 1895 guns had no letter code. So assuming the author was correct yours is a second model from 1895, the first year of production; and a pretty early one too. Oh and it's a black powder gun.

 

[Jalopiejoe]

Well OK then! Quoting Goforth p. 63: "About mid-year 1896, the letter code as well as the serial number was [sic] moved from the bottom of the butt strap to the left side of the grip strap under the grip panel...." And on the previous page there's a table showing that 1896 production guns' s/n's began at A0001, and 1895 guns had no letter code. So assuming the author was correct yours is a second model from 1895, the first year of production; and a pretty early one too. Oh and it's a black powder gun.

Thank you so much!
That's the most information I have heard about my gun!
I was also curious why the owl on the grips seem to look in different directions on different guns?
Mine are looking towards the barrel!

 

[Monac]

Thank you so much!
That's the most information I have heard about my gun!
I was also curious why the owl on the grips seem to look in different directions on different guns?
Mine are looking towards the barrel!

As I understand it, Iver Johnson changed the direction of the owl's head on the grips when they changed from the Second Model guns to the Third Model guns. The Third Model guns had all coil springs, including the mainspring, which is the one under the grips that powers the hammer and most of the trigger mechanism. The Second Model guns used a flat mainspring.

I don't know why they changed the grips. Maybe so it was easier for factory workers to tell guns apart during the transition from Second to Third, or so buyers who read Iver Johnson ads could tell what model the local store had in stock.

Because grips are readily interchangeable and most of these guns have been around for 100 years, the grip style cannot be relied on to tell what model the gun is for certain. Checking the mainspring is positive.

First Models have a flat mainspring but an odd rotating top catch for breaking open the gun. The owl's head on their grip is just like the Second Model.

BTW, my father told that where he grew up in New Jersey, back before WWII, this type of gun was simply called an "owlshead". I don't know how common this was.