Help identify this old pocket revolver

[Daniel T]

I'm trying to get some information on this old SA/DA revolver for my soon-to-be father-in-law. According to my dial calipers, the barrel has a bore of .362" and the cylinder chambers are .363" in diameter and 1.192" long. The barrel is 2.5" long. The hammer has a wedge-type firing pin on it, so I'm assuming a rimfire. There are three distinct clicks as you cock the hammer, and the springs are still strong.

The inside of the barrel is coated in rust, as is the outside. I doubt it has any actual value, but I told the FIL that I'd try to get some kind of info on it, like what caliber it is. I do not plan of firing this pistol.

I can't find any mention of the Prescott Pistol Co. in Hatfield, MA on the internet, so I thought I'd come here and see what I could find.

Thanks!

 

[Daniel T]

Another image:

 

[jar]

Well, there was a Prescott Pistol Company and they made pocket pistols. Their higher priced models carried their own name while the lower priced ones were called Comet, STAR and Union IIRC. Beyond that I can't tell you very much.

 

[Old Fuff]

Oh yes, the Prescott Pistol Company ….. I remember them. Sure ….

Anyway, The Prescott Pistol Company in Hatfield, MA. made single action, spur trigger revolvers as well as a double action – which is what you have. As the company only lasted for three years (1873 through 1875) production was limited, and is estimated to have been no more then a few hundred of each model, if that. Most were not marked with the Prescott name, but did have No. 32, No. 38 or No. 41 (the most common) denoting what rimfire cartridge they were chambered for stamped on the topstrap.

Edited to add: I am sure the one you have is a .38 RF.

The gun you have is exceptional for a number of reasons. First, it is engraved and apparently silver plated, where most were just plain. Second, it is marked with the maker’s name. A plain gun has a collector’s value of around $100.00, but the one you have I would think would be worth twice that or more – if you can find a collector that is interested in it.

 

[P95Carry]

Fascinating piece of firearms history.

 

[Josey]

Cool! If you can, gently remove the the grips. Dunk the revolver in a Tupperware container od Kroil. This should clean the revolver of most of the dirt/gunk/rust. Use Birchwood Casey Gunscrubber to flush the pistol clean. Allow to airdry or blow it dry with compressed air. Use Flitz to polish the external metal of the revolver as it is safe for silver plating. The pistol is a 38 rf. Replace the grips gently. That is a keeper. It is rare and unusual. I would not let go of it.

 

[Daniel T]

Wow, thanks for the information guys. I didn't think it would be worth much of anything.

Thanks for the specifics, Old Fuff. Another question for you and Josey: would cleaning have a negative impact of the value of this revolver?

 

[Josey]

GOOD question! My reasoning is this, a unique pistol that is rusty and gunky is only of interest if it is proven to be from the Little Big Horn. I have SAW Colts that I have bought as relics. I have one that I am restoring. The pistol was frozen and rusty. I soaked it in Kroil and then buffed it clean. I only need a crane lock, blue and a set of grips. Instead of a parts gun, I will have a restored SAW Colt with a serial number to trace to the conflict. I am putting it in a 1881 repro leather holster for display. I can actually shoot this revolver with BP loads when I am done. I collect pocket pistols. I prefer working and clean models. Even French/Belgian pinfires are nice to show how the revolvers functioned. I don't buy non-working relics. Most collectors won't. I don't mind a pistol being cleaned. A reblue, chrome job or buffing that ruins the contours and non-working or frozen actions put me off. I have a friend that collects rusty, dug up, battlefield remains of firearms. He is proud of his rust. Value is dependent on condition. I prefer my firearms to be functional and in good condition. I have bought some pocket pistols with peeling nickel that were functionally/mechanically sound.

 

[Old Fuff]

It depends on what the firearm is, and how you define “cleaning.†In this particular case you want to remove as much crud and rust as you can WITHOUT REMOVING ANY ORIGINAL FINISH. The revolver is only of interest to a collector, and most collectors want as much original finish as possible including what they call “patina†and we would call tarnish. It is O.K. (in their view) to remove rust, but not any of the underlying metal. Anything that makes it look polished degrades the “antique†appearance. There is no objection in getting the rust out of the bore and chambers, and to do this I have CAREFULLY used rust removers such as Naval Jelly. Do not get any of it on the exterior parts of the gun, and following its use give the bore a good scrubbing to bring back as much shine as possible.

Others want to restore the piece as much as possible, as Josey does. While I have no objection to what he’s done, (and it wouldn’t matter if I did) he has in some cases lowered the price of what some collectors would give him. Frankly I don’t think he gives a hoot though.

I go both ways. If I should obtain a finish-worn and abused gun – particularly a post World War Two model I probably wouldn’t hesitate to restore and refinish it to as close to “as new†condition as I could. In any case I would return it to fully functional shape regardless of what I did to the finish. And I frequently use guns of this kind as a basis to build something customized along my own interests.

