Old revolver - Hopkins & Allen DA .38?

[AJMBLAZER]

My grandfather passed away in 2002 and surprise, surprise we found this in his stuff. We were obviously concerned with other stuff so it got shoved in the back of dad's safe and forgotten until last weekend.

Excuse the bad photographs...they looked better on the view screen on the phone.

Not much of an idea about it. Says Hopkins & Allen I believe, Double Action No...something. Location of the company and all that on the top strap. I've asked my dad to send me the info that my photos have fuzzed up.

No calibre markings on it but we found it with a box of .38 S&W. NOT .38 Special.

The octagonal barrel is rifled, cylinder is removable via a lever underneath the center pin, side gate loading, and hard rubber grips with the "H&A" logo on them. Atrocious double action trigger pull.
Has the number (I think) 723 on the front of the grip frame.

We're not sure where he got it. The ammo has a Tennessee 3 cent ammo tax stamp on it but my uncle lived there for about 20 years in the 80's and 90's.

Anybody know what/where/who/etc and other info about this piece?

 

[AJMBLAZER]

More pictures.

 

[BHP FAN]

One of the better made ''suicide specials'' of the late 1880's to early 1900's ,enjoying a fresh surge of interest because of SASS ''pocket pistol'' side matches.Worth $150.00 to $250.00 depending on shootability and overall condition.Yours looks pretty good,just judgeing by the picture.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

It's all there with some sort of a dull sheen to it. A little rust here and there. Handling marks and scratches but not terribly abused or battered.

 

[PRM]

Hopkins Allen

They were reliable decent guns of their era. Aside from an heirloom you have a piece of American firearm history. The 38 S&W is one of my favorite calibres. Both historic and a pleasure to shoot. Easy to reload . I shoot both smokeless and black powder in that calibre. If your gun ever needs any work here's a site I would highly recommend - been doing business with Dave for over 25 years.

www.oldwestgunsmith.com

 

[AJMBLAZER]

 

[Timthinker]

Some of the "old timers" carried small DA handguns chambered for the .38 S&W and .32 S&W cartridges. If memory serves me correctly, the famous lawman Wyatt Earp owned a DA .32 S&W revolver in his later years. I know of two cases where family members inherited such revolvers. In fact, one of my aunts passed away some years ago and we discovered a .32 revolver among her possessions.


Timthinker

 

[AJMBLAZER]

I have a feeling this came into his possession much later than that. No one in my family was even here during the "Old West" era.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Dad finally got back to me with the info. Dunno if this helps divine anything else out about it.

Top Strap says:

Double Action No. 6
Hopkins & Allen Arms Co.
Norwich, Conn, USA

The number on the front strap of the grip frame is 723.

 

[carrebr3]

H&A DA No.6, .38 S&W

We inherited one as well from my grandfather after he passed. I noticed that the sight had been removed from the front, and the hammer spur had been filed down smooth, lastly some home-made wooden grips were installed. After some thought and some reasearch, the only reason you would remove the sight and file down the hammer and give it slick grips was so that it wouldn't catch on your clothes if you had to draw it in a hurry....

I'll post some pictures when I get my camera back later this week.

The serial on ours is 4585, but it's not in as good of condition as yours...

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Sounds interesting.

Dunno about yours but with ours' trigger pull it wouldn't be my choice for a CCW. It'd take you longer to pull the trigger than to dig it out of the ground.