AP2 Deactivated - Not a Smith and Wesson!

One of the first things I learnt when dealing in deactivated pistols was not to trust what is written on the Deac certificate! This one says it is a Smith and Wesson. Yes, it is similar, it has a trip up barrel and I think it may have been a .38 rimfire pistol. (So why was it deactivated??) But it has no makers marks on it and S&W always mark their products, and it is not similar to anything in the S&W catalogues . It also has a look of a Webley about it but again it is not. The name of the maker at the moment is a mystery. I think it is US made as it has no proof marks, maybe a “patent infringement” pistol of the Civil War period? But it has a slightly more modern look to it than that period. I would date it to around 1870 - 1890 but maybe as late as 1910.

I can tell you it has a 5 1/2” barrel, 5 shot in .38 with a tip up barrel and removable cylinder for loading and a lanyard ring. I think it started life with a folding trigger and no trigger guard. A some point in more distant history a trigger guard was added. More recently the folding trigger must have broken and a new one added. It is new style deac so while the hammer moves against the main spring it does not hold at full cock. The trigger does not do much, sometimes it will rotate the cyclinder as you pull it back sometimes not !

Price £245 - Free UK postage.

(AP2 0525195)