Help me date my .32 Revolver

[Bobbers]

Looking for some additional information on my US Revolver Co. .32 cal. I know it was made by Iver Johnson. The serial number under the trigger guard and the one under the top break are the same which is 609XX. The serial number under the grips are A800XX.
What model is it and what year was it made?
I have had this gun for sometime now and it is a fun little gun to shoot.
Thank you for any additional info.
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[hporter]

I'm no expert, but when I was researching my Iver Johnson I found that the two pin models (the trigger and rear trigger guard) were supposed to be black powder only. The newer "smokeless" frames have three pins above the trigger.


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I've shot mine with both smokeless and BP. I only used 1 grain of bullseye, just to try it out. It worked, but I mostly shoot it with BP. I can't shoot more than a couple cylinders with BP before the cylinder starts to bind up a bit. And I do use SPG lube with my reloads. But that is enough to enjoy the experience of shooting the tiny little thing.

I bought a small book on Iver Johnson's by Brian Massey, but it didn't have a huge amount of data in it.

The entry for the Second Model Safety, which is what yours looks like, states that they were made between 1896-1908. It also says that some 950,000 of the second model were produced.

Good luck and hopefully someone will chime in with better information on your date question.

[Thumbcocker]

I would really like to see some targets.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[hporter]

I'll have to remember to shoot it on paper next time I have it out. I can vouch that it is minute of soda can at close range.

I broke the lifter on mine a while back and finally found one on eBay that was a match. I still need to stone the replacement a little to get it to smooth out.

It is interesting to me that Iver Johnson had designed and implemented a Safety Trigger over a hundred years ago. When the trigger is at rest, the lifter is positioned below the hammer and firing pin making it impossible for the hammer to contact the firing pin. When you pull the trigger it "lifts" up and positions itself between the hammer and firing pin. Just like my Ruger's do today.

It is such a tiny revolver, I am sure that it was quite comfortable to carry around in a large coat pocket for those "just in case" moments. The bad thing was that the velocity is so low, it might not penetrate the bad guy's winter coat.

[Rapidrob]

It looks to be a Safety-Automatic revolver. Ivar Johnson repeated their serial numbers three times. Each time a newer,stronger model came out. They made them in .32 S&W as well as .38.
Yours looks to be a later model perhaps after 1908-1924 or so.
Safe to use with smokeless powder,just don't try to hot-rod the loads. The pistols depending on the bore condition can be fine shooters.
I would slug the bore to see if your pistol is .312/3 or larger depending. With a proper fitting bullet they are fun to shoot all day long with little blow back.

[hporter]

Yours looks to be a later model perhaps after 1908-1924 or so.

The third model (1909-1941) in the Massey book clearly shows the three pin frame, which is the addition of the third pin at the front of the trigger guard. He says the easy way to tell if it is a first or second model is that the cylinder will spin freely when it is not cocked. The third model will not, per his guidance. Mine is a two pin, and the cylinder can indeed be spun around.

The OP has already shot his gun, so he is probably comfortable with the loads used. But if it is a black powder frame and it is shot with too heavy a smokeless load in it, I doubt it would stand up to that for very long. They are nice revolvers, but stout is not an attribute that I would use to describe it.

[Bobbers]

Good info It looks like the third model it has the 3 pins and does not spin freely when it is not cocked. I have been shooting basic modern .32 shorts in it with no problem. Any idea about year it was made?

[hporter]

This is what a 3 pin model looks like, just for reference. Note the pin at the rear of the trigger guard, the one at the trigger pivot and the one at the front of the trigger guard.

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Hopefully someone will know more about the specific date for you.

[alfadan]

I'll have to remember to shoot it on paper next time I have it out. I can vouch that it is minute of soda can at close range.

I broke the lifter on mine a while back and finally found one on eBay that was a match. I still need to stone the replacement a little to get it to smooth out.

It is interesting to me that Iver Johnson had designed and implemented a Safety Trigger over a hundred years ago. When the trigger is at rest, the lifter is positioned below the hammer and firing pin making it impossible for the hammer to contact the firing pin. When you pull the trigger it "lifts" up and positions itself between the hammer and firing pin. Just like my Ruger's do today.

It is such a tiny revolver, I am sure that it was quite comfortable to carry around in a large coat pocket for those "just in case" moments. The bad thing was that the velocity is so low, it might not penetrate the bad guy's winter coat.

Yes they had their famous "Hammer the hammer" ad campaign; showing someone using a mallet on the hammer to show how safe the transfer bar is. Thus the "safety" and "automatic" (relatively) ejection.

[Bobbers]

That campaign would never fly today.

[Speedo66]

In addition to the cylinder stops being different, the smokeless powder guns had a coil spring, not a leaf as in the pictured gun.