Got Hammerless?
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I am still agog!!
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How'd you like to be the guy that had to hand-engrave that "Property of State of Washington" on a pile of pistols...
interesting these last two entries are .32
interesting these last two entries are .32
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Only 4 known to have been so marked...
The last 6 were/are all 1903 32 cal pistols.
agoging I will go....
©Copyright ei8ht 2021
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ei8ht
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I...too...am on tenterhooks !! 
{ Literally, tenterhooks are hooks used to stretch damp woolen cloth on a wooden frame so it can dry without losing shape.}
{ Metaphorically, to be on tenterhooks is to feel anxious and keyed-up, as if your nerves were being stretched like the cloth on the frame.}
{ Literally, tenterhooks are hooks used to stretch damp woolen cloth on a wooden frame so it can dry without losing shape.}
{ Metaphorically, to be on tenterhooks is to feel anxious and keyed-up, as if your nerves were being stretched like the cloth on the frame.}
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Colt M1908 380 1849 M.P.C. No. 34. Metropolitan Parks Commission (Boston PD). 1908
Earliest Police Marked Pistol on record at Colt for the .380 caliber Model M pistols.
![Air gun Trigger Grey Gun barrel Wood]()
![Air gun Trigger Wood Gun barrel Gun accessory]()
![Automotive tire Wood Motor vehicle Bumper Automotive lighting]()
![Air gun Revolver Trigger Gun barrel Badge]()
![Hand tool Revolver Tool Mammal Material property]()
![Eyewear Bumper Communication Device Audio equipment Wood]()
©Copyright ei8ht 2021 all rights reserved. Magic Stump II Ltd
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not associated with Colts's Manufacturing LLC or USarmamentcorp.
Honorary life time member of the he-man woman haters club
ei8ht
Earliest Police Marked Pistol on record at Colt for the .380 caliber Model M pistols.
©Copyright ei8ht 2021 all rights reserved. Magic Stump II Ltd
Life Time Member of OGCA
not associated with Colts's Manufacturing LLC or USarmamentcorp.
Honorary life time member of the he-man woman haters club
ei8ht
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Is there an owl head around somewhere?
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First thing I noticed in that Colt Archive Letter was Iver Johnson SGC...the firearm below was manufactured by a subsidiary of Iver Johnson...the US Revolver Company.
My US Revolver Company ( Iver Johnson ) .32 S&W Top Break Revolver...
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SPECS:
Barrel Length ~ 3 inches
Overall Length ~ 6.5 inches
Height ~ 4 inches
Weight ~ 3 ounces ( unloaded )
Serial Number / Date of Manufacture Information:
My specimen has a serial number of 92091...manufactured circa 1916.
US Revolver Company used an all numeric serial number system until they reached 100,000 in 1916. In 1917 they added an alphabetic prefix and restarted the serial numbers at 00001.
Ammo:
The .32 S&W cartridge was introduced in 1878 for Smith & Wesson pocket revolvers. Originally designed by the Union Metallic Cartridge Co. (UMC) as a black powder cartridge using nine grains of black powder, the round has been loaded with smokeless powder exclusively since 1940. It is low-powered and perfect for use in small frame concealable revolvers and derringers. The round remained popular in the United States and Europe long after the firearms chambered for it were out of production.
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My US Revolver Company ( Iver Johnson ) .32 S&W Top Break Revolver...
SPECS:
Barrel Length ~ 3 inches
Overall Length ~ 6.5 inches
Height ~ 4 inches
Weight ~ 3 ounces ( unloaded )
Serial Number / Date of Manufacture Information:
My specimen has a serial number of 92091...manufactured circa 1916.
US Revolver Company used an all numeric serial number system until they reached 100,000 in 1916. In 1917 they added an alphabetic prefix and restarted the serial numbers at 00001.
Ammo:
The .32 S&W cartridge was introduced in 1878 for Smith & Wesson pocket revolvers. Originally designed by the Union Metallic Cartridge Co. (UMC) as a black powder cartridge using nine grains of black powder, the round has been loaded with smokeless powder exclusively since 1940. It is low-powered and perfect for use in small frame concealable revolvers and derringers. The round remained popular in the United States and Europe long after the firearms chambered for it were out of production.
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Back Story:
The years following the American Civil War saw the rise of host of companies that produced small, inexpensive metallic cartridge handguns. Product lines ran from copies of firearms by established manufacturers including Smith & Wesson, to derringers and pepperbox pistols, small spur-trigger and folding-trigger pocket revolvers and "Velo Dog" pistols.
