Oddball Top Break

[Tom Servo]

A student brought in a stumper of a revolver. It's a top-break, very similar to a S&W Model 3. The top of the barrel is marked "The Old Firearms Manufacture," and there's a logo on the right side that looks like a S&W trademark, except with different script.

The grips appear to be old S&W hard rubber, and it has a strain screw. Caliber looks to be .44 or .45. Cylinder is too short for .44-40 cartridges, though a .44 Special casing fits tight.

We're guessing .44 Russian or .45 Schofield, but we're not taking any chances until we know for sure.

 

[RJay]

Both the Belgians and the Spanish made copies of the S&W 44. There should be proof marks somewhere on the firearm.

 

[James K]

Given the marking on the barrel, I think it might be a "non-gun" dummy, made for collectors in countries where real guns, even antiques, are illegal. It could also be a movie dummy, made to fire blanks.

FWIW, I have never seen a Spanish S&W copy with such a marking.

Does it have rifling in the barrel? Does it attract a magnet? (Most dummies are cast of a zinc alloy.) Does the firing pin appear functional or is it missing/blunted?

In any case, no one should attempt to fire it until its nature can be determined.

Jim