# Help Identify This old revolver



## Tomcroftsaf (May 14, 2012)

Well I was in my Grandads room, and we were going through his old weapons and we came across this revolver and I am completely stumped. It's got some sort of marking on it j&l possibly but I cant be sure. The broomhandle(ish) type of grip throws me off too. I was wondering if there was an expert who could help me identify this antique

http://tinypic.com/r/s3zrb9/6


----------



## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

Nagant perhaps?

Nagant M1895 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## Tomcroftsaf (May 14, 2012)

It could be but I doubt it, it looks to me more Austrian with the broom handle and that quarter circle that sits behind and around the hammer steers me in some weird direction but I havent been able to find anything exactly like it


----------



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

It's from the Netherlands.
It's either the government-prescribed 1873 officer's revolver, or a civilian version of it. (Officers had to buy their own side-arms.)
It's the so-called "old model," I think, in 9.4mm, that remained military-standard until the end of WW2.

The design is by Chamelot Delvigne. The "j&l" marking may actually read "J.F.J. Bar."

Reference: Peterson, Phillip, _Standard Catalog of Military Firearms, 5th Ed._; 2009, Gun Digest Books, Iola, WI.


----------



## Tomcroftsaf (May 14, 2012)

Sir you are a god


----------



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

...And don't I know it! :smt083

:anim_lol:


----------



## Deekya93 (Sep 11, 2018)

My pop gave me a old revolver. I'm trying to find out more about it. It has four numbers in front of the trigger guard that says 4459. And just 79 on the barrel. And AL41 on the side


----------



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Deekya93 said:


> My pop gave me a old revolver. I'm trying to find out more about it. It has four numbers in front of the trigger guard that says 4459. And just 79 on the barrel. And AL41 on the side


It _looks_ as if it's an old, old Colt's Single Action Army...
But...

There's no writing on its frame, below its cylinder, so it's probably not a Colt.
Its hammer rides on a pin, not a screw. That's not like a Colt.
Its hammer seems to be slightly the wrong shape.
Its cylinder arbor is wrong, but it might be a replacement.
Its trigger and trigger-guard don't look right.

But...
Its frame serial number is in the right place. (But where are the rest of them?)
And its cylinder-arbor screw hole is in the right place.
And its ejector-rod screw stud seems to be in the right place. (But the ejector is missing.)

I'm not an expert on Colt's SAA revolvers, but you asked for my thoughts specifically.
And that's the best that I can do.


----------



## Deekya93 (Sep 11, 2018)

Thank you. For the help and it also says Colt system last model on the top of the barrel


----------



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Deekya93 said:


> Thank you. For the help and it also says Colt system last model on the top of the barrel


That really makes me believe that it's a copy.
I bet that it's Spanish.


----------



## Vince32 (Nov 22, 2018)

Looks like the 1873 officer's revolver indeed.


----------



## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

I was ready to pronounce it a SAA Colt, until I read Steve's more informed opinion. It is likely from the same era (maybe in the latter years, that is) and has been used, rather than just sitting in a drawer, somewhere. The wear and tear on the screws indicate that someone without gunsmithing tools or experience has attempted repairs, probably a long time ago. There were a lot of old Colt's still being used by gun enthusiasts, until fairly recently, when people started hoarding them as collector items. Yours looks very much like them.


----------



## gwpercle (Jun 8, 2018)

Tomcroftsaf said:


> Sir you are a god


Don't encourage him....


----------



## Tangof (Jan 26, 2014)

Simple test, I once caught out a fake at a gun show with it. Make sure it's empty by checking all the cylinders, then cock the hammer slowly. You should get four clicks. C..O..L..T. I would bet it's a fake. It just doesn't look Colt SAA. Here's a real Colt.


----------

