Calling All Gun Nuts – Please Help Identify This Antique Pistol.

Jaysun (vanity) | 12/23/2004 | Jaysun

[Jaysun]

Any help that you guys can provide in identifying this little revolver would be greatly appreciated. I can provide additional pictures if anyone feels that may be helpful. Here’s what we know about the gun:

My uncle found this gun in the wall of a house that was being torn down in Waco, Texas. The house was believed to be about 50 years old at the time, which makes the pistol around 100 years old (assuming it was placed there when the house was built). Other than that, I have no other history on the gun.

It’s a 7 shot and the caliber appears to accommodate .22 short rounds. The barrel is 5.5” long. The gun is marked with a factory number 110298 on the frame at the front side of the grip. The two-piece wooden grip has the number 298 on each piece. The cylinder has the number 98 on it. The words “SCOUT MODEL” are on the top of the pistol as shown in the picture. There are no other markings. This gun feels very small in the hand; the trigger is pretty close to the grip.

It looks like it could be a Colt to me, but I can’t find an exact match. Some have speculated that it might have been issued to a Texas Ranger, but that’s just wishful thinking so far. I have a sizable number of antique guns and this is the only one we can’t identify. Thanks again for your help and comments.
-Jaysun

[Jaysun]

Here’s one just for fun. This is a “Stevens Pocket Rifle” circa 1890. It’s a .22 caliber single shot breach load.

[Jaysun]

Here's the gun I was asking about guys. Thanks.

[Jaysun]

Ooops. I just read over my post and it's a bit unclear. My uncle found the gun in the 1950's.

[neverdem]

Next time put it on the banglist. It will get attention more promptly. It's already done. Good luck and let me know if you find out who made it. I'll guess it's a Harrington and Richardson. Merry Christmas!

[ExSoldier]

I could be wrong, but I don't think the grips that are on this firearm are the ones with which it was originally outfitted. They look too modern and don't seem to be as closely fitted as what should have been factory issue. IMHO.

[hiredhand]

Wow...interesting find. :-) I was a gun dealer back in the early 90's and the Gun Parts Corp used to be a great help in identifying things like this. They're still in business. I just checked their WWW site at -

http://www.e-gunparts.com

You might want to give them a call. I hope you find out what the revolver is though! :-)

[hiredhand]

Funny you should mention...this old revolver cries out for a pair of "birds head" grips, doesn't it though?!

[Jaysun]

Next time put it on the banglist. It will get attention more promptly. It's already done. Good luck and let me know if you find out who made it. I'll guess it's a Harrington and Richardson. Merry Christmas!

Very interesting, I've not considered Harrington and Richardson as a possibility. Merry Christmas to you too, and May God Bless You and Yours!

[Jaysun]

I could be wrong, but I don't think the grips that are on this firearm are the ones with which it was originally outfitted. They look too modern and don't seem to be as closely fitted as what should have been factory issue. IMHO.

I thought about that too. The thing is that the grips are numbered and match the other numbers on the gun.

[Jaysun]

Oh, one more thing, they're more closely fitted than they appear. I didn't tighten them up adequately when I put them back on, and the space at the top comes as a result of a chip in the wood.

[Travis McGee]

BANG!

[Squantos]

It's an Iver Johnson........1946-1956 mfg range I believe.

http://www2.arkansas.net/~sws1/ij-pix.htm

Scroll down a ways and it matches up pretty well....may be a H&R clone but I'm away from home right now so dont have access to my libary which I have pics of it.

[Squantos]

[enigma825]

Except for the grips, this looks like my H&R Trapper Model

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[wardaddy]

good call...I agree.

[Squantos]

Just a SWAG on my part bein uneducated an all in such matters........:o)

BTW ...Blessings to you and your family this Christmas Holiday friend !

Stay safe !

[Swordmaker]

First of all, as a one time Colt Collector, it is NOT a Colt.

It MAY be a Harrington and Richardson, but I don't think so. H&Rs were mostly top-break. I think it might be a variation of an Iver Johnson .22 target pistol. I vaguely recall a revolver that looked like this that was sold by Sears and Roebuck around the turn of the 20th Century; they were made by Iver Johnson... and here is a sample of an Iver Johnson .22.

[Swordmaker]

Note the matching diamond checkering on both guns...

[Jaysun]

I have an Iver Johnson 22 "Supershot" that bares some slight resemblance, but the IJ pistols that I've seen are considerably larger than my pistol. The picture that you provided is very close, but there's a few differences. First, the frame on mine is curved at the pistol guard whereas the IJ is more squared off. The frame in your picture also extends further from the tip of the trigger guard than mine does. Second, the cylinder in mine is smooth and shorter. Lastly, the hammer spring in the grip is much different than the ones that I've seen in IJ pistols. This one more closely resembles the springs (a single piece of metal) found in older Colts.