It always happened that there was someone who… opened the way for the rest. And then he had followers. This is how, by the way, the so-called "umbrella brands" are born. There was Smirnoff vodka. One "F" was replaced by "ff", the experience was recognized as successful and appeared: "Dvernoff", "Mehoff", "Dvernisazheff", "Zamkoff". The same story happened with my magazine "Tankomaster". Nice, self-explanatory name, isn't it? But … after him appeared Aviamaster (worse, but bearable), Flotomaster (very bad), and then Standmaster, Minimaster, Master + Aviation (quickly went bankrupt!), Master - weapon "(smoking room is alive!) and even …" Master knife "! Only the “Master of Love” magazine is missing. Well, isn't it stupid? But names are one thing. It also happens that people create a lot of similar designs, all of which differ from the basic models in their size or finish.
Here it is - a revolver "Harrington and Richardson" 32 caliber "Hammerles", that is, a hammerless. The revolver that you see in the photo is very high quality, although it has suffered from time. Its design is very similar to the Smith-Wesson revolver No. 3. The barrel is round with an upper bar into which the front sight is built; rear sight - a simple slot in the raised rear of the barrel latch tide. When the latch is raised, the barrel can be lowered down 90 degrees, after which an automatic extractor is triggered, pushing the spent cartridges out of the drum.
For example, Samuel Colt created a good line of revolvers, and immediately the same capsule revolver was put on the market by Remington. There are only two differences: a closed frame and a tide on the zapzhivat lever, a little more convenient in terms of removing the revolver from the holster. And many other companies copied everything from the larger ones, and began to produce the same revolvers, only slightly reducing them in size. Among them was the Harrington & Richardson Company, founded in 1874 in Worcester, Massachusetts by Gilbert Harrington and William Richardson. The company relied on cheap, but durable revolvers that could be hidden in a waistcoat pocket, and … it was right!
Revolver of the "Remington" company, model 1858.
The first models of revolvers had a one-piece frame, and an advertisement about this immediately announced that this, they say, is a pocket weapon, but thanks to this it is very durable. Good advertising is the key to success, which in turn led to the fact that production began to grow. But at the end of XIX the company "Harrington and Richardson" decides to release revolvers already with a drop-down frame. The second innovation is an automatic extractor, as if these revolvers were planned for a long fire fight. But … on the other hand, advertising can inform the consumer that he can buy a revolver equipped with an automatic unloading system for a cheap price. And how can you not buy one? What if it comes in handy?
And this is how he looked when they bought him …
Later, the company had other models of various calibers and with barrels of different lengths. One of them was a small-sized turretless revolver "Defender" (Defender) - small, simple and convenient and, most importantly, positioned on the arms market as "automatic"!
Since the end of the twentieth century, these have been the very popular Smith & Wesson revolvers in.38 caliber with a simple handle and an automatic extractor. The barrel usually had a massive top bar with a built-in front sight. Well, and it opened in exactly the same way as a Smith & Wesson, with the help of a T-shaped latch in the upper part, after pressing which the barrel dropped down, and at the same time an automatic extractor inside the drum was activated.
And although it was a pocket weapon, it was attached to a rather large grip, which gave a comfortable grip. So, in the end, the revolver turned out to be a simple, but quite durable and reliable design.
The Harrington & Richardson Defender pocket revolver had the following characteristics:
Overall length: 222mm
Barrel length: 102 mm
Revolver weight: 0.7 kg
Caliber:.38 (9 mm)
Number of grooves in the barrel: 7
The number of cartridges in the drum: 6
Bullet muzzle velocity: 190 m / s
The seven-shooter drum (just like the famous revolver) is removed from this revolver. The trigger mechanism of the revolver is double-acting and that is why it is hammerless, that is, it is especially convenient for carrying in a pocket, although there were similar revolvers with a trigger and a protruding spoke back.
Model of a revolver with a trigger. The trade mark of the company is clearly visible.
The cheeks at the handle were usually made of black volcanite, and each one necessarily adorned with the company's trademark, which looked like a target with traces of five bullets. However, there were also revolvers with cheeks made of bone and even mother-of-pearl. Interestingly, since these revolvers were manufactured in the United States for export to the United Kingdom, they were branded with Birmingham.
Naturally, this was not one such firm, but there were many of them. And who borrowed from whom, today you cannot tell. "Hopkins and Allen" - a company that appeared in 1868 in the state of Connecticut, where it produced various weapons, but mainly revolvers. In the late 19th century, she acquired the ruined Forehand Arms Company in Worcester, Massachusetts and launched the 1891 Model Forehand revolver.
