Questions on the Arminius .357

[mp510]

I was wondering what type of info you guys could give me on the Arminius .357 revolvers. I know that they were cheap when they were imported back in the '70s, retailing for $120->$130 depending on the finish and options, and they were advertised as being steel, though I saw a .38 single action listed as being "alloy" on Gunsamerica. How well do these weapons hold up over the years? I noticed that they had some rather large adjustable sights. What type of quality there? What's the current going price on these? Also, do they have active, hammer mounted firing pins, or do they include something safer, considering that they were imported post GCA'68? Also, how is the DA trigger pull on these.

Any particular quirks I should know about?

 

[gvass]

Hi,
.357 Magnum Arminius revolvers today are all steel framed. Some of their .38 Specials are zinc-framed, and some are aluminium-alloy.

All current Arminius revolvers have modern transfer bar safety and frame mounted firing pin.

 

[def4pos8]

I thought that name was familiar. . . .

I have in my hot little hands a 1988/89 Eduard Kettner catalog. It lists an Arminius HW 357 Match revolver "Mit Mikrometervisier" (adjustable rear sight) for 822 Deutsche Marks -- roughly $450 at that time, chambered in .38 S&W Special or .357 Magnum. For reference, a S&W Model 19 in the same catalog listed for 599 DM. These are NOT trash guns but I'll admit that the rear sight IS rather hideous.

The description states that these were all-steel weapons (ganzstahlwaffe). Those words are not present in descriptions of other revolvers of the Arminius line. Those might be made of miscellaneous alloys.

I never did figure out who made the bloody things. "Arminius" is the Romanized name of Heerman, who lead of a group of Deutschers in wiping out a Roman legion in the Teutoberg forest about two thousand years ago. That's like labeling an item sold here as "Liberty" or "American".

They had an OK reputation in Germany but, believe it or not, most Germans wanted Smiths, Colts or Rugers! They absolutely MELTED when given the chance to shoot my Redhawk!!

I hope this provides a clue. Apologies for taking this long. I simply required the proper combination of apple schnapps and suitably dark beer to fire the required synapses!

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The trade name "Arminius" was/is produced by Weihrauch (sp?) of Germany.

I knew somebody years ago who had one, an all steel .357 Magnum. I just handled and dry-fired it, never shot it. It was rather unattractive compared to the sleek S&W, but had good fit and finish and decent trigger pulls. It had no cylinder latch on the frame; you grasped the front of the ejector rod with a pinching motion and pulled forward on it to release the cylinder.

 

[def4pos8]

YEP! Weihrauch it is!!

I looked at a Fankonia Jagd catalog of similar vintage and the entire line was listed, showing the Arminius trade name. A single .22 variant and the .357, along with a large frame offering in .357, .44 Mag or .45 Colt are the only items made of steel.

Various .22s, .32s and .38s are alloy.

Weihrauch appears to have mimicked Smith's line to some extent.

Wow! I did that without the schnapps/beer. The "Military Special" vodka must have drug it up out of my subconscious. . . .