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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Pistol id please


museumtom

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This was handed into the Museum today. It came with a Tipperary gun licence for a six chambered revolver and dated 1888. Its does not give the calibre on the licence or on the revolver. It looks 45 ish.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a40/clondaleek/Pistol.jpg

There is only one mark and looks like the crossed keys of F Herder and son.

All help would be most appreeciated.

Regards.

Tom.

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Looks a lot like a Webley RIC, or one of its derivatives or near-copies. If so, it's likely to be in .450".

Regards,

MikB

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Doesn't look like a Webley RIC, I think It's a 'bulldog' type revolver that would be very common about that period, usually bearing Belgian BP proof marks but no manufacturers name as they were usually made in bulk to supply the trade .Many do carry UK retailers names. Probably in .450 or .442 but made in many other calibres. Dating can be hard because they were made from about 1870 onwards and some firms still made them for export up to about 1930 . Total production figures by all the makers must have been in the millions.

Close ups of any marks would be interesting? It would be rare for one to carry anything other than proof marks (star/ELG) and a retailers stamp.I had one many years ago that was retailed by ????? Allport of Cork ( Memory not what it used to be) and had the address along the top of the barrel.

An internet search using the ref. ' British bulldog revolver ' will yield loads more information, some good, some bad

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I agree with Radlad, if those are Belgian Liege "ELG" proofs or similar, it is a continental knock-off of a Webley No.2 "British Bull Dog". If it was an original Webley it would have the winged bullet Webley trademark in front of the cylinder at the bottom of the frame on the other side to the photo.

These are also very common in .44 Rimfire calibre. Have a look at the nose of the hammer and see where it strikes relative to the chamber. If it hits the edge then it is in a rimfire calibre.There is also a Webley No.1 revolver, "The Pug" which was chambered for .320 and .41 Rimfire, that looks similar and was also copied by the thousand in Belgium.

Regards

TonyE

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Thanks for all the information guys.

Much appreciated.

regards.

Tom.

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I have to concede that I now think Radlad and TonyE are right - perhaps I was seduced into thinking RIC from its Irish provenance! There are significant differences, and it very likely is a large and relatively long-barrelled Bulldog clone - apparently of pretty poor quality, unless it's been kept in bad conditions and then derusted. Is there a repair or a non-original screw at the rear of the trigger-guard? The apparent screw-head in the photo looks as if it might make it uncomfortable to shoot.

Regards,

MikB

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