This shipped April 1904. Has been re finished a LONG time ago.
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Show off your Bicycle Guns
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Thad, nice little Iver.
My project Bicycle revolver should be done in a week or so. I had my gun guru buddy shorten the barrel, he finally found a proper cutter for the front sight and after all was said and done decided it needed a bath in the blueing salts with a couple of long rifles he had been preparing for hot blue. I'm excited to see how well it turns out, he usually does beautiful work. It won't be a real Bicycle piece but as close as I could get with what I had. Now I need to find a neat pair of stocks, giraffe bone, ivory, etc.
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Thank you.
If a company made bicycles, I guess it would make sense to produce guns to go with them!
I wish S & W had been making Bicycles in the 1890s, early 1900s, it'd be so fun to have and ride one now..!
This is a former one. I sold this off in an auction about a year ago. Some lucky other person now has it, hopefully a Forum member.
dasnake
Member
I gotta ask......?
Never heard the term before, I had a Forehand Wadsworth years ago, nickle 38, were they classified as such?
Never heard the term before, I had a Forehand Wadsworth years ago, nickle 38, were they classified as such?
As I understand, they were popular around the time, in the late 19th century, when bicycles were. The idea was to defend oneself from big dogs chasing the rider. They were typically hammerless for easy deployment from a jacket pocket.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
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singleshot1891
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Letters as factory 1.5" .32 S&W.
Shipped to W. Virginia in 1937.
WB
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Bicycle Gun
This is my one and only. It was shipped 5/9/32. It has no original finish left but I really like the look. It came with a fitted case that appears to be marked Pelson, Cerritos CA. I bought it off GB years ago just for the cool factor. It sits proudly in an old cabinet with some other goodies.
This is my one and only. It was shipped 5/9/32. It has no original finish left but I really like the look. It came with a fitted case that appears to be marked Pelson, Cerritos CA. I bought it off GB years ago just for the cool factor. It sits proudly in an old cabinet with some other goodies.
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barbsaurus
US Veteran
Not a bicycle gun but the same DNA!
This one looks like it came from the factory last week...absolutely looks like jewelry.
4th edition of the S&W catalog (pages 91-92) has a couple of paragraphs on the "bicycle gun".
This one looks like it came from the factory last week...absolutely looks like jewelry.
4th edition of the S&W catalog (pages 91-92) has a couple of paragraphs on the "bicycle gun".
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Books
Member
Almost all period references to "Bicycle Guns" relate best to a very short barreled hammerless revolver in a small caliber made by several companies. Normally, 2" or less barrel. Originally, I believe the term referred to the small caliber in S&W Bicycle Guns, referencing only 32s, but many also call 38 S&Ws a Bicycle Gun.
Only the small caliber comes up on advertisements of the period that I have seen, plus the primary intended use was to shoot at attacking dogs. I would guess that the 38 was more of a "Burglar Gun" than a Bicycle Gun as designed, but probably not a good term to use with advertisement. I have a 1900 S&W catalog and an image below that shows both calibers and only names the 32 as a Bicycle Gun.
Rock Island Arsenal offered this description of the Bicycle Gun.
The term "velocipede" may be foreign to most today, but it was familiar in 19th century Europe, where it was another way of referring to a bicycle. At the time, these unusual, human-propelled devices opened up a whole new world of possibility in terms of transportation. No longer did you need a horse (and all of the assorted expenses that come along with it) in order to travel faster than you could walk. This new mode of transport did, however, come with some drawbacks, mainly those of the four-legged variety: dogs.
Just as dogs today chase cars because they're unusual and scary, they also chased bicycles in the 19th century. Outrunning an angry dog in a car is easy, but if you're travelling by velocipede, you can only escape as fast as you can pedal. For some, this was slower than a dog could run and the end result was injury to the rider. Apparently, this happened frequently enough to spawn a new type of firearm with a new name that is familiar with gun collectors even today: the velo-dog revolver.
As the name suggests, a velo-dog revolver was designed to protect velocipedists against dogs when out for a ride. This kind of gun was made by a variety of different manufacturers over the years, but most have two main components in common: a concealed hammer and a short barrel. These pocket pistols were designed to be carried and drawn with ease, which was facilitated by the short barrel and lack of a hammer spur to get caught on one's clothes.
Smith & Wesson's Safety Hammerless revolvers were introduced in 1887. They were an instant hit with consumers looking for a quality, concealable handgun that could be carried with ease. Looking to the success of the velo-dog in Europe, Smith & Wesson decided to offer something similar in the States. While "velocipede" was a common term in Europe, "bicycle" was much more prevalent in the United States. As such, Smith & Wesson chose "Bicycle Gun" as the name for these new Safety Hammerless revolvers with short barrels.
It was also common to shorten the barrels of small caliber revolvers, including the hammer varieties, but hammer guns posed a safety problem if dropped on their hammer, so were not as much in favor as the hammerless models. I would love to see any ads found for the 38 from the period that show a 38 as a Bicycle Gun?
Only the small caliber comes up on advertisements of the period that I have seen, plus the primary intended use was to shoot at attacking dogs. I would guess that the 38 was more of a "Burglar Gun" than a Bicycle Gun as designed, but probably not a good term to use with advertisement. I have a 1900 S&W catalog and an image below that shows both calibers and only names the 32 as a Bicycle Gun.
Rock Island Arsenal offered this description of the Bicycle Gun.
The term "velocipede" may be foreign to most today, but it was familiar in 19th century Europe, where it was another way of referring to a bicycle. At the time, these unusual, human-propelled devices opened up a whole new world of possibility in terms of transportation. No longer did you need a horse (and all of the assorted expenses that come along with it) in order to travel faster than you could walk. This new mode of transport did, however, come with some drawbacks, mainly those of the four-legged variety: dogs.
Just as dogs today chase cars because they're unusual and scary, they also chased bicycles in the 19th century. Outrunning an angry dog in a car is easy, but if you're travelling by velocipede, you can only escape as fast as you can pedal. For some, this was slower than a dog could run and the end result was injury to the rider. Apparently, this happened frequently enough to spawn a new type of firearm with a new name that is familiar with gun collectors even today: the velo-dog revolver.
As the name suggests, a velo-dog revolver was designed to protect velocipedists against dogs when out for a ride. This kind of gun was made by a variety of different manufacturers over the years, but most have two main components in common: a concealed hammer and a short barrel. These pocket pistols were designed to be carried and drawn with ease, which was facilitated by the short barrel and lack of a hammer spur to get caught on one's clothes.
Smith & Wesson's Safety Hammerless revolvers were introduced in 1887. They were an instant hit with consumers looking for a quality, concealable handgun that could be carried with ease. Looking to the success of the velo-dog in Europe, Smith & Wesson decided to offer something similar in the States. While "velocipede" was a common term in Europe, "bicycle" was much more prevalent in the United States. As such, Smith & Wesson chose "Bicycle Gun" as the name for these new Safety Hammerless revolvers with short barrels.
It was also common to shorten the barrels of small caliber revolvers, including the hammer varieties, but hammer guns posed a safety problem if dropped on their hammer, so were not as much in favor as the hammerless models. I would love to see any ads found for the 38 from the period that show a 38 as a Bicycle Gun?
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This gun came from the estate of a retired Air Force colonel in 2017. It's is a .32 S&W Safety Hammerless 2nd Model with a 2" barrel, sometimes known as a Bicycle Gun. In this barrel length the SCSW describes them as "rare". Patent markings are on the left side of the barrel and there is no caliber marking.
"Bicycle Gun" has a very short Barrel, and would be chambered in .32 and tended to be a concealed Hammer.
Whether a chambering in .38 S & W also counts, I am not sure, but, it might.
The primary qualifying aspect is the very short Barrel Length, and concealed Hammer, for the Revolver to be carried in a Pocket. does not matter what Make it is.
I have an early 1900s 'H&R' Bicycle Gun in .32 S&W but no pictures handy and not sure where it is, lol...if I find it, I'll post some pictures.
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San Francisco?
Books,
You mean they were actually shooting wild dogs in San Francisco in 1923? Yes, they were! I was chased by a few on my old Schwinn bicycle by the Great Highway as a kid.... Packs of dogs roaming the streets were a common problem due to the "dumps" being what it was back then....Within the city limits. I remember it clearly. There are Malls built over the old "Dumps" site...We would always call the theater built in that Mall years later as "The Dump". It's still there but it's sinking.
Once they moved the Dump, the wild dog issue also went away....but I think that was the cause back in the day.... The Great Highway (by the beach) was also a location of a small city dump that was close to "Playland" by the beach. You didn't want to be out alone walking the beach at night in that area! NOT without your bicycle gun!
Murph
Books,
You mean they were actually shooting wild dogs in San Francisco in 1923? Yes, they were! I was chased by a few on my old Schwinn bicycle by the Great Highway as a kid.... Packs of dogs roaming the streets were a common problem due to the "dumps" being what it was back then....Within the city limits. I remember it clearly. There are Malls built over the old "Dumps" site...We would always call the theater built in that Mall years later as "The Dump". It's still there but it's sinking.
Once they moved the Dump, the wild dog issue also went away....but I think that was the cause back in the day.... The Great Highway (by the beach) was also a location of a small city dump that was close to "Playland" by the beach. You didn't want to be out alone walking the beach at night in that area! NOT without your bicycle gun!
Murph
Boulder350
Member
Do these count? Are they bicycle guns for people with longer legs? Both have factory 2 1/2" barrels.
The H&R does not have markings on the barrel rib, just the flat v section in front of the latch on the top.
The Smith shipped to Mr T. L. Lewis May 23rd of 1913 with a 2 1/2" barrel.
The H&R does not have markings on the barrel rib, just the flat v section in front of the latch on the top.
The Smith shipped to Mr T. L. Lewis May 23rd of 1913 with a 2 1/2" barrel.
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I have posted these before. A .32 1.5", shipped 2/4/1928 to Hudson-Pillar Hardware Co., Ironton, OH, and a .38, 1.5" shipped 11/30/1928 to Logan Hardware Co., Logan, WV. Both of these are lettered, the .32 lettered with factory pearl grips, the .38 with checkered hard rubber grips.
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I used to just carry a little kit of two Back Cat Firecrackers taped to a Kitchen Match, taped together, so when I struck the Match I had about two seconds before the "Bang! Bang!"...and this worked well to discourage the Dog Packs from worrying me as I rode my Bike.
I'd carry five or six of these in my Shirt Pocket.
This was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1964...
From there we soon moved to San Bruno California, and I became quite familiar with The Great Highway stretch, and mostly steered clear of Playland and the old Sutro Baths, that old Cave at Land's end, or whatever it was called...etc...Lol...
Late '60s, there were homeless people living inside of the fake Stucco "Rock Cliff" embankment there at the bend where Great Highway turned to become Geary Street...
Fun times! Lots of wacky stuff..!
There were still some old Horse drawn Street Cars in back Yards of the Sunset district then...no idea about now...
Moved the heck out of there in 1977...
Had I known about Bicycle Guns as a kid, I'd have sure wanted one!
The barrel would count, but the hammer would not. That is one of the criteria that separates the Bicycle Gun from just a short barrel pocket gun.
I have some short barreled examples, but the only one I call a Bicycle Gun is the 2" S&W 32 Safety Hammerless.
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From somewhere else I believe I have read that the 2" barrelled revolvers were also highly appreciated by railroad Dicks, often carried in the vest pocket. I have some of those older vintage wool vests that could easily accomidate a very short barrelled revolver. I would not be a bit suprised to learn via letters that more were probably sold to individuals in search of an easily hidden piece rather than velocipede operators. My granddad once told me that in the early days of driving Model T autos that large dogs would charge out from places of hiding and could come close to threatening you with a bite, their chosen remedy to "cure a cur" was to tie a heavy rag to the spokes of the rear wheel, the dog would attempt to grab the rag and get flipped end over end, high sport for teenage boys in the early years of driving.
And there was the "Velodog" also, in Europe and imported in to the US -
Oddly enough, "Velodog" was/is a family of 5.5 mm Cartridges, and any make Revolver taking them was thus a "Velodog" in it's own right.
http://www.velodogs.com/
Oddly enough, "Velodog" was/is a family of 5.5 mm Cartridges, and any make Revolver taking them was thus a "Velodog" in it's own right.
http://www.velodogs.com/
Not S&W,,,,,,,,,,,
Hopkins & Allen "Hammerless # 1 1/2 7 shot 22 long.
I carry it quite often just for something to go BANG!
Hopkins & Allen "Hammerless # 1 1/2 7 shot 22 long.
I carry it quite often just for something to go BANG!
Mr. Wonderful
Member
Here's a Safety Hammerless from August 1909.
Hello folks,
I got this pistol in one auction lot of five guns, a couple of years ago. It wasn't the one that I REALLY wanted, but I've come to love it.
By the way, one of the OTHER guns (a .38 Safety Hammerless) in the same lot lettered to Mr. Frank H. Wesson, Treasurer of Smith & Wesson in 1924. What a pleasant surprise.
Sometimes you get lucky!
Best wishes eveyone,
Roger AKA Mr. Wonderful
Hello folks,
I got this pistol in one auction lot of five guns, a couple of years ago. It wasn't the one that I REALLY wanted, but I've come to love it.
By the way, one of the OTHER guns (a .38 Safety Hammerless) in the same lot lettered to Mr. Frank H. Wesson, Treasurer of Smith & Wesson in 1924. What a pleasant surprise.
Sometimes you get lucky!
Best wishes eveyone,
Roger AKA Mr. Wonderful
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duckhunter28432
Member
My contribution to the thread. The stocks on the revolver were not numbered to the gun so I replaced them with medallion mother of pearl stocks.
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