Anyone a sucker for oddball or obscure brand revolvers?

Nothing too far out there for me - an Astra Cadix .22, Rossi Plinker .22 and a Herter's Single Six .357 which has been passed on to my daughter. The rest of my revolvers are fairly common models from Ruger, S&W, Colt, NAA, etc.

Driftwood Johnson said:

Oddball?

Here are a few antiques (pre-1899)

How about this Forehand and Wadsworth 2nd Model Army? Chambered for 44 Russian. This one is a project gun, it needs a little bit of work before I can fire it.

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Or my Merwin Hulbert 44-40 2nd Model Pocket Army. Yes, I have shot it at several CAS matches.

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Or this Merwin Hulbert 38 Pocket Pistol. It needs a little bit of work, but I expect to fire it someday too.

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Always thought the M&H were cool. Love the .44-40!

Is a Hawes Western Marshal .45 odd enough? How about one converted to a custom 3-1/2" Sheriff's Model with a Tactical Grey Cerakote finish with Tungsten accents?


Or how about an Astra Police .38- this one fitted with custom grips amde from pre-blight American Walnut-

I’m a sucker for oddball obscure anything

mcb said:

I like any revolvers chambered in short fat cartridges the throw heavy bullets slowly. If it's a top break that just makes it all that much better.

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You must like the webley and Enfields then

Jessesky said:

You must like the webley and Enfields then

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I know I do! .450 Adams cartridges are adorable- They're like cartoon bullets!

I've always wanted a Galand revolver if for nothing else, the curiosity of the thing. Every time I find one though, it is extremely expensive or in really poor condition.

This is not my gun, but I wish it was.


I also met an old guy once that had three custom, one of a kind guns built by a garage engineer. The carbine shot 38 special, but I failed to get a good picture of it, because I'm stupid. The revolvers were really cool. Both are 38 Specials. The one on the left was like the old west met some steam punk future design. The one on the right actually rotated that bizarre cylinder.

I asked the old guy if he'd ever consider selling them, and he told me he would, but wouldnd't take less than $5000 for the carbine, and no less than $4000 per revolver. If I'd had the money, I'd have been tickled to have one or all three of them.

And then there's my old pinfire I keep around. It's not really oddball, but I think they are a neat remnant of the past.

I also dig this French Ordinance 1892 I picked up a few years ago. Again, not really that oddball or obscure, but definitely different than a lot of modern designs.

Jessesky said:

You must like the webley and Enfields then

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Yes I do. I have a Mark IV but I am always on the lookout for a shooter grade Mark VI.

Driftwood reminded me that I too have a Forehand & Wadsworth, complete with gaudy mother of pearl grips. It is not in functioning condition, but it is a family heirloom so at some point when money is no longer tight(if it ever is) I would like to get it repaired. Someone long before I took possession dropped the poor old thing on the hammer.



As for "modern" off-brand revolvers, picked up an Astra 357 in near as I could tell "like new in box" condition earlier this year for a single crisp fifty dollar bill.

Shop I work at purchased an “estate” .... more like a collection of ratty old shotguns and cheap .22 rifles rolled up in an old carpet and bed sheets. We honestly tried to pass on the whole lot, but the Lady and her son were insistent they had to be out of the house. Their next stop after our shop was the local PD to "turn them in".... seriously.... if I ever have any offspring and they want nothing to do with my guns, just bury them with me please.

However in a paper grocery bag amidst several boxes of corroded ammo and mouldy leather slings was this little gem. Darn thing was still wrapped in the ASTRA printed plastic baggie. Date stamp under the grips puts it right around 1972.

nevadabob said:

I'm a sucker for oddball things. With that said, I had to walk away from a GB enticement. There's a '60 Miroku snubby up for sale that caught my eye. Has a good story and needs rebluing. I walked away from it. Anyone else battle this disease?

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Bob, thought of this thread yesterday when a lady brought in an RG-10 and a US Revolvers (Iver Johnson) 1909 breaktop. Wish they'd have been better taken care of, there would have been some value to them, but just too much rust.

I once dropped a 350 Chevy in a 1964 Rambler American.

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Bet that was hard on the upholstery.

mcb said:

Yes I do. I have a Mark IV but I am always on the lookout for a shooter grade Mark VI.

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That's a very handsome late commercial Webley, mcb. I can't tell - is the ammo round nosed, hollow point, or something else?

Monac said:

That's a very handsome late commercial Webley, mcb. I can't tell - is the ammo round nosed, hollow point, or something else?

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That is one of the last 250 Webley Mark IV made in the 1980's.

The ammo is my reloads using 200gr hemispheric round nose bullets from Matt's Bullets. Its' a fairly close replica of the original 38/200 MKI load. 200 grs of bullet going ~600 fps. Unfortunately my seating die left a shallow but very visible ring on the nose of the bullet blemishing the looks slightly.

Me too.

Astra Cadix, 38 Special. 5 shot. Basically a J frame with a 4" barrel and adjustable sights


Miroku. 6 shot, sort of Colt-ish.


High Standard Sentinal Mk III, 6 shot, 357 Magnum. An early Dan Wesson.

I'll second that vote on the 450s and up it to 455!

I don't know if qualify for oddball, but I like it.
Sadly, I don't trust the new nickel finishing and the new production manufacturers.
If someone can give a lil. push is welcome.

Lessee: off of the top of my head, I've got a couple of Ruby .38 specials, various R/Gs, a Rossi .32, an Iver Johnson hammerless .38, a Young American and a U.S. .22 and several rust lumps that look Belgian or British.

They just accumulate.

PSA:

I have a 3" 38 special Astra revolver that's a Spanish police trade-in. It's big, like an N-frame. It needs a replacement star extractor and I haven't been able to find one yet.

I bought a "kit" for an Astra NC6. It turns out that's more of a K-frame size, so of course the parts are useless to me. If anyone has an NC6 and needs parts, PM me. It's basically a plastic bag that has almost everything except the frame inside.

Added this to the collection last week- an early Webley Mk.1. made around 1888. Issued originally to the British Army, it was re-issued to the Royal Navy at the outset of WW1. Sometime after that it was cut for .45 ACP and imported to the US. Needs light loads, of course, but it's a great shooter. This was seven yards, double-action standing/unsupported. I've got more clips on order; I am so going to shoot this in an ASI match!

^^^-Wasn't that in BioShock?

theotherwaldo said:

^^^-Wasn't that in BioShock?

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I think so- either this or a Webley Pryse.

When speaking about oddball revolvers you can't forget Ma.Te.Ba. (better known as Mateba) revolvers by Emilio Ghisoni (R.I.P. Mr. Genius): MTR-8, 2006M and 6-Unica are a little piece of history in revolver alternative roads.
I have an "obscure" brand revolver myself: a Weihrauch Target Trophy:

NIGHTLORD40K said:

Of course, Dad also has one of these hideousities kickin around-
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It goes bang most of the time......I think he keeps it in a baggie in the toilet bowl, lol.

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Yep, we had, or maybe still have, one of those kicking around. I remember dad shot a cottonmouth with it when I was a kid and the hammer spur flew off to parts unknown. I don't think anyone fired it again. No one can remember where that thing ended up, so it may be in the house somewhere.