Arms, Armor & Militaria

Approximately 9mm RF, unknown cartridge. 7.25" octagonal barrel. NSN. Bright finish, checkered European hardwood grip. Single action, open top revolver with an unfluted six-chambered cylinder, a unique hammer safety, dovetailed notch rear sight, dovetailed blade front sight and manual ejector rod secured beneath the barrel. Unmarked, although the Roman numeral style mating assembly mark |||\/ is found on some of the parts. The frame is engraved with crisp Arabesque foliate scrolls and game birds. The open top, wedge secured barrel, two piece design appears to be a European interpretation of the classic Colt percussion revolver design, known generically to collectors as "Brevet" revolvers. This gun may have started life as a percussion handgun that was later altered to cartridge, as the cylinder is somewhat more crudely made than the balance of the revolver. The most interesting feature is the hammer block safety that keeps the hammer from being cocked unless the release on the hammer spur is depressed. Also of note is that the firing pin on the face of the hammer is horizontal, a somewhat unorthodox and uncommon orientation. Stylistically the revolver is almost certainly of Germanic or Austrian origin, considering the form of the grip and the spur on the triggerguard. The caliber is unknown with the the 1.25" long cylinder cut with nominally .32 caliber (8mm) chambers and the barrel measuring about .37 caliber at the forcing cone and about .35 at the muzzle, nominally 9mm. What appears to be the original manual ejector rod is present, secured under the barrel. A really unique and intriguing European cartridge revolver that almost certainly dates to the third quarter of the 19th century and incorporates a really intriguing hammer safety. {ANTIQUE}