Hello gentlemen,

I'm looking to get some info on some older pistols that my late father had in his safe. We had used them primarily in western reenactment shows in AZ in the 1990s, but I'd like to know some more about these pistols. From what I have found, they are black powder cartridge pistols, not suitable for modern powders, correct?

So, here are the pictures, the Smith first, and then the two others in there.

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Fergie

S&W 5 shot top break. Serial #22189. Chambered in .38 and hammerless.



The other two are a Iver Johnson 5 shot in .38, serial #39026 and a Formand Arm 6 shot .32, serial #139107. I'll get some more info and pictures on the last two, but the Smith is the most interesting to me as I just picked up a Pro Series 686SSR and having a predecessor to the gun that is 100+ years old is fascinating.

Again, thanks for the assisstance.

Welcome! You almost had the official name in your description, it's a .38 Safety Hammerless from roughly 1888, so it's about 125 years old. It looks to be in better than average condition for a gun of its era, most of which have black powder damage to the finish and bore/chambers. If it is mechanically sound it is fine for modern factory ammo, which is lightly loaded in deference to these older guns, but a trip to the gunsmith is in order if you are unsure. Hope this is helpful.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

In addition, the safety hammerless was also known as the new departure, and it is commonly called a "lemon squeezer" although lemon squeezer is not a factory model name. Your gun, with SN 22189, is a 38 Safety Hammerless 2nd model. It is an antique, and the 1888 given above is very possible.

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}-----Jim----->
~SWCA #2732~

Hi and welcome from very, very southern AZ. The ammo is .38 S&W not .38 Special. It is a bit costly but it is still manufactured on a limited basis. Mike #283

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Mike Maher #283

Provided the revolvers are in good condition, modern-made smokeless powder ammunition can be fired in them. .38 S&W and .32 S&W factory ammunition is loaded mildly to duplicate black powder ballistics. Even though still loaded, it is often difficult (and expensive) to obtain due to low demand.

Thanks for the info gentlemen; I did not realize the pistol was that old.

I've got a few boxes of ammo for the two calibers of pistol, but I believe there is only a handful of shots left.

I'll snap a few pictures of the other pistols today.

Thank you again for the knowledge!

So here are the other pistols.

This is the 6 shot .32 from Foremand Armds:



And the 5 shot .38 Iver Johnson:



And then I also came across a .32 H&R that was entirely disassembled, but came with an extra barrel that was only about 2" long.