An extreme rarity, so much so that its identification remains not entirely certain - regardless, I don't ever expect to come across another. You won't find one of these in any book.

wow thats a well worn s&w revolver and its probably old than my 88 year old grandpa

Examine the logo, medallions and ejector rod tip very carefully . . . I don't believe it's an S&W.

Russ

Now that's a real mutt.

I can tell you it's definitely not a Spanish knock-off, which wouldn't be uncommon..

I would agree with you - not a Smith.

Pete

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Don't tread on me

Not sure what it is but I don't think I would shoot it. Might be okay for pistol-whipping someone though.

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Expect no quarter.

NRA fine...retains 80% original finish with mirror bore and strong rifling...grips unnumbered...collect or shoot, your choice.

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Regards, Ty

Is the bottom word in the logo on the left "DAVAO?" Hard to tell from the photo. Davao is in the Philippines.

Russian??????

Perhaps a look at the markings atop the barrel will resolve the mystery....

Oh, that really helps . . . maybe not so much!

Russ

The "TRADE" and "MARK" above and below the S&W logo are also gibberish, as is the supposed caliber marking on the right side of the barrel.

The stocks are carved from horn and inset with evidently genuine S&W medallions.

It must be Greek, cause it's all greek to me!

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Don Mundell

Manufactured by someone who doesn't know English for sale to someone else who doesn't know English but who thinks characters in the Roman alphabet, upside down or not, are evidence of S&W manufacture if they are stamped on the same part of the gun.

I get a heavy Khyber Pass vibe from this effort.

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David Wilson

Excellent analysis, sir. Across that region there is a long tradition of fabricating functional copies of modern arms using nothing but the simplest of hand tools. The choice of horn as material for the stocks also is suggestive of that part of the world being this revolver's birthplace.

However, I cannot exclude the possibility of this being of Chinese origin. They certainly also copied many western firearms (and some Japanese ones, too), and Smith & Wesson revolvers were not uncommon in that country in the first half of the last century.

Incidentally, the overall workmanship is not bad at all. There're really no rough edges, the action is functional and actually S&W smooth. It's not crudely made, aside from the individually stamped, nonsensical characters I've noted. It's even serial numbered, with the four digits on the butt being the same as the four applied to the rear face of the cylinder. So it's matching, go figure.

That was my first thought too.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

is the markins backwords???

Last word of the inscription may be a clue. "Batuni" is a town/village in the Himachal Pradesh province of India, about 7 miles west of Dharamsala. It is close enough that it may be within the area where firearms attributed to the "Khyber Pass" come from. Batuni is located at coordinates: 32°18'13"N 76°12'25"E. Google Earth will get you close enough to find it.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

In the second line, about a third of the way over to the right, shouldn't there be an apostrophe ?

Goony,

Obviously this is going downhill really quickly, unfortunately.

Back to Batuni. I would say that this is the correct interpretation of the "U", as the tops of the "legs" are even with the tops of the adjacent letters, and even with each other, unlike what would be the case if this was really a broken "O" letter stamp. I had already considered that possibility.

Notwithstanding slight tipping and slightly unequal size of characters, none-the-less, whoever applied them was quite a careful workman to get such long lines so even as they are!

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Gunsmithing since 1961

As I had said, the previously posted photo is deceiving in this regard. Here's another in which it's more obvious that the character is a unevenly struck "O" but an "O" nonetheless (I had to get the lighting just right to clearly show this).

I think your Batuni theory still has some merit, and that nothing better has yet been put forward in this thread, even if the "evidence" is a bit compromised now.

As for the thread going downhill, as you put it, I'm okay with folks poking a little fun at this gun, for my original intent was to tantalize and amuse as much as anything else. I do wish, though, that some of the "experts" here would weigh in on the issue of the stock medallions I raised a few posts back.

Attached Images

UorO.jpg (59.4 KB, 138 views)

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

I've spent waaaay too much time on GB. So what is it?

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Regards, Ty

Czech???????

Whatever it is , it's NOT a Smith & Wesson.

What does it say on the end of the box?

You did get the box didn't you?

Now that's funny

Just another reason I love this forum.

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Who are those guys?

That, and there is eternal life here..

It's from India!

I'm obsessed with this post

Cannot rule out Kashmir, for sure.

What does a sweater have to do with any of this??

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Go big or stay home

My thoughts align with DCWilson's. I'm going to go with "hand made in the middle of nowhere", ala "Khyber Pass" guns.

Rob

Me, too ! "Khyber Pass". The gibberish stampings are the giveaway.

Larry

sorry my spelling is Bad

Not so bad as the person who applied those markings....

Oh man where did you get that?

That gun belongs to me. It was stolen from my Great Grandfather in 1944.

When he returned from the War, my Great Grandmother bought it for him as a gift on the occasion of the birth of my Grandfather. His name was Hnv4kas.

The markings are actually and inscription which reads "For my dearest Coryelle. May we never be parted again."

It brings tears to my eyes that someone finally tracked this momento down.

My poor Great Grandparents both suffered from dyslexia. They could read it just fine.

So Goony...do you actually KNOW the source of this gun? Are you just messin' with us? Or is it entirely open for speculation and debate with the truth never to be determined?

Rob

I do not know with certainty, and I in fact stated that in my initial post. I've given you my best estimate - either the northern Asian subcontinent, or China. I just thought S&W aficianados would enjoy seeing an oddball such as this.

Obviously, I aggravated someone in charge, too, because the thread has been moved....

When does this end?

I hope soon, I haven't ate supper yet cause I'm wanting to find out.....

Usualy they are spain or beligum, but that looks ruskie to me!

I changed my mind. I think its made in the phillipines. Google is your friend.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davao_City

How about Vietnam? Dale

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"Long live the S&W 3rd. Gen.!"

That's a real dandy! If it shoots good then you got it made. I've seen guns that rough before that were good shooters. Not really BBQ quality, but reliable. Have you shot it. Is it a GTC LPS 83.? That does kinda look like Russian writing to me, but then what the heck do I know.
Good luck with it,
Gordon

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better have that checked

Yes, it chambers .38 Special (.38 S&W does not fit) - so theoretically, I can run 147 grain +P+ through it???

In all honesty, its major flaw is that the crane does not latch in tight - a bit too much play to be comfortable shooting it as is, although the condtion is probably correctible.

Send it back to the manufacturer, they have the skilled technicians that can make it work like new, even if they have no idea which side is the top of a roman alphabet letter. (which would suggest Khyber more than the Philippines).

Life time warranty?

So,how much did it set you back? I was waiting for somebody to ask,but I need to go to sleep.
f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

Not really BBQ quality, but reliable. Have you eaten them? Tender? Do they raise them free range?

Sorry I just had too