OK. I have a revolver inherited from my grandfather. Barrell hinged at top. Six shot aprox 32 cal. Seems to be a rimfire. Serial num 46347. Cylinder marked with patent dates from 1855 to 1860. Six inch octagon barrell. Cosmetically in nice condition, almost looks like it could be safely fired. Very little movement in hinge, latch, and cylinder indexing. Simple trigger with no guard. Any help identfying would be appreciated.

Model 2 Old Army - likely shipped late 1865. Looks something like this...




Welcome to the forum.

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Pace

That is exactly it ! Thanks. Any more info ?

A wealth of knowledge here. The Ron Curtis study is exhaustive. Throw up some pics of yours when you get a chance. We'd all love to see it.


Model 2 Project

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Pace

Thanks for the link. Great stuff inc the video. Tried to research this firearm 50 years ago when I was a kid but impossible till the resources of the internet. Is there an average value for one of similar quality to that shown in your photos ? How should I be storing / preserving this ?

Value on these are all over the place but condition rules. Civil War era pieces tend to bring a little more. Provenance to an individual will also add a premium. Cased pieces also drive the value up. Cases themselves frequently sell in the $2,000 range. An average condition Model 2 sold for $14K+ at recent auction because of the provenance to a certain Civil War veteran. Poor condition pieces with no provenance are regularly bid in the $500 - $750 range and higher. I paid a slight premium for the one pictured simply because of the early serial number.

All of the above said, if my grandfather had left me a Model 2, in my eyes, it would be priceless. I would enjoy it for my lifetime and let my heirs worry about what to do with it.

As far as care and storage. Keep it oiled and dry. Moisture and extreme temp variations are antiques enemy.

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Pace

I have a smith and wesson revolver ,made in spfld. mass. with Apr 3.55 July 5.59 Dec.1860 serial #48229 could anyone tell me what its worth,its in good condition.

sheila m, Welcome to the Forum. You will have to tell us more about your S&W, for us to give you a correct response. Can you post some pictures? What is the caliber, .22RF or.32RF ? How many chambers in the cylinder? What is the barrel length? Is the finish blue, or nickel, or? How much finish remains? Are the grips wood, ivory or pearl? Are they a round butt griper a square butt grip? How long is the barrel? You have either a Model 1, 3d issue, or a Model 2 Army. A Model 1 is .22RF caliber and a Model 2 is .32 RF caliber. Condition is the key to value in these guns, but we need good pictures to estimate that. If there are replaced parts, refinishes, rust or pits in the metal and poor mechanical condition, the value drops quickly. Ed.

Quite a few Model 2s found their way overseas, in addition to their popularity among Civil War military officers and troops. I don't think I would recommend firing one, even if you could find the proper rimfire ammunition. It's available on the collector market, but hard to find and expensive.