LA's Deputy .357 SA revolver

[qlajlu]

I posted this in the Revolver Section of the board and received no information, so I thought I would repost here to see if new eyes could help me.

When my father died, I inherited an SA revolver that looks just like my Ruger Single-six .22 on steroids. The name, "LA's Deputy" is stamped in the bottom of the hand grip. On the bottom of the barrel is stamped "Germany." Other than the serial number and the caliber (.375 Mag) there are no other identifying manufacturer's marks on the weapon.

I am not familiar with this "brand" of firearm and wonder if it is a cheap Ruger knockoff. Here is the Ruger Blackhawk and except for the Ruger Crest embedded in the grip, the adjustable rear sight, and different style ramp front sight this gun looks identical.

View attachment 43828

I have Googled for LA's Deputy and find no information online. Perhaps my various searches were worded wrong. I don't know.

Does anyone in this forum have any information on this manufacturer? Is it reputable?

I was surprised when I was given this gun because I had no idea my father had it nor where he got it since he was a rifle person. Also, I have not yet fired this gun because I want to know more about it first. I have already had to reinstall the ejection rod, so I am a little wary of it. I should add, though, that it feels good and cycles well. No play in the cylinder when cocked. Except for the unfortunate ejection rod malfunction, I rather like the gun.

 

[MikeJackmin]

Here you go:

http://www.shootmagazine.com/articles/firearms/great_western.htm

 

[MikeJackmin]

On second thought, this may not be your gun after all - it's called the 'Deputy", not "LA Deputy", and it is American-made...

 

[qlajlu]

On second thought, this may not be your gun after all - it's called the 'Deputy", not "LA Deputy", and it is American-made...

I wondered about that. The article you pointed me to also indicated that their "Deputy" model was made with a 4" bbl. The gun I have is sporting a 5 1/2" bbl. Plus my gun is stamped "LA's Deputy" not "LA Deputy." Small difference, but it could be crucial.

I do appreciate your input though.

 

[espanola]

Qlajlu, thanks for posting this--you just asked what I've been meaning to for some time and never seemed to be able to remember to!
I have the exact same situation--I have a single action .22 blued 4" barrel with fake bone grips. The only identifying marks on it are on the left side of the barrel "Cal..22LR", bottom of the barrel-"Germany 123456", the same number in front of the trigger guard, and finally on the butt of the handgrip, "LA's DEPUTY". No manufacturer mentioned.
My father had this at least since 1962, when I can first remember him shooting it.
Mike, thanks for posting this link--it's closer than anything else I've found and there is a sentence there that there were some German made (J.P. Sauer, and Sohn Hawes) ones brought in for awhile.
I think it's the same pistol. The specs as described seem to match. Even the fake bone (stag) grips in the picture match the ones on mine.
It's been a good, reliable pistol. It's the one I learned to shoot with, and I still shoot it nearly weekly. It's still all original parts, never had a problem with it. I'd say since it's at least 45 years old, it's done well!
Thanks again for the question and the link!

 

[Jim K]

There were several SA type revolvers imported from Germany in the 1950's and 1960's. Some, such as Sauer, were excellent. Others were, shall we say, not excellent. In fact they were junk, with cast zinc frames. Some even had cast zinc barrels and cylinders with steel inserts. After the 1968 law banned import of cheap "SNS" revolvers, some of the companies involved switched to SA revolvers, usually .22 but also in .38 Special and .357. They were little better quality than the previous SNS guns from the same source. The name of the maker was usually missing in action.

If one of those gun shoots well, and the owner is happy with it, there is no problem. But parts are not available; if anything breaks that is not interchangeable with an available part for another gun, the owner is out of luck.

Jim

 

[qlajlu]

The only identifying marks on it are on the left side of the barrel "Cal..22LR", bottom of the barrel-"Germany 123456", the same number in front of the trigger guard, and finally on the butt of the handgrip, "LA's DEPUTY". No manufacturer mentioned.

The .357 I have is also blued, however the grips are wooden. The serial numbers on mine are also stamped in the same places as you describe...different numbers, of course.

This one appears to have been made well, but the ejector rod was installed a little funky. My younger brother told me just a few minutes ago that he fired the gun several times. Apparently my dad got the gun after I graduated in 1962 and went in the service and my younger brother was still at home. He didn't particularly like shooting it because he says it has a biting recoil. I'm thinking, ".357 magnum, duh." It couldn't be any heavier on the recoil than my S&W Model 28, 4" bbl in .357 Mag.

There were several SA type revolvers imported from Germany in the 1950's and 1960's. The name of the maker was usually missing in action.

The timing would fit as well as the name of the manufacturer.