More modern versions of some oldies....

[mohctep]

I have become interested in unusual looking revolvers from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s,and I think it would be very cool if somebody started making some of these old guns again.

Pictured Right to Left are the:
Tranter revolver,Adams pocket revolver,Allen wheel lock revolver,French 1892 revolver,and the Kerr revolver.
[Click on thumbnails to see full-size pics]

 

[Jim Watson]

Don't hold your breath.
There is art and artisanship in those old guns that would be tough to duplicate today. It took the clone labs years to learn how to copy the S&W Schofield - I had one that was one of many so bad that it nearly ruined the maker and importer. There is now an outfit testing the waters for a repro Merwin & Hulbert, which has been said to be one of the most complex revolvers around.

Too bad, really.
Jan Stevenson said the '92 French if made of stronger steel for higher pressure loads, would make as modern a revolver as you could ask for.

 

[armoredman]

I kinda like that Adams Pocket Revolver...

 

[JesseL]

I'd really love an 1868 Galand to play with...

 

[GunTech]

I'd buy a Tranter or Adams.

For a while there was a Swiis gentleman making Adams repros, but they cost thousands and were hand built.

As far as making these guns today, it would be simple. The only thing it requires is sufficient market demand. Some of the old revolvers used forging to form their shapes, and this would probably be replaced with investment castings to keep prices reasonable. Ruger has already proved that investment castings are more than adequate for smokeless, do BP would be a snap.

Unfortunately, the biggest demand in the US is for Civil war type BP revolvers. I'm not sure there enough of a demand for a Tranter or Adamas copy.

 

[mohctep]

Found some more old/cool revolver pics:

Pictured Rt to left:
1882 Swiss revolver,Galand revolver,unknown[to me]pinfire revolver,Rast Gasser revolver,Reichs revolver.

I really like the almost Victorian lines of some of these guns,and wonder how many folks out there today would buy them, if they were available in modern calibers.

Never hurts to dream,I guess!

 

[barman]

I think it would be very cool if somebody started making some of these old guns again.

It is my understanding that old 19th century European revolvers aren't expensive in the US, some could say they're even available for cheap.

They haven't benefited from the massive impact that pop culture did for old Colt or Smith & Wesson designs.

Therefore, one could wonder about the profitability of making repros since originals can be found for the same price than Italian replicas of US revolvers. I doubt many entrepreneurs would take that risk.

Here are my 2 St Etienne Mle 1873 (ancestor of the 1892). They are pricey and hard to find over here in France.. Guns are always more likely to be highly sought-after in their country of origin rather than anywhere else in the world.

 

[Cincinnati Slim]

Non-Colt & Remington revolvers...

Howdy,

I'd love to see a repro Adams. They were used during the Civil War and were manufactured here under liscense in the US during the conflict. ( By Manhattan I believe) The Adams/Deane/Tranter family of firearms also offered a conversion cylinder very much like the two piece units now made by R&D for Colts and Remmies. The LeMatt and Star revolvers were no more "odd ball " than the Adams/Deane/Tranter models. They were actually pretty widely used in the Civil War/Frontier Era. English guns enjoyed a very good reputation.

Slim

 

[mohctep]

Very cool pics,barman.

I wish I'd run across some of those reasonally priced old european revolvers,because I sure haven't yet.
I guess not too many found their way over here, and into the pawn shops that I sometimes visit looking for such things.

It's a shame somebody doesn't remake them in modern calibers[especially the ones with a place in American history],because I can't help but believe that alot of folks here would buy them if the the price wasn't too high.

 

[hildo]

Do not think we will not see many replica's of early European revolvers. Most EU revolvers I find not very pleasing to look at from pure astetics point of view, and more people agree otherwise they woud be more expensive.
Popular replica US revolvers as the Colt, Remmy, R&S and such work well but, very important, they have 'the good looks'.

 

[barman]

For interesting French sidearms of signficance in the American civil war, there are the Lefaucheux revolvers, using pinfire cartridges...

I believe thousands of them were sold in the US during the conflict.

 

[barman]

Do not think we will not see many replica's of early European revolvers. Most EU revolvers I find not very pleasing to look at from pure astetics point of view, and more people agree otherwise they woud be more expensive.

They are pretty expensive in Europe where they are connected to the histories of our countries. At least in France, a Galand, a real Lefaucheux (many copies were made), MAS or Perrin is not to be found in good shape under 1000 euros.


I came across a fantastic English Adams percussion revolver a year ago. Too bad I couldn't afford it at the time (it was around 800 euros, mint).
Another one was a Gasser from the Austrian Army..

 

[Yankee John]

The Lefaucheux pin-fire revolvers were the 4th most used pistols in the Civil War; Colt 1st, Remington 2nd, Starr 3rd, then Lefaucheux. Much 12mm pin-fire ammo was found in Confederate ammo stores at the end of the war.

John

 

[mohctep]

ANOTHER cool pic,barman!

I'd never heard of a Lefaucheux[I wonder why] I like that thing alot.

 

[AntiqueCollector]

The one thing I'd like to see is the ammo made more available. I'd love to get some old pinfire revolvers, but the difficulty in getting (or making) ammo for them makes it not really worth the trouble to me...

 

[barman]

The one thing I'd like to see is the ammo made more available.

One good link, their products are first class quality:

http://www.hc-collection.com/

I have bought their "Lee-loader" package for my Mle 1873s in 11mm, works great.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

UMC started producing pin fire ammo during the Civil War for the revolvers being used in the war. I remember reading in a book the US government bought something like 10,000 pin fire revolvers during the war.

 

[6_gunner]

It seems to me that most of those old revolvers (Adams, St. Etienne, etc.) would be available for less than it would cost to produce a high-quality replica.
Now, what I'd like to see is a reproduction cartridge LeMat. A Gasser would be pretty cool, too. Seems like originals of those are pricey enough to make reproductions worth while.
Barman, that's a beautiful pair of 1873s! Is ammo available over there, or do you manufacture your own?

 

[GunTech]

What I am seeing is that there probably is enough interest to produce some of the more unusual percussion hanguns.

The advantage of these models as reproductions is that they aren't considered firearms by federal law, so they can be manufactured and sold with far less hassle than any cartrdge or cartridge conversion firearm. Also, guns made for BP or repro powder do have to withstand the same sort of pressures as modern handgun.

The barrier would be high initial cost. Because many of these guns have those graceful curves abd blended lines, the most cost effective way to build them would probably be machined investment castings. CNC tooling is easy enough, but settying up for investment casting is expensive, so you have to be able to count on selling many copies to get back you initial investment.

The other option would be to use the original method of hot forging. That's even more expensive.

As far as shooting originals, I'd be hesitant. I've only seen a couple of Adams percssion guns, and only one Tranter

 

[barman]

Barman, that's a beautiful pair of 1873s! Is ammo available over there, or do you manufacture your own?

Thanks!

So far I've been shooting (super expensive) manufactured ammo made by a company called Spalek, specialised in obsolete calibers. You can see a few of those cartridges at the bottom of my pic. A box of 25 costs 50 euros. But as I wrote before on the topic I just bought a reloading kit made by H&C and now I am making my own ammo. Since I don't have a good cast for bullets, I buy them from a company called balleurope, they're OK although not true to original specs.

 

[mohctep]

One last batch to feed the fire:

Thanks to all for making this a great thread.
Maybe we should send it to some gun makers.I wonder which companies would be the best/most interested in this apparent market?