British Made Number 2 Army???
- Thread starter BMur
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Yes Murph, The British made some high quality copies of S&W revolvers.
Sometime ago, a well known European antique arm dealer had a beautiful fully engraved copy of a S&W no. 1 1/2 model 1st issue that I would have bought if I had the money at the time.
It's too bad that there is no available photos of this gun anymore.
Sometime ago, a well known European antique arm dealer had a beautiful fully engraved copy of a S&W no. 1 1/2 model 1st issue that I would have bought if I had the money at the time.
It's too bad that there is no available photos of this gun anymore.
Lady Smith
Member
Interesting...
The hand grips screw seems to be different from the one used by S&W.
I don’t know, but when I look at the pic, I feel like the hammer or the cylinder stop doesn’t look like the S&W as well.
By the way, living in Europe I never saw a British copy.
Lately I saw a Belgium copy of the no2 for sale at the auction, I had shared some pics in the other brands firearms section on this forum. It was the only one I saw though.
The hand grips screw seems to be different from the one used by S&W.
I don’t know, but when I look at the pic, I feel like the hammer or the cylinder stop doesn’t look like the S&W as well.
By the way, living in Europe I never saw a British copy.
Lately I saw a Belgium copy of the no2 for sale at the auction, I had shared some pics in the other brands firearms section on this forum. It was the only one I saw though.
Last edited:
mmaher94087
Member
British #2 Army
Here are a few photos of a British made #2 Army. There are no markings except the proof marks on the cylinder and barrel. there are no proof marks on the frame. Outwardly, the only visual difference is the shape of the front sight. The parts will (mostly) interchange with an original Smith & Wesson. The serial number is on the frame butt, cylinder face and barrel breech. All three pieces also are marked with an 'F' separate from the serial number with the frame 'F' on the left grip strap under the wood stock. The proof marks appear to be a "Coat-of-Arms" rather than a crown over a 'V' or 'P'. An interesting note is that this revolver was used by the Japanese at the Hiroshima Prefecture in 1867.
Here are a few photos of a British made #2 Army. There are no markings except the proof marks on the cylinder and barrel. there are no proof marks on the frame. Outwardly, the only visual difference is the shape of the front sight. The parts will (mostly) interchange with an original Smith & Wesson. The serial number is on the frame butt, cylinder face and barrel breech. All three pieces also are marked with an 'F' separate from the serial number with the frame 'F' on the left grip strap under the wood stock. The proof marks appear to be a "Coat-of-Arms" rather than a crown over a 'V' or 'P'. An interesting note is that this revolver was used by the Japanese at the Hiroshima Prefecture in 1867.
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mmaher94087
Member
Your second photo showing a clearly stamped proof mark looks identical to the proofs on my #2. My marks are deeply stamped and have lost their definition. As for the barrel on my example, I doubt it is Smith & Wesson produced as it looks identical to the Tower of London example shown in Parson's book Smith & Wesson Revolvers (Morrow, 1957) on page 63.
There is a discussion at the bottom of that page that (paraphrased) says that the English made revolvers are cheaper than the American made and that distributor can't compete. S&W responded that they were sending Power of Attorney to seize the copies. A further discussion stated that F. Claudin, S&W Agent in Paris, in order to resist these copies, would mark genuine S&W's with: "Fd. Claudin Brevete a Paris Boulevart des Italiens 38".
There is a discussion at the bottom of that page that (paraphrased) says that the English made revolvers are cheaper than the American made and that distributor can't compete. S&W responded that they were sending Power of Attorney to seize the copies. A further discussion stated that F. Claudin, S&W Agent in Paris, in order to resist these copies, would mark genuine S&W's with: "Fd. Claudin Brevete a Paris Boulevart des Italiens 38".
