Four ‘Private Purchase’ Civil War Period Revolvers.

drm2m

Sergeant
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Location
Quebec
From top to bottom.

-Model 1861 Colt Navy- S/N 3830-mfg’d in 1861. (.36 cal.)
-Model No.2 Old Model Smith & Wesson Revolver—(a.k.a. Model No. 2 Army)
.32 rimfire (missing the ejector rod---I need to find one.)
-Model 1862 Colt Police Revolver-S/N 16534 –mfg’d in early 1863. (.36 cal.)
-Manhattan Series 1 Navy Revolver —S/N 3601. (.36 cal.) mfg’d from early 1859 to January 1860.

David

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Actually the State of Kentucky issued 736 S&W Number 2's to the 7th Kentucky Cavalry (USA) although the majority of production was personal purchase. If your serial number is under 7,000 it could be one of those Kentucky issues.
 
Bob,

The serial number on this gun is 42584 and was probably manufactured around 1868.

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A bit of a crazy story regarding this S&W.

I inherited this revolver from my father- in-law in 1991.
On April 17th 1960 a man showed up at his front door to rob him using this Smith & Wesson revolver…the gun was wrestled away from the intruder …who then fled and was captured by the police a few blocks away.

I have been told that the 'Bandito' was sentenced to three years in prison.

Sometime after the court case the police gave the revolver back to my father- in-law as a souvenir….after filing down the hammer to prevent firing.

I believe the police decided to commemorate the event by scratching the Apr 17/60 date of the event on the gun.

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According to reports from the family ….the gun was loaded.

.32 rimfire cartridge.

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Every gun has its own history!

David
 
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That family story makes the ole No. 2 a treasure in its own right, and your father- in-law's courage in wrestling a loaded gun from an intruder would seem as courageous as a battlefield feat!!
 
Private Watkins,

My father-in-law was a businessman who later went on to become the mayor of a Canadian city for thirteen years.
He never owned a handgun that I knew about.
He had some shotguns ---and was a bird hunter on occasion.
A civilized mild mannered man ----but don’t show up at his front door with a pistol to try and rob him.

The first photo below shows him on the right with Pierre Elliot Trudeau—the Prime Minister of Canada ---back in the 70s.
The second photo shows the chop job on the hammer that the police did on the S&W No.2.

Pierreandmyfather-in-lawJohn---Susiesdad_zps0df1c280.jpg


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When I first heard the story I was surprised that the police gave the S&W revolver back to him as a souvenir.

David
 
I love it, thank you for sharing!! Very often it seems the mild-mannered, soft spoken gentlemen are the most courageous... While the braggard, loud mouthed know-it-alls are the first to cower when the heat turns up...
 
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