Ladies defender with mother-of-pearl grip and elegant suede holster.
It was a neat and compact revolver designed to be carried in a pocket. The frame opened, it was only necessary to raise the T-shaped latch like a Smith-Wesson.
It also had a toothed extractor installed, and in order to remove its five-charge drum from the central axis, it was required to press the front edge of the horizontal lever on the right side of the frame. A hammer revolver, with a double-action trigger mechanism, but still with a separate drummer located inside the breech.
The handle cheeks are made of black vulcanite with the initials "H & R". For example, weapons manufactured in the United States and imported into Great Britain were marked with British inspection marks, that is, they are on this revolver, and it is indicated that it is approved only for firing cartridges with black powder. Its caliber was smaller than that of the previous revolver - 7, 65-mm, bullet speed 168 m / s, but … and it was quite possible to shoot from it on occasion.
Judging by these advertisements, these revolvers were produced and sold even in 1936! Enviable longevity for a weapon of the beginning of the century!
Another enterprise producing inexpensive "small-format" revolvers in 1871 was the company of Iver Johnson and Martin Bye. At first they worked together, but in 1883 Johnson bought out his partner's share and organized his own company, the Iver Johnson Arms Company, all in that Worcester, Massachusetts, and then in 1891 he moved to Fitchburg in the same state. Everything that he produced was practically no different from the revolvers of the Harrington and Richardson company. Thus, the "brand variety" was achieved, and most importantly - the owners of these revolvers could now argue from the bottom of their hearts which revolver company is better, more reliable and at the same time … cheaper!
Johnson's products differed from other pocket revolvers in a nickel-plated case, and a dark trigger guard. In addition, both the trigger and the trigger were covered with hard rubber, and they also had an emblem that looked like a small coat of arms with the image of an owl. The following inscription was engraved on the barrel: "IVER JOHNSON ARMS AND CYCLE WORKS FITCHBURG MASS USA", the corresponding patent numbers were listed, and its serial number was indicated on the handle.
In 1893, Johnson patented and launched the revolver under the complex and long name: "Automatic double-action model with a safety lock", and a year later he began to produce his hammerless version.
The funny thing is that the word "automatic" got into the name of the revolver again because of the extractor! After all, he jumped out of the drum axis "automatically", which means that the revolver too, not just any, but … "automatic".
Advertising of the "Premier" revolver. Nickel-plated or blued housing!
The most important difference between this revolver and others was the fuse. The striker is mounted inside the body, so the hammer hit it through a special movable part. And the trigger mechanism worked only if the trigger was pushed to the end. Therefore, this revolver could not accidentally shoot, say, from hitting something hard.
An advertisement for a 22-caliber revolver with a seven-shooter drum for various types of cartridges. The emphasis of the advertising message, as you can see, is that it is hammerless!
The revolver had a nickel-plated finish, except for the trigger and shackle; cheeks - black vulcanite, on each of which would be placed a medallion with the company's trademark with the image of an owl. The caliber of the revolver is 7, 65 mm, the bullet speed is 168 m / s. Weight - 600 g.
Opened view of the revolver on the right.
Another company that produced pocket revolvers was the firm "Meriden". All samples were the same as for all the other companies mentioned above, with the exception of such a detail as the front sight. It looks like an old-fashioned hat in the revolvers of this company. The following inscription is made on the barrel: “MERIDEN FIREARMS CO. MERIDEN CONN USA ", and on the basis of the handle - the serial number. You can evaluate them as weapons of rather low quality. Interestingly, already at that time, these revolvers were mainly sold by mail and at the same time were classified as "Seewiside Specials", that is, "weapons for suicides."
Opened view of the revolver on the left.
Approximately all the same took place not only in the USA and in Russia. Revolvers of the aforementioned class could be ordered by mail, and bought in a store relatively cheaply, and … from hands on the market. Very often they were acquired by card cheaters and … high school students who got into unpleasant stories, whether it be gambling debts, into which another youth got into due to inexperience, syphilis after visiting a brothel for the first time in his life, and you never know what else. For all such cases, the Iver Johnson and Harrington & Richardson revolvers were the most appropriate weapons. In any case, the authors of novels set in the early twentieth century should bear this in mind!
Personal opinion. Never before had I held such a strange weapon in my hands. A toy, not a toy, a weapon, not a weapon. If I were a child, I would probably be delighted to own it, let alone shooting. But why did the adult uncles and aunts buy such things, I absolutely do not understand! You can also understand those who bought pocket "Bulldogs". But these nickel-plated crafts are just for suicides and are good!
