Dug up out of my basement in an old box

US Revolver. I assume in 38 S&W. 5 shot cylinder. The chambers have no throats. A 38 S&W bullet falls through the chamber LOL. Bore looks about right but I'll slug it and see. Looks like a good candidate for .375 balls but they fall through the chambers also. Single action doesn't work but it works fine as a double action and I can control the trigger pretty good. As far as a carry piece it would be a 4-shooter and hope you don't have to shoot uphill cause a new 38 S&W will fall out the back of the cylinder as it rotates. Maybe reloaded rounds will be tighter in the chamber. I wonder if these were okay to use with Smokeless? [image] [image]

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.....perhaps ?

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I was all giddy hoping it would be, but it has a .3755 bore. If it had been a 41 Colt, I could spend a few hundred getting dies, brass, and bullets together. LOLk...........Glad now it isn't............Bob

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Great post, Bob! I've got a U.S. Revolver .22 just like that one - belonged to one of my wife's relatives. Very educational little gun. I had to replace the front sight with one almost twice as high to get it to shoot anywhere near where it looks. Single action didn't work on mine either - had to replace the tiny spring that makes the single action sear work. Major endshake - had to make a shim to keep the cylinder back far enough so the firing pin can hit the rims. That made the cylinder gap so big you could measure it with a wooden tongue depressor. Fun to watch the bullets fly downrange. Occasionally one will actually hit near where I'm aiming.

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US Revolver Co. (1910-1935) was a trade name of Iver Johnson. I read they initially sold for $11. I am with Ray Lee .. it's probably a .41. Looking through one of the chambers, is it bored straight through or does it have a "step" in it?

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Ele era velho.
Ele era corajoso.
Ele era feio.

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The cylinder is bored straight through. The chambers measure a nominal .375 inch. So if I used a round ball of that size it would have to squeeze in a smaller bore.

I slugged the bore at .3575 inch. Try as I may without cheating, I couldn't make the Starrett electronic caliper go to .358 inch. So I was hoping it was 41 Colt also but from what I've been reading they were only made in 22, 32, 38.

The barrel was leaded up terrible, and it needed the Lewis Lead remover to scrape it out. Bore looks good as new now so it was probably not shot with black powder loads back in the day.

I removed the hammer and has three notches. One must be the notch for the double action lifter and the lower one must be the single action notch. It is worn shallow. I hope the middle notch wasn't a safety notch as it is worn hair thin. The single action will work occasionally, but sometimes it will fall on its own.

A file glides like glass across the hammer notches so it might be the sear worn. But it works A-0k in double action. I'm thinking about bobbing the hammer to keep someone from trying to cock it and it goes off inadvertently on them. The double action stacks nicely and one is able to stack it and fire it good.

So it looks like I'll have to use a hollow based wadcutter load and assume it will obturate and fit the cylinder as it exits the case. Looks like it needs a 38-colt bullet used for a different reason. Instead of expanding to fit the barrel it needs to expand to fit the non-existent throats......Dang I believe I'm over thinking this as usual.

Bob

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If it weren't for that tight bore it'd be a good candidate for a 380 Achilles. On the other hand, you could do a Taylor Throat job on it and run HBWC ammo out of 38 S&W brass. I've never had a cartridge slip back out of the chamber when firing similar double actions sans loading gate. Never tried shooting a coon out of a tree with one either so that might be an issue if shooting straight up, otherwise, I'd not sweat it too much. Looks like a fun project pistol.

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Don't use heavy loads and they will shoot just fine.

These are .375" balls in the .38 S&W case.
[image]

These are fired and recovered .375" balls fired through the .358" barrel. 3.0 gr. Bullseye.
[image]

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Ele era velho.
Ele era corajoso.
Ele era feio.

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I have plenty of .375 balls for sure. I thought of compressing as much 3f Swiss as I could in the case along with a wonder wad and ball and see how it does. I'm currently out of Bullseye but have plenty of 700x, 231, Titegroup, etc. My cylinder gap appears to be around .010 inch.

I scrounged up almost 2 boxes of 38 S&W out of my junk ammo crate. Guess I'll use it as a control load LOL.

Bob

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The old loading manuals I have recommend FFg ... I used 10 gr. under the 96 gr. bullet. It's not much more than a round ball.

--
Ele era velho.
Ele era corajoso.
Ele era feio.

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.41 colt.....

.41 colt.....

Dug up out of my basement in an old box

US Revolver Co.

US Revolver Co.

US Revolver Co.

I shoot a .375 ball out of the H&R with a .358" barrel ...

I shoot a .375 ball out of the H&R with a .358" barrel ...

Black powder works well. I shot some today in the old H&R ..