Fake
Smill & Welson Spanish Counterfeit Revolver
This revolver looks like it is a Smith & Wesson DA from the early 20th century, right down to the S&W grips. However, it is actually a Spanish Eibar-made copy, and you can tell when […]
Revolver
Gunsmithing
Hand-Fitted Parts Firsthand: French Modele 1874
We often hear the phrase “hand-fitted” in regards to either really finely made guns, or ones made before the the advent of truly interchangeable parts. Well, I recently had a firsthand experience with hand-fitted parts, […]
Handgun
James D. Julia: Confederate Cofer Revolver
T.W. Cofer was a Virginian gunsmith who made revolvers for the Confederate cause during the Civil War – although he never had a formal contract with the CSA. His pistols were sold privately to individual […]
Accessories
James D. Julia: Presentation Colt 1851 w/ Canteen Stock
One of the less common accessories for Colt percussion pistols is the original factory shoulder stock. And far less common still is the factory stock made with a canteen inside it! The stocks were made […]
Handgun
James D. Julia: An Assortment of James Reid “My Friend” Knucklers
James Reid was a Catskills gunsmith who emigrated form Ireland by way of Scotland. He made a number of different revolvers, but is best known for his line of “My Friend” knuckleduster pepperboxes (or “knucklers”, […]
Handgun
The Gun as Art: Tiffany Colts from Two Eras
The famous American jewelry company Tiffany & Co has a long history of offering decorative firearms, and today I’m looking at two of them. One is a cartridge conversion Colt from the 1870s, engraved by […]
Handgun
James D. Julia: Confederate Spiller & Burr Revolver (Presentation!)
The Spiller & Burr was a Confederate copy of the 1854 Whitney revolver, made in .36 caliber under contract to the CSA. As with so many Confederate arms projects, many thousands were promised and only […]
Handgun
James D. Julia: Tucker & Sherrard Texas Confederate Revolver
The Tucker & Sherrard (and later Sherrard & Clark) is one of the more interesting Texas Confederate revolvers. The company initially was granted a contract with the Texas state government to provide 100 revolvers per […]
Handgun
James D. Julia: LeMat Grapeshot Revolver Design Evolution
The LeMat grapeshot revolver is one of the most distinctive and powerful sidearms of the US Civil War, sporting both a 9-round .42 caliber cylinder of pistol bullets and a shotgun barrel as cylinder axis. […]
Gunsmithing
James D. Julia: Sisterdale Texas Confederate Revolver
The Sisterdale revolver is one of the most original designs of the Confederate revolvers. It was devised by a group of Texans led by one Alfred Kapp, son of a German immigrant in Sisterdale, Texas. […]