Some companies manufactured arms under a variety of different names. Corporate names still familiar today saw their beginnings during this period, including Harrington & Richardson and Iver Johnson. Other companies, such as Forehand & Wadsworth, Hopkins and Allen, Merwin Hulbert & Co., prospered for a time before eventually closing, but most firms appeared on the scene for a brief period before vanishing into obscurity. Such names as "Bang-up," "Little Giant," "Swamp Angel," and "Tramp's Terror" were some of the many names under which these pistols were marketed by long-forgotten firms. In addition to American-produced examples, European arms also found a niche in the marketplace.
Characteristics of these pistols vary widely. Some were single-shot, while others possessed six- or seven-shot capacity, and at least one revolver utilized two cylinders which yielded a total of 14 shots. Most were small caliber single-action arms which utilized either .22 or .32 rimfire cartridges, although double-action revolvers chambered for .38 center fire ammunition were also produced. Derringers were typically available in .41 or .44 caliber. An assortment of features could be found, including brass- or steel-framed models; various butt profiles; round- or octagonal-barrels; fluted or smooth cylinders; bead, post, or half-disc front sights; top-strap or open-frame; removable side plates; pivoting top- or side-break mechanisms, some with automatic ejection systems, were available in this class of side arms.
History:
Iver Johnson was a U.S. firearms, bicycle, and motorcycle manufacturer from 1871 to 1993. The company shared the same name as its founder, Norwegian-born Iver Johnson (1841–1895).
Iver Johnson immigrated to Worcester, Massachusetts from Norway in 1863 at the height of the American Civil War. Johnson was a gunsmith by trade at the time, but also worked as an inventor in his spare time, which would come in handy later on as he sought new and creative uses for his partially idle manufacturing equipment, a thought process which would eventually lead him and his heirs to diversify the corporation's businesses. His early work involved not only gun smithing locally in Worcester, MA, but it also included providing designs and work to other firearms companies, notably Allen & Wheelock for whom he made so-called "pepperbox" pistols.
IVER JOHNSON FIREARMS CO. Fitchburg, Mass.
( AKA JOHNSON & BLYE ) Manufacture firearms from 1871 until 2004.
Manufactured Firearms under the following names:
AMERICAN BULL DOG
BUFFALO BILL( all brass )
BRITISH BULLDOG
CHAMPION
C.S. SHATTUCK (may be marked Unique)
C.S. SHATTUCK ( Marked Boom )
DEFENDER
DEFENDER 89
EAGLE
ECLIPSE
ENCORE
ENTERPRISE
EUREKA
EXCEL
EXCELSIOR
GEM
FAVORITE
FAVORITE NAVY
HELCA
INVINCIBLE
J.S.T. & CO
KENTUCKY
KING PIN
LION
MONARCH
NO 1
NO 32
NO 33
OLD HICKORY
PREMIUM
RED HOT
SECRET SERVICE
SENATOR
SIMPSON
SMOKER
SMOKY CITY
TIGER
TRAMPS TERROR
TYCOON
UNCLE SAM
U.S. REVOLVER CO.
WHITION BROS REVOLVER CO.
============================
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===========================
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The years following the American Civil War saw the rise of host of companies that produced small, inexpensive metallic cartridge handguns. Product lines ran from copies of firearms by established manufacturers including Smith & Wesson, to derringers and pepperbox pistols, small spur-trigger and folding-trigger pocket revolvers and "Velo Dog" pistols.
Some companies manufactured arms under a variety of different names. Corporate names still familiar today saw their beginnings during this period, including Harrington & Richardson and Iver Johnson. Other companies, such as Forehand & Wadsworth, Hopkins and Allen, Merwin Hulbert & Co., prospered for a time before eventually closing, but most firms appeared on the scene for a brief period before vanishing into obscurity. Such names as "Bang-up," "Little Giant," "Swamp Angel," and "Tramp's Terror" were some of the many names under which these pistols were marketed by long-forgotten firms. In addition to American-produced examples, European arms also found a niche in the marketplace.
