Unknown Revolver

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fuzzyjoey9

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I recently stumbled upon the below pictured revolver. It is in pretty rough shaped, mostly due to its storage condition i believe. I removed the grip and was unable to find any marks on it. The only marks i can find are on the cylinder (5 or 6 on the back) and a 309 on what i believe to be the ejector rod. The end of the barrel is approxiamtely 0.446" and the depth of the cylinder is 1.200" The barrel is 2.480"
 

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The cylinder does not swing out or pivot up. It holds 5 rounds. Can anyone help identify what model this is?
 
Looks like a British "Bulldog" style - I don't know enough about them to identify it any more specifically, though.
 
Check the cylinder, including the back, for an oval with the letters E L G, the Belgian proof mark. I suspect the gun is Belgian, one of literally tons of similar guns made in and around Liege in the late 19th and early 20th century. If there are no Belgian marks and no other marks, the gun is probably Spanish. Value generally runs $75-100 as curios if in working order, which many are not.

Those guns are interesting but of little value. I don't have an idea of scale, but most were made for the old European equivalents of the .32 Colt and .38 Colt. Ammunition is not available in shooting quantities but some can be made from more modern cases and hand loaded.

Jim
 
It is a generic "bulldog" type revolver, made in great numbers in every country with a firearms industry in the late 19th and early 20th century. If it does not have a visible brand name or national proof marks, there is no way to pin it down.
They were the actual "Two Dollar Pistol" of the turn of the century.
 
Since there are no marks, its more of a family heirloom piece then a valuable one correct? I am wondering because if it is, I am thinking about cleaning it up and firing it.
 
Might be a .442 Webley or .450 Eley, then.
Good luck on ammo.
Actually, it does not look like a real high grade bulldog, with a lot of squared off corners instead of the smooth contours of real British or even Belgian revolvers.
I don't think I'd shoot it at all.
Maybe with a pinch of powder and a round ball like the old gallery loads.
 
Until I knew more about the material used in construction, I'd never trust it. You could do a "gallery load" as Jim Watson suggests if feeling particularly adventurous, but why?

Ask yourself "What Would my Insurance Adjustor Do?"
 
Don't know anything about it but my first thought was.....


"Watson, your revolver!"

You really need tweeds and a deerstalker hat to go with that one.

-kBob
 
LarryH, the lion on the grip is facing the opposite way than the ones in your link/. I don't think i will ever fir eit because i do like having both of my hands. I am thinking about removing the rust and building a display for it.
 
Looking at George Layman's book, The British Bulldog Revolver and an article in the 2011 Gun Digest on collecting Bulldogs shows no exact match to your gun but the indicators are that your revolver is a Belgian made example in .44 Bulldog caliber that was imported to the American market.

There were likely Belgian proof marks at one time but age and use may have removed them from the surface metal.

Keep it for what it is. A very popular big bore House and coat pistol from the period of about 1880 to around the turn of the 20th century.
 
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