Iver Johnson .32 hammerless top-break

[petepeterson]

Anyone here with some knowledge or background of these revolvers? I have one, but the serial # and markings don't seem to align with the other ones I'm finding on the Web. Can someone steer me in the right direction? Thanks.

 

[s&wchad]

I know just enough to be dangerous.

Pull the grips and get the serial number off the side of the gripframe. The number on the butt doesn't include the letter prefix.

 

[desi2358]

Get the complete serial number from under the left grip and I can narrow it down a bit. Does the cylinder freewheel or is it locked at the rest position? The third model is the only one with a positive lock, earlier versions also had a trigger safety on the hammerless version.

 

[petepeterson]

Sorry for the delay, and thanks for the replies.

The serial # in both places is 18754. No letter. There is some type of mark before the #, though. The cylinder does lock up, and no safety trigger. I'm guessing .32 short? Probably won't find that at Wal-Mart.

 

[desi2358]

Whatever mark you're seeing in front of the number is probably the letter prefix. I have seen a few that were poorly stamped and hard to read. Without a trigger safety it would be a third model which was the first to be approved for smokeless powder. Not knowing the prefix the book shows #18754 as being used in 1910 and again in 1922. The prefix for those years was B in 1910 and I in 1922.

The caliber would be 32 S&W sometimes called 32 short. It can be hard to find and usually sells for $30 to $40 a box. A regular gun shop might have it or you can usually find it at gun shows. I haven't seen it at a big box store in many years. Sometimes you can find a deal on old stock or partial boxes at the shows. Even in the current ammo shortage I've still found a few deals on this and other old calibers at the shows just by checking every table where some old guy has a few boxes of ammo out.

 

[petepeterson]

Thanks for the info. I suppose that could be a cursive "I" before the number. It seems pretty solid. I'd love to run 5 thru it and retire her once and for all. It was my grandfather's throw-down...er, back-up pistol.