Characteristics of these pistols vary widely. Some were single-shot, while others possessed six- or seven-shot capacity, and at least one revolver utilized two cylinders which yielded a total of 14 shots. Most were small caliber single-action arms which utilized either .22 or .32 rimfire cartridges, although double-action revolvers chambered for .38 center fire ammunition were also produced. Derringers were typically available in .41 or .44 caliber. An assortment of features could be found, including brass- or steel-framed models; various butt profiles; round- or octagonal-barrels; fluted or smooth cylinders; bead, post, or half-disc front sights; top-strap or open-frame; removable side plates; pivoting top- or side-break mechanisms, some with automatic ejection systems, were available in this class of side arms.
History:
Iver Johnson was a U.S. firearms, bicycle, and motorcycle manufacturer from 1871 to 1993. The company shared the same name as its founder, Norwegian-born Iver Johnson (1841–1895).
Iver Johnson immigrated to Worcester, Massachusetts from Norway in 1863 at the height of the American Civil War. Johnson was a gunsmith by trade at the time, but also worked as an inventor in his spare time, which would come in handy later on as he sought new and creative uses for his partially idle manufacturing equipment, a thought process which would eventually lead him and his heirs to diversify the corporation's businesses. His early work involved not only gun smithing locally in Worcester, MA, but it also included providing designs and work to other firearms companies, notably Allen & Wheelock for whom he made so-called "pepperbox" pistols.
IVER JOHNSON FIREARMS CO. Fitchburg, Mass.
( AKA JOHNSON & BLYE ) Manufacture firearms from 1871 until 2004.
Manufactured Firearms under the following names:
AMERICAN BULL DOG
BUFFALO BILL( all brass )
BRITISH BULLDOG
CHAMPION
C.S. SHATTUCK (may be marked Unique)
C.S. SHATTUCK ( Marked Boom )
DEFENDER
DEFENDER 89
EAGLE
ECLIPSE
ENCORE
ENTERPRISE
EUREKA
EXCEL
EXCELSIOR
GEM
FAVORITE
FAVORITE NAVY
HELCA
INVINCIBLE
J.S.T. & CO
KENTUCKY
KING PIN
LION
MONARCH
NO 1
NO 32
NO 33
OLD HICKORY
PREMIUM
RED HOT
SECRET SERVICE
SENATOR
SIMPSON
SMOKER
SMOKY CITY
TIGER
TRAMPS TERROR
TYCOON
UNCLE SAM
U.S. REVOLVER CO.
WHITION BROS REVOLVER CO.
============================
===========================
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12,547 Posts
Wait...there's more:
Assassination of the 25th President of the United States: William McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843 – September 14, 1901) was the 25th President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1897 until his assassination in September 1901, six months into his second term. McKinley led the nation to victory in the Spanish–American War, raised protective tariffs to promote American industry, and maintained the nation on the gold standard in a rejection of free silver (effectively, expansionary monetary policy).
McKinley was the last president to have served in the American Civil War, and the only one to have started the war as an enlisted soldier, beginning as a private in the Union Army and ending as a brevet major. After the war, he settled in Canton, Ohio, where he practiced law and married Ida Saxton. In 1876, he was elected to Congress, where he became the Republican Party's expert on the protective tariff, which he promised would bring prosperity.
Although McKinley enjoyed meeting the public, everyone around him was concerned with his security due to recent assassinations by anarchists in Europe, such as the assassination of King Umberto I of Italy the previous year, and twice tried to remove a public reception from the President's rescheduled visit to the Exposition. McKinley refused, and arranged for additional security for the trip. On September 5th, the President delivered his address at the Pan-American fairgrounds in Buffalo, NY, before a crowd of some 50,000 people. In his final speech, McKinley urged reciprocity treaties with other nations to assure American manufacturers access to foreign markets. He intended the speech as a keynote to his plans for a second term.
One man in the crowd, Leon Czolgosz, hoped to assassinate McKinley. He had managed to get close to the presidential podium, but did not fire, uncertain of hitting his target. Czolgosz, since hearing a speech by anarchist Emma Goldman in Cleveland, had decided to do something he believed would advance the cause. After his failure to get close enough on the fifth, Czolgosz waited the next day at the Temple of Music on the Pan-American Exposition grounds, where the President was to meet the public.
On September 6th, Czolgosz went to the exposition armed with a concealed small 5 shot .32 S&W caliber Iver Johnson "Safety Automatic" revolver (serial #463344 )...he had purchased four days earlier for $4.50.
He approached McKinley, who had been standing in a receiving line inside the Temple of Music, greeting the public for ten minutes. At 4:07 PM., Czolgosz reached the front of the line. McKinley extended his hand... but, Czolgosz slapped it aside and shot the President in the abdomen twice, at point-blank range; the first bullet ricocheted off a coat button and lodged in McKinley's jacket; the 2nd bullet seriously wounded him in his stomach.
