Request Information on Mystery Revolver

[ZBill]

Attached are photos of centerfire pistol my father brought back from WWII. Inside barrel diameter is .415 inches. The cartridge case eject rod is an obvioux post-production add-on. The six-shot cylinder is 1.395 inches long with 22 stamped on rear of cylinder. Also on the cylinder are several proof (?) marks - a crown with an L under it; a crown with an oval under it containing an L with LG directly under that L (actually looks like a pineapple); a star with a joined AP under it. On the barrel is a crown with an R under it and another star with a joined AP. On the left side of the frame is a stamped rectangle with GG22 in it. Interestingly, a GG is written with a pencil inside the left wood grip and 22 is inscribed inside the right grip. Any assistance is appreciated. Bill

 

[dfariswheel]

This is probably a Belgian rip-off of a British or Austrian revolver.

The L with a Crown, the Crown with an oval and LE or LEG, and LG marks are proof marks often encountered on Belgium-made firearms.

In the Pre-WWI era, a large number of Belgian companies made huge numbers of exact to modified copies of just about everyone's firearms.

These are often impossible to positively ID since the companies were often combined efforts of several companies, and only in business to make one particular model and then dissolved, reformed with other players to make something else, and so on.

 

[ZBill]

Thank you, it does...

seem to have a British influence on hammer and trigger. The timing is not in the best of shape, but it now only dry fires on DAO only. Was this a feature of any pre-WWI revolvers? Regards, Bill

 

[Jim K]

I believe Dfariswheel's identification of Belgian origin is correct. Revolvers of that general type were used by military and militia forces of every European country from roughly 1870 through roughly 1895, when smaller caliber revolvers came into general use. The market was supplied not only by native factories but also by the huge Belgian arms industry. I can't find that it was a Belgian issue weapon, and nothing exactly like it shows up in Geschichte und Technik der europaeischen Militarrevolver, the definitive work on European military revolvers. Of course, there was a thriving civilian market and also a wide market among military officers who often had to buy their own sidearms. The Belgian makers turned out endless variations to fill every need and suit every whim.

I would think the revolver was made as a DA/SA type, although it might not now be functional in both modes. DAO was uncommon; more typical was issuing a DA/SA to officers and a SAO to enlisted men.

HTH

Jim

 

[ZBill]

Thank you for checking the ....

European military reference. I certaintly appreciate the time spent in researching this interesting revolver. Bill