I ran across this little booger last week. I've never ventured into the antique gun market because I like to shoot what I have. This one was too cheep to pass up and still functions. Funny how the same company that made firearms also made bicycles. I reckon they were smart enough not to put all their eggs in one basket. From what I could dig up on the web there were thousands of these made. Two were used to assassinate Pres William McKinley and Robert Kennedy and one was used in the attempted assassination of Pres Franklin D. Roosevelt. They must've been popular with assassins in the day?!? With all the research though, I couldn't nail down a manufacture date without buying a $40 book. I can only get it down between 1909 &1941...pretty big window. Any experts out there would be appreciated.
The patina is a reddish color in the right light but the finish isn't too bad for its age and the grips are in great shape.
Thanks for letting me share y'all.

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Don't You Ever Wash That Thing

I'm no expert, but I like it! How much did you pay? Is it 32 Long?

I'd take some oiled bronze wool to it to clean up the rust.

Thanks Doc. Is less than 5 bucks too much?? I got it from my BIL so it stays in the family. The gun shoots 32 shorts even though it's not marked anywhere on the gun. I think I'll just put a thin film of oil on it to preserve what finish it has left. It is a pretty cool pocket gun which is what I read it was intended for.
It's a big departure from my 44s for sure.

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Don't You Ever Wash That Thing

It is a third model second variation small frame hammerless made in 1922. The quantity produced was 4,900 in 1922. This information is from Bill Goforth's Iver Johnson book for serial numbers I17001 to I21900.

Thank you so much!! That was the $40 book I was talking about. It's always nice to have a history on any antique.

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Don't You Ever Wash That Thing

Just a point, the caliber would be .32 s&w. And the later production and spring design in the grip shows that it was designed to shoot smokeless powder. So assuming it locks up properly and such you could shoot it with modern production ammo if you can find any.

Well noted. From the research I did, the 3rd model with the coil spring in the grip frame indicates a smokeless powder gun. The first and second models were black powder. I should have been more specific on the caliber being .32 S&W but is also referred to as .32 shorts.
The trigger feels ruffff on the old girl and does have a decent lock up so I'd like to at least pop off 5 rounds just to see what an almost hundred year old gun feels like.

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Don't You Ever Wash That Thing

My Mother carried its identical twin in Her apron pocket for years. Mom was convinced that it would drop an elephant if needed.
In 1962 when I began My LEO career I purchased a nickeled Chief Special .38
with pearl grips for Her. The Chief was kept on Her night Stand and the I.J. 32 was still carried in Her apron pocket.

The other difference between the first 2 models and the 3rd model is the first 2 had free floating cylinders, cylinder rotates when hammer is down, while the 3rd model has a cylinder stop. That's why the cylinder on the 3rd model has a "T" shape to the cuts in the cylinder, so as to catch the new stop.

Iver Johnson continued to make the 2nd model under the U.S. Revolver Co. name for mail order only. These did not have the Iver Johnson "Hammer the Hammer" or cross bolt safety system. These were made up through the 1930s.

Below are the IJ top breaks I have. The top with the pearl grips is a 1st model in 38 S&W, next one down is a 1st model in 32 S&W. Bothhave the early style of latch release. The middle two are 2nd models in 38 S&W and the bottom one is the U.S. Revolver Co. Hammerless in 32 S&W.

According to Bill Goforth's Iver Johnson book, he had not seen a 1st Model in 38 when the book was written. Bill thought there might be less than 1,000 of them made. Serial number on the one I have is 772.

I think Iver Johnson's were pretty well made for what they were. Not up to S&W obviously, but then an IJ could be bought new around 1910 for $6.00, while a Smith would cost you $12.00 or so!

Robert Kennedy was assassinated with an Iver-Johnson, but it was a .22.

I was gifted this really nice 1st model because the owner believed it was broken. Not a thing wrong with it and dates to 1895. He thought it was broken because the cylinder free wheeled...

I have a fondness for those old Owl head revolvers and have accumulated a few of them. Iver Johnson was a pretty innovative company. Their transfer bar system predates Colt's positive lock by 11 years. It was even longer for Smith to make a drop safe revolver. They were made for ordinary people of modest means and found in countless sock drawers and on nightstands.

Very nice!

I have a retired cop friend in Idaho who always has me on the lookout for old IJs and the like. My expenditure limit is 80 bucks per gun (if its really nice). A lot of them are pre-1898 and don’t require FFL interference. I box them up and send them off and he wires them 30 or 40 at a time to old wagon wheels which he then hangs from the ceiling in the “cave of wonders” - his detached garage.

He’s older than I am and has made me the designated gun liquidator upon his demise. He has a lot of nice guns, but I’m sure most of my time will be spent unwiring Forehand & Wadsworth .32s from his ceiling.

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Rule of law, not a man.

That sounds like the ultimate gun room. Giving me ideas...

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It appears that not only was Iver Johnson competition for S&W but for Harley Davidson and Indian too. This is a model from 1915.

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The Iver Johnson Twin is very rare and worth considerably more than an Indian or H-D of the same era would bring (barring special models like factory racers) There are very few twins known to survive. Being a Motorcycle guy I like guns with M/C crossover, Like Iver Johnson,Enfield, BSA, Husqvarna, CZ, Sears, Izh, etc....

GREAT. l'll help you hang the lights

I forgot to mention, I have a fondness for old top breaks, mainly Smith's, but I have a couple IJs, H&R, even a Hopkins and Allen.
The picture doesn't include my .44, just the .32's and .38's
I promise I don't have a problem....

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