McKinley urged his aides to break the news gently to his wife Ida, and to call off the mob that had set on Czolgosz—a request that may have saved his assassin's life. McKinley was taken to the Exposition aid station, where the doctor was unable to locate the second bullet. Although a primitive X-ray machine was being exhibited on the Exposition grounds, it was not used. McKinley was taken to the Milburn House.
In the days after the shooting McKinley appeared to improve. Doctors issued increasingly optimistic bulletins. Members of the Cabinet, who had rushed to Buffalo on hearing the news, dispersed; Vice President Theodore Roosevelt departed on a camping trip to the Adirondacks.
Leech wrote:
"It is difficult to interpret the optimism with which the President's physicians looked for his recovery. There was obviously the most serious danger that his wounds would become septic. In that case, he would almost certainly die, since drugs to control infection did not exist ... [Prominent New York City Physician] Dr. Mc Burney was by far the worst offender in showering sanguine assurances on the correspondents. As the only big-city surgeon on the case, he was eagerly questioned and quoted, and his rosy prognostications largely contributed to the delusion of the American public."
Unknown to the doctors, the gangrene that would kill him was growing on the walls of his stomach, slowly poisoning his blood. On the morning of September 13th, McKinley took a turn for the worse. Relatives and friends gathered around the death bed. At 2:15 AM on September 14th, President McKinley died. Theodore Roosevelt had rushed back and took the oath of office as president in Buffalo. Czolgosz, put on trial for murder nine days after McKinley's death, was found guilty, sentenced to death on September 26th, and executed by electric chair on October 29th, 1901.
Assassin's Actual Pistol & Handkerchief
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Assassination of the 25th President of the United States: William McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843 – September 14, 1901) was the 25th President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1897 until his assassination in September 1901, six months into his second term. McKinley led the nation to victory in the Spanish–American War, raised protective tariffs to promote American industry, and maintained the nation on the gold standard in a rejection of free silver (effectively, expansionary monetary policy).
McKinley was the last president to have served in the American Civil War, and the only one to have started the war as an enlisted soldier, beginning as a private in the Union Army and ending as a brevet major. After the war, he settled in Canton, Ohio, where he practiced law and married Ida Saxton. In 1876, he was elected to Congress, where he became the Republican Party's expert on the protective tariff, which he promised would bring prosperity.
Although McKinley enjoyed meeting the public, everyone around him was concerned with his security due to recent assassinations by anarchists in Europe, such as the assassination of King Umberto I of Italy the previous year, and twice tried to remove a public reception from the President's rescheduled visit to the Exposition. McKinley refused, and arranged for additional security for the trip. On September 5th, the President delivered his address at the Pan-American fairgrounds in Buffalo, NY, before a crowd of some 50,000 people. In his final speech, McKinley urged reciprocity treaties with other nations to assure American manufacturers access to foreign markets. He intended the speech as a keynote to his plans for a second term.
One man in the crowd, Leon Czolgosz, hoped to assassinate McKinley. He had managed to get close to the presidential podium, but did not fire, uncertain of hitting his target. Czolgosz, since hearing a speech by anarchist Emma Goldman in Cleveland, had decided to do something he believed would advance the cause. After his failure to get close enough on the fifth, Czolgosz waited the next day at the Temple of Music on the Pan-American Exposition grounds, where the President was to meet the public.
On September 6th, Czolgosz went to the exposition armed with a concealed small 5 shot .32 S&W caliber Iver Johnson "Safety Automatic" revolver (serial #463344 )...he had purchased four days earlier for $4.50.
He approached McKinley, who had been standing in a receiving line inside the Temple of Music, greeting the public for ten minutes. At 4:07 PM., Czolgosz reached the front of the line. McKinley extended his hand... but, Czolgosz slapped it aside and shot the President in the abdomen twice, at point-blank range; the first bullet ricocheted off a coat button and lodged in McKinley's jacket; the 2nd bullet seriously wounded him in his stomach.
McKinley urged his aides to break the news gently to his wife Ida, and to call off the mob that had set on Czolgosz—a request that may have saved his assassin's life. McKinley was taken to the Exposition aid station, where the doctor was unable to locate the second bullet. Although a primitive X-ray machine was being exhibited on the Exposition grounds, it was not used. McKinley was taken to the Milburn House.
