Smith and Wesson No. 2 "Old Model Army", Mid frame antique Revolver $2100
- Category
- Firearms Handguns
- Classification
- No PAL Required
- Action
- Revolver
- Condition
- Excellent
- Manufacturer
- Smith & Wesson
- Caliber
- 32 RF
- Sight
- open
- Capacity
- 6
- Hand
- Right Handed or Ambidextrous
Please text anytime 6476871484. Fully functional antique revolver in ready to shoot condition ,very smooