US Revolver what is this?

[Daniel Howe]

Anybody know how old this is or where to get parts? It looks alot like a S&W top break. .32 S&W don't have a serial number, scared the grips will fall apart if I take them off LOL. Are these worth hunting down or making parts? Any info will be greatly appreciated.

 

[thadheth]

U.S. Revolver is a name used by Iver Johnson.

 

[BB57]

It looks like a S&W "New Model" Model 3, made from 1878 to 1915.

Uberti makes a reproduction:
NEW MODEL N.3 FRONTIER | Uberti Replicas | Top quality firearms replicas from 1959

S&W did a run in .45 Colt in 2002.

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The original "New Model" Model 3 introduced in 1878 was smaller, lighter and more concealable than the previous American, Russian and Schofield models and also reverted to the original locking system.

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I read an article awhile back that criticized S&W for not making the Model 3 in .45 Colt in 1875 when the government originally ordered it. S&W instead chambered them in the shorter .45 S&W Schofield round. Anyone who thinks that was S&W making a mistake doesn't understand black powder era cartridges.

You'll note the .44-40, 38-40, 32-20, etc, all have a tapered body and a slight shoulder, along with a substantial rim. The shoulder helped seal the case to the chamber wall quicker and reduced powder fouling in the chamber. The slight taper in the body ensures that as soon as the case moves aft on ejection, the entire surface of the case is out of contact with the chamber walls. The heavy rim ensured the extractor in a rifle or an ejector star in a pistol could get a good enough grip on the rim to get it started out of the fouled chamber - and black powder fouling is extensive.

The .45 Colt on the other hand was designed to maximize case capacity - the .44 mag of its day. It had straight, parallel walls, no shoulder, and a very small rim (smaller than modern .45 Colt brass). The small rim allowed for a smaller diameter cylinder on the Colt Single Action Army, for which the .45 Colt was designed. Since the Colt SAA used a rod ejector, there was plenty of ejection force available and there was no need for the common features normally found on pistol sized black powder cases.

That's why you won't find black powder era lever actions chambered in .45 Colt - they relied on an extractor, not a rod ejector.

Thus, when the US Army ordered the S&W Model 3 Schofield, S&W wisely developed a shorter version of the .45 Colt that was easier to eject due to the shorter length. The Model 3 used a top break design and a star ejector that made it fast and easy to load, but the star ejector design wasn't reliable with the full length case of the .45 Colt.

In 2002, with smokeless powder .45 Colt ammunition, it was no problem chambering it in .45 Colt.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Depending what is wrong with it, they are fun and good experience to fix. They make fun shooters, but not really an investment opportunity!
Over the last 5 decades I've had 15 or 20 of them. Factory ammo is fine for a properly working gun, but never Hot Rod the hand loads!

Ivan

 

[Drm50]

Working on them requires 3 hands and a bucket of slave pins. Springs seem to be the biggest problem with them and similar revolvers of the era.

 

[Echo40]

My dad had one like this, it's an Iver Johnson in .38 S&W, not to be confused with .38 S&W Special.

The only difference if my dad's was DAO with a shorter barrel.

 

[Absalom]

If this is a .32, it is indeed a revolver made by Iver Johnson.

The US Revolver Co. name was an economy line of .32 and .38 topbreaks made in the 1910s and 1920s by Iver Johnson concurrently with their own eponymous line of guns. There is no connection to S&W.

The long barrel is uncommon.

I suspect there are some experts here who know more about these but just haven’t seen the thread yet.

PS: Here is an old summary post I found by the late Bill Goforth, the expert on all things Iver Johnson:

“U.S. REVOLVER CO. AUTOMATIC HAMMER-------------------------1910-1935
LARGE FRAME AND SMALL FRAME DOES NOT HAVE HAMMER THE HAMMER ACTION; This is a Brand name revolver manufactured by Iver Johnson’s Arms & Cycle Works to be sold through the wholesale trade. It was never listed in any Iver Johnson’s Arms & Cycle Works catalog, although it was listed in some European catalogs as original Iver Johnson products. Does not have Hammer the Hammer action and relies on a safety notch on the hammer. Hard rubber grip panels with U S at the top, large oversize two piece hard rubber grips were optional....”

 

[desi2358]

As Absalom stated, US revolver was a cheaper line of Iver Johnson handguns. The actual serial number will be on the frame, under the left grip (sometimes there is a number on the trigger guard, it is normally only part of the full serial #). If the cylinder and barrel are sound the other parts are available and with a little patience they can be fixed. Collector value is low, especially if not in top shape so really only worth it if you like to tinker.

 

[nutsforsmiths]

I've worked on a few of these and also the Iver Johnson of the same vintage. I've gotten many parts for these and Iver Johnson pistols on Numrich Gun Parts and also eBay on occasion.

When looking on other sites, these US Revolver Co. use the same parts as the 3rd Model Iver Johnson, which were made from around 1897 to 1908 or so and were for black powder loads. They use the same flat springs and such, but the US Revolvers don't have the safety block, or Hammer the Hammer, piece in them, which means the firing pin is on the hammer on US Revolvers. These also have free wheeling cylinders, so don't let that throw you! Once IJ went to top breaks that could handle smokeless powder, they also incorporated a coil mainspring and a cylinder stop that changed the look of the cylinder lock-up and are easy to spot the difference when you see them. All the US Revolver Co pistols were made from about 1910-1935ish and had no changes made to them at all. They changed from flat springs, nor did they put in a cylinder stop.

I found these pretty easy to work on, once you get the hang of it, but slave pins are a must.

As mentioned, they do not have much collector value. I just purchased an IJ 3rd Model a few weeks ago in excellent shape for a whopping $150. US Revolver Co. pistols usually go for a bit less than Iver Johnson ones.

 

[nutsforsmiths]

I was looking at the pictures of your pistols again and you can actually see part of the serial number where the grip is broken on the left side.