Resently I was ask to restore an old Colt revolver made around 1923. It had a little better then 95% of the original blue, and that blue cannot be duplicated because the technology that did it is no longer available. The owner suggested that it could be re-blued. I told him," no, doing that would cost money and reduce the value of the gun." What I did do was compleately clean it and retrofit some of the parts, generally along the lines that Josey suggested without doing any exterior polishing.

However, if I got something made during the 19th century that might possibly be unique (such as you have – I think that very few presentation guns like it were made, and probably fewer survived to this day – I would be very careful in restoring it beyond removing rust, and/or stopping further corrosion and taking steps to preserve any remaining finish. Hint: On antiques, especially plated ones, it is best to protect the exterior finish with a good wax rather then grease or oils.

 

[Gordon]

Just my $.02 BUT that gun is worth $600-800 in condition it is in and after PROFESSIONALLY cleaned up similar to Josey said,(pro's use ultrasonic tanks to help) it might fetch consideralably MORE at a Butterfields auction ect. Rember this is a New England manufacturer, VERY short run, their highest grade work and the 'bag' grips presents a very unique appearance IMHO! Also the .38RF caliber helps bring the interest up (as bore size increases prices tend to rise, another weird gun fact!).over the .22's .30's and .32's.

 

[Josey]

Give a hoot? I reenact and CAS shoot. I enjoy taking yardsale finds and using aftermarket/clone parts to restore them to function. My most recent find is a Colt 1878 DA revolver. It was heavily pitted and had the remains of a old nickel plating. It was a POJ. It also was missing the cylinder pin. The barrel had been hacksawed to about 3". I intend to buff it after soaking it in Kroil. I will put a Belt Mountain locking basepin in it to hold a NOS Colt cylinder. The pistol will be reblued with hot caustic bluing. I will have a better barrel/sight installed. Value of this Colt 38? $5.00 at a yardsale. Value after rebuild? I figure $350.00. Value of an unmolested original? +/- $1,000.00 I would not butcher a true collectible. I enjoy fixing up old firearms though. I truly think that letting a antique out in the daylight and safely shooting it beats a static display. I used to build/repair/restore and customize fire apparatus. There were departments that wanted 1939 General open cabs made into hot rods with chrome and fancy stuff. I refused. I had no problems with dragging a junker from a salvage yard and applying lipstick and rouge to it. I do think it would be a sin to destroy a work of art.

 

[Old Fuff]

You misunderstood my point. What I met to convey was that you didn't care about some other self-appointed collector's opinion about how you should restore an old firearm. In other words it isn't anyone else's business what you do with your own guns. Having restored the old 1877 D.A. (.38 Long Colt) or 1878 (.38-40) - I'm not sure which you have, a "collector" might well look down his nose and say you, "ruined it by refinishing it using a non-period bluing process." On the other hand a Cowboy Action Shooter could easily give you what you might ask.

In any case if you shoot either remember Colt did not certify the 1877 or 1878 to be safe with smokeless powder cartridges.

 

[Josey]

No angst from me. I do swap grips and sights and replace parts to restore function. I have fun. I have only traded of two revolvers for CAS use. I am a hoarder/collector. The 1878 DA Colt is a 38 Long Colt. I plan on using BP loads only. I recently spotted a Colt 1917 that has need. Somebody chopped the butt into a rounded form, stuck a 9" barrel on it, trigger shoe, put a Kings offset target hammer on and a Fitz style front gold bead. I see it as a field carry pistol or WASA main match pistol. I may pass on it. Firearms are personal choice. That is the fun part. I like oats and some like grits. LOL

 

[Old Fuff]

Now you have me interested.

The model 1878 was a large revolver, usually chambered in .45 Colt or 44-40. One in .38 Long Colt would be ........ most exceptional, and valuable.

The model 1877 (often called the "Lightning") was a smaller gun that was usually chambered in .38 Long Colt or .41 Colt.

If you really have a model 1878 chambered in .38 Long Colt you've hit pay dirt.

 

[Daniel T]

That's some great advice gentlemen, and I appreciate it very much. I think I will clean it up while preseving the original finish, after, of course, getting the ok from my father-in-law.

Do yall have suggestions on where I might take it (somewhere in Texas preferably) to get it officially appraised?

 

[Old Fuff]

That could be difficult. Appraisals are usually based on what similar guns of the same make, model and condition have been selling for. In this case the piece is so unusual that I don’t think there is any recent history to go by. Standard guns of this kind are valued at around $100.00 – but this is by no means a standard gun. While it is rare, it’s of interest to only a few specialist collectors – not like an antique Smith & Wesson or Colt for example. I’ll see if I can find out more.

 

[Gordon]

LOL, local people actually hire me to appraise estates ect. I obviously don't know it all!

 

[marco]

i have the same pistol!! and i've been trying to get some info as well. on your trigger does your gun have a number 14 on it

 

[marco]

if you want you can send me a email to chat about your findings at [email protected]