In the days after the shooting McKinley appeared to improve. Doctors issued increasingly optimistic bulletins. Members of the Cabinet, who had rushed to Buffalo on hearing the news, dispersed; Vice President Theodore Roosevelt departed on a camping trip to the Adirondacks.
Leech wrote:
"It is difficult to interpret the optimism with which the President's physicians looked for his recovery. There was obviously the most serious danger that his wounds would become septic. In that case, he would almost certainly die, since drugs to control infection did not exist ... [Prominent New York City Physician] Dr. Mc Burney was by far the worst offender in showering sanguine assurances on the correspondents. As the only big-city surgeon on the case, he was eagerly questioned and quoted, and his rosy prognostications largely contributed to the delusion of the American public."
Unknown to the doctors, the gangrene that would kill him was growing on the walls of his stomach, slowly poisoning his blood. On the morning of September 13th, McKinley took a turn for the worse. Relatives and friends gathered around the death bed. At 2:15 AM on September 14th, President McKinley died. Theodore Roosevelt had rushed back and took the oath of office as president in Buffalo. Czolgosz, put on trial for murder nine days after McKinley's death, was found guilty, sentenced to death on September 26th, and executed by electric chair on October 29th, 1901.
Assassin's Actual Pistol & Handkerchief
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12,547 Posts
And then there is this fascinating group of US Revolver Co / Iver Johnson related facts:
Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted assassination
In 1933, Giuseppe Zangara shot and killed Chicago mayor Anton Cermak at a political event in Miami, in an apparent attempt to assassinate president-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. Zangara was using a .32 revolver by the US Revolver Company, a subsidiary of Iver Johnson.
Robert Kennedy assassination
Jordanian Sirhan Sirhan assassinated Presidential candidate United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy with an eight-shot Iver Johnson.22 caliber Cadet 55-A revolver (serial number H-53725, Trial-People's Exhibit #6, misidentified in trial testimony as S/N H-18602) at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, on June 5, 1968; Kennedy died the following day at Good Samaritan Hospital. The revolver, as well as the official police files, reports, interviews, ballistics reports, bullet fragments, and other important evidence related to Kennedy's assassination, is currently housed in the California State Archives in Sacramento.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted assassination
In 1933, Giuseppe Zangara shot and killed Chicago mayor Anton Cermak at a political event in Miami, in an apparent attempt to assassinate president-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. Zangara was using a .32 revolver by the US Revolver Company, a subsidiary of Iver Johnson.
Robert Kennedy assassination
Jordanian Sirhan Sirhan assassinated Presidential candidate United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy with an eight-shot Iver Johnson.22 caliber Cadet 55-A revolver (serial number H-53725, Trial-People's Exhibit #6, misidentified in trial testimony as S/N H-18602) at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, on June 5, 1968; Kennedy died the following day at Good Samaritan Hospital. The revolver, as well as the official police files, reports, interviews, ballistics reports, bullet fragments, and other important evidence related to Kennedy's assassination, is currently housed in the California State Archives in Sacramento.
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828 Posts
.32 S&W is a fairly puny cartridge. By some accounts, more victims succumbed to medical treatment than the actual effects of the bullet. Some dispute as to whether the Bourne knuckle duster attachment was there to beat the footpad into submission if the five cartridges failed to do so or if it was to enhance a shooter's accuracy as the patent application claimed
![Revolver Air gun Trigger Gun barrel Gun accessory]()
here's a hammerless version, just to keep in the spirit of things.
![Revolver Air gun Gun barrel Everyday carry Trigger]()
here's a hammerless version, just to keep in the spirit of things.
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21,364 Posts
Why do I get the feeling I've just been Hi Jacked!
Colt M1908 380 4408 M.P.C. No. 155 Metropolitan Parks Commission (Boston PD). 1909
![Air gun Trigger Revolver Gun barrel Wood]()
![Automotive tire Bumper Wood Font Line]()
![Air gun Trigger Wood Gun barrel Revolver]()
![Air gun Trigger Mammal Wood Gun barrel]()
©Copyright ei8ht 2021 all rights reserved. Magic Stump II Ltd
Life Time Member of OGCA
ei8ht
Colt M1908 380 4408 M.P.C. No. 155 Metropolitan Parks Commission (Boston PD). 1909
©Copyright ei8ht 2021 all rights reserved. Magic Stump II Ltd
Life Time Member of OGCA
ei8ht
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