So tell me about this revolver...

The guy that I'm getting it from said it turned up loose in the family a few years back. They were unsure who exactly bought it. It was found tucked away new in the box along with the receipt showing the 29 dollars originally paid for it in the 1960s.

Obviously it was imported before the GCA 68 took effect.

The maker in Germany seems to have been Em-ge (no, not RG, that was a different company making low end revolvers). Apparently the design did actually start life as a starter pistol. It was then redesigned to be first a .22 and then a .32 S&W. This is one of the latter version.

Out of curiousity the current owner bought a box of ammo for it and took it to the range. He said if functioned and fired fine, and actually hits the target (some guns of this type keyhole badly). Apparently it will go off every time when fired single action, but there were some issues related to light striked fired double action.

Anyone know anything else about them or have one? I think they were also sold under the "Valor" trade name.

Why do I want it? The guy who did my Duracoating is deploying soon, so I have to learn to do it myself. This shall be a test subject...





I have a 3" 31-1 in .32 SW Long, so even if the above revolver self destructs, I can still make use of any ammo purchased for it. The bbl and cylinder are steel rather than die cast zinc alloy so could also be salvaged for other projects.

I think that it was probably purchased a "just in case" gun by someone at the beginning of the turmoil of the 1960s and then tucked away where it was literally forgotten.

It reminds me of a Lynyrd Skynyrd song....

I think this is the new NATO standard issue sidearm.

G-Mac said:

It reminds me of a Lynyrd Skynyrd song....

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That Smell?

GF

I don't know but someone in your family is a sucker, $29 for that?

"Saturday Night Special", "Gimme Back My Bullets"

It reminds me of a cap gun I once had.

Good one to use for a "Gun Buy Back" if you mess it up.

Gasman1972 said:

I don't know but someone in your family is a sucker, $29 for that?

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I disagree. It launches .32 cal projectiles down range-that's good for something. It will be a very nice training piece for duracoating practice.
It will give many hours of pleasure to its' new owner as he puffs his pipe while circling it and intently studying it. And at the end of its life he can get $50 for it at the next gun buy-back.
I give this project an enthusiastic thumbs up!

Let us not be gun snobs
Now excuse me for a moment as I need to tend to my breakfast.

You can always turn it into a shift knob for the ol' pickup if the duracoating process don't work out so well....

$29 actually was a lot of money for this gun when it was originally sold. I suspect that it was sold originally during the period of civil unrest that plagued parts of America during the 1960s and thus fetched a higher than usual price. (A 1967 nickel 15-3 4" that came to me in the original box had a price of "$97.30" written on it by way of comparison.)

It's an interesting cultural artifact in a way, sort of like all those Y2K AR15s or circa 2008-2009 panic purchase M4 clones (at one point a 6920 would easily fetch 1800 or more).

It was purchased by the current owner's family - I'm simply trading some misc objects for it (a spare pocket knife, an improperly sharpened Kbar, etc).

Going rate on these things currently is probably about a hundred dollars, about three times what it cost originally. (A NIB 15-3 nickel would presumably have aged better and fetch more than 300...)

It may need a new spring or a tweak, or just need 50 years of old oil cleaned out of the innards given that the DA impacts are causing misfires, but otherwise it does work for what someone originally wanted it for - an inexpensive personal defense weapon.

The .32 S&W is a rather low pressure offering, so even a zinc alloy frame will likely last a while. (I've seen .22 RGs that have been used extensively as working guns since imported that still work including some with sights wired on, etc.)

Likely the gun is not safe with all chambers loaded and the hammer ought rest on an empty chamber. Reloading would also be a rather slow process given the loading gate and the need to poke out empties one at a time. (No worse than a SA revolver though really.)

Pre GCA '68 (which went into effect 1/1/69) this is the sort of thing that one could have ordered out of the back of a copy of a Guns and Ammo or purchased from a car trunk dealer. (Anecdotes suggest that during the racial strife here in the south, that car trunk dealers used to show up to people's place of work dealing their wares - guns such as this - and garnering good sales.)

Also amusing is that the gun was was made in Germany. Today we tend to think of German made guns as high quality items worthy of a premium price. In the past this obviously wasn't always the case...

I lost my collection of 60s Guns and Ammo mags when I moved, so I don't have any period advertisements or press. SC was considered a poor region of the country in the 60s, so this might have been the best that someone could afford. (The pawnshops in Charleston still advertise specials on Armscor revolvers to this day.)

I kinda like it myself.......shows that all the newfangled dewdaa's aint nesessary. Basic,plain jane,as long as it goes bang.

Hi:
Prior to 1968 the "Valor" and "RG" brands were sold in chain stores such as Eckerds, Western Auto, Country Stores, and Gas Stations. One put the money on the counter, received the weapon and a sales slip and went on ones way.

Doesn't it have the pinned barrel?

You are not supposed to post pics of your throw down!

GatorFarmer said:

(I've seen .22 RGs that have been used extensively as working guns since imported that still work including some with sights wired on, etc.)

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I thought I told you to stay out of my gun safe!!!

Can it use +P ammo?

German interpretation of the Nagant 1895?

Before duracoating it I would rechamber and rebarrel it to .357 Magnum. Then you'd have a powerful enough handgun for self defense.

For a couple of rounds at least............

I found a lot about Rhom. But still busy to find anyting about Emge.
I do know that they made alarmpistols.