What is this revolver I found in a river?

[Xenor]

Hello,

I recently found this revolver when I was magnet fishing ("fishing" interesting things out of rivers with a magnet attached to a rope) here in Germany. I don't see any hammer to pull back so I suppose it is a Double Action Only Revolver. One thing that confused me was the metal part at the drum. Is this the mechanism to hit the cartridge and how is it set off? Furthermore, it looks like there is no trigger protection or something similar but it could be that it just rusted off.

After I found the revolver I tried as good as possible to clean and free him from rust. I used vinegar essence and some chemical stuff I found at home. I hope it is clean enough for you guys to see something.

So my question is what kind of revolver is this? I searched the whole internet for a revolver like this but I didn't find anything like it. The closest thing to this revolver I found was the Smith and Wesson Hammerless Model 38 and the Centennial revolvers. It could also be really interesting from which time it is. I thought of the Great War because of the wooden handle and the condition of the revolver but I dunno.

I attached for you some pictures of the revolver but if you need some closeups of something just ask

Thanks in advance



Felix Landrø

[RevolverRob]

That is a good old fashioned "Velo Dog"

http://www.velodogs.com/

They were inexpensive revolvers made by a variety of manufacturers across Europe from ~1875-1920 chambered in small "Velo Dog" calibers. They originated as concealed carry handguns for folks in urban areas, primarily for the purpose of dispatching feral dogs who might attack them.

The one you've found is the fairly common later variant that has a fixed trigger (they originally had folding triggers) and hammerless design. There was no trigger guard. The thing you see on the right side of the revolver was actually the cylinder release, to allow the cylinder ("drum" as you call it) to swing out and be loaded/unloaded. The lever on the left side of the gun was a safety lever.

Obviously, in the condition it is in, it is difficult to say who made it, but it appears to be in the pattern of most of the Belgian-made pieces of the later era, I would hazard a guess probably between 1905 and 1915-16 when most arms makers switched over to war-time production.

[Guerrero]

Tragic boating accident.

They *do* happen, Mr. ATF agent.

[mtnbkr]

I think I just heard France faint.

Chris

[RevolverRob]

I think I just heard France faint.

Chris

Strange women lying in rivers and distributing old revolvers is no basis for a system of government...Or is it?

[BN]

I think Revolver Rob is correct.

I want to compliment you on the pictures. Good quality.

I would sure like to know it's story.

[RevolverRob]

So, as I was looking back at the pictures here, two things struck me that might allow identification of the maker.

The first is the size, shape, and placement of the safety latch, the second is the knurling on the cylinder rod.

As I scrolled through the Velodogs.com website, I realized the weapon in question is an Arminius, German-Made, weapon, made by Freidrich Pickert, sometime basically between about 1922 and 1935 (according to my copy of the Standard Catalog of Firearms). Makes sense that the weapon in question is of German-origin. Scroll down on the website to see the Pickert guns. Apparently, they made three models that were hammerless, Model 3, Model 5, and Model 8.

[Joe in PNG]

I once hauled out a Browning Auto-5 from a river.
Sadly, it was in the same poor, rusted out shape as the OP's gun, and we tossed it back in.

[Baldanders]

That is a good old fashioned "Velo Dog"

http://www.velodogs.com/

They were inexpensive revolvers made by a variety of manufacturers across Europe from ~1875-1920 chambered in small "Velo Dog" calibers. They originated as concealed carry handguns for folks in urban areas, primarily for the purpose of dispatching feral dogs who might attack them.

The one you've found is the fairly common later variant that has a fixed trigger (they originally had folding triggers) and hammerless design. There was no trigger guard. The thing you see on the right side of the revolver was actually the cylinder release, to allow the cylinder ("drum" as you call it) to swing out and be loaded/unloaded. The lever on the left side of the gun was a safety lever.

Obviously, in the condition it is in, it is difficult to say who made it, but it appears to be in the pattern of most of the Belgian-made pieces of the later era, I would hazard a guess probably between 1905 and 1915-16 when most arms makers switched over to war-time production.

That's a great site, but if you read it carefully, it points out the gun was not intended to shoot feral dogs, it was for bicyclists to defend themselves from people. "Velodog" is a combination of the words "velocipede" and "Bulldog"-- as in "Bulldog" revolver.

[StraitR]

There's likely a good reason that revolver ended up at the bottom of a river.

If only guns could tell stories. Nice find.