Please help me ID this Revolver

[techmike]

A co-worker has asked me for help in ID'ing this revolver. His father brought it back as a war trophy from WW2. The only markings he can find on it are Pirlot Freres A Liege.

Sorry about the picture quality.

Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[C.R.Sam]

Hippagatorish lookin thing.
No hammer spur yet looks to be single action.
Just did a run through a French n Belgium handgun book, old, with no hit.

Somebody will come along and nail it and I will learn from it.


Sam

 

[Mike Irwin]

Looks to be of a general Nagant pattern, probably with Chamileux-Devigne (sp is WAY off!) lockwork.

Also has certain aspects of the French Mle 1873 revolver -- the front sight and the ejector rod and loading gate system.

DEFINITELY double-action, though.

It apparently was made in Liege, a center of Belgian gunmaking, by the Pirlot Brothers.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Hey, what do you know.

The Pirlot Brothers must have been fairly prolific, because they are listed as one of the choices in Australia's National Gun Buy Back bull


Scroll through the list...

http://www.handgunbuyback.gov.au/wids/Content/handgunsearch.asp



This auction catalog, unfortunately in German, lists quite a few references to the Pirlot Brothers...

http://www.kesslerauktionen.ch/pdf/KatalogSpec3.pdf

 

[C.R.Sam]

I meant "looks to be single action" as one of the oddities.
Looks single but probably operates double only.

Should have said "looks Like single action".

A lot of strange guns on that buyback list.

Sam

 

[techmike]

Thanks for your help thus far. My friend tells me that the hammer spur is broken off.

 

[Mike Irwin]

"Hammer spur is broken off..."

That's sort of what I suspected.

Any ide as to what the nominal caliber is?

 

[techmike]

Seems to be about 11mm.

 

[Mike Irwin]

OK, probably chambered for the French 11mm Mle 1873 cartridge, a real and true dog of a handgun round, which would explain some of the exterior similarities to the 1873 revolver... It may have been made as an item for sale to French officers...

 

[techmike]

Thanks for you help guys...It's appreciated!

Mike

 

[BluesBear]

It's an 11mm 1874 French Officers revolver.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Blues,

If anything, it may be a copy of one, but I don't think it's an actual 1874. The Pirlot Frerers were manufacturers in their own right, but as far as I can tell never made any firearms for the French military.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Hippagatorish lookin thing.

Hey! Stop insulting hippogators!

 

[C.R.Sam]

I was also wonderin if hammer spur bobbed, broken or never there.

From one of my French gun books...
"During the decades from 1860 to 1880 bevies of armsmakers engaged in fierce rivalry, disputed patents, and vied for a share of le market. Among all this one can find the germ of origin of almost every revolver in use today."

Sam

 

[BluesBear]

You are correct Mike.

It was the fluted cylinder that threw me and I didn't notice the full octagon/hexagon barrel at first look.

It's an 10.4mm Italian Glisenti.