Revolver - Forgotten Weapons

Japan’s First Military Revolver: the S&W No.3

July 5, 2021 Ian McCollum 29

When Commodore Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay in 1853, he began a serious upheaval of Japanese life. Among other things, the insular Japanese society had been virtually the only nation to ever successfully implement gun […]

Back-Up Gun Match Teaser with an MR-73

June 12, 2021 Ian McCollum 17

It came out recently that the Beretta Group has purchased Chapuis, the French manufacturer of the legendary MR73 revolvers. A bunch of people have asked me if I’m getting one of the Beretta-imported guns, and […]

Portugal’s Model 1886 Trooper’s Model Abadie Revolver

June 2, 2021 Ian McCollum 9

Isaac Abadie’s gate-loading system was a significant improvement in revolver technology in the 19th century, and Portugal was one of the first to adopt it. The initial Portuguese model was adopted in 1878 specifically for […]

Savage & North “Figure 8” Revolver

May 13, 2021 Ian McCollum 9

Designed and patented in 1856 by Henry North (the grandson of company founder Simeon North), approximately 450 of these revolvers were made between 1856 and 1859. A first prototype was sent to the Washington Arsenal […]

Salvatore Mazza Gold-Inlaid Percussion Collier Revolver

May 12, 2021 Ian McCollum 6

Before Samuel Colt popularized the mechanical connection between the revolver hammer and cylinder, the revolvers being made were manually operated. This example is a copy of a third type Collier (that is to say, a […]

The Very Rare Union Semiauto Revolver from Ohio

May 10, 2021 Ian McCollum 11

The most well-known historic automatic revolver is the British Webley-Fosbery, but there were other handguns of the type that were put into production. One example is the Union auto-revolver, made in Toledo, Ohio shortly before […]

Mounties’ First Revolver: the NWMP Adams MkIII

May 3, 2021 Ian McCollum 7

The first handguns issued by the North West Mounted Police (which would later become the modern RCMP) were 330 Adams revolvers, requisitioned by the new police service in March 1874, and shipped over from England. […]

Terrible 2-Gun: Lebel, 1892 Revolver, and a WW1 Gas Mask

January 16, 2021 Ian McCollum 35

Today, I thought it would be fun (or at least interesting) to shoot a 2-gun match in a reproduction World War One gas mask and helmet. Specifically, a French M2 pattern, which was used extensively […]

S&W’s Pistol-Carbine for the South Australian Police

December 1, 2020 Ian McCollum 29

In 1880, the South Australian Police service was introduced to the Smith & Wesson No3 New Model revolver at the Melbourne Exhibition. They took a liking to the design, and promptly ordered 250 of them, […]

Colt’s First Double Actions: The 1877 Lightning & Thunderer

November 25, 2020 Ian McCollum 19

Samuel Colt disliked the idea of a double action revolver, considering the idea to be wasteful of ammunition and likely to be fragile. However, he passed away in 1862, and by 1873 double action Webley […]