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Tinker's Toy
The mystery gun - what is it?
The gun is marked on the top strap U.S. REVOLVER CO. above the groove sight track, and MADE IN U.S.A. below the groove. The serial number is marked on the left side of the grip frame F27XXX, and 27XXX on the bottom of the trigger guard. That seems to be the sum of the markings on the gun. It is a
6 shot double action .32 with a loading port on the right side, no swing out loading gate. If the base pin is removed, the cylinder rolls out like a single action.
The grips are hard rubber, and are obviously Iver Johnson panels that someone has attempted to remove the owl head from. If you know what you are looking at you can still make them out. The cylinder does not latch until the hammer is cocked, and pulling the trigger pushes in that odd chunk of metal in the trigger guard to trip the sear. There is a base pin release in the front of the frame below the base pin, which is centered below the barrel. The barrel is 4.5 " long, with a very slight taper to the muzzle. The front sight appears to be homemade, and soldered on by an amateur (there are knurled marks on the barrel from the jaws of a vise, and there is some sort of solder on the barrel at the base of the sight).
With the open loading slot, there is a distressing tendency for a cartridge to slide out when the gun is not cocked. Leaving the hammer down between chambers so the hammer is resting between two rims lines up a chambered round PERFECTLY to exit through the slot. So, the only safe way to carry it is with the hammer down on an empty cylinder (and hope the unlatched cylinder doesn't turn enough to drop a cartridge anyway. So, its, a 5 shot in spite of the 6 shot cylinder, one way or the other. Overall brown "patina", except for the basepin, which seems to be black, not blue.
I know that US Revolver was brand name owned by Iver Johnson. It looks and works like other Iver Johnsons I have seen, but they were 5 shots not 6. The serial number is IJ style, too.
Question: What model is this? Is it safe to shoot .32 S&W or .32 S&W Long through, or might it be black powder safe only? The cylinder is straight bored, and the longs chamber just fine. Why in the world is it so strange with the loading port and the 6 shot cylinder? Why did I buy this weird gun?
If
you have any clue as to it's identity write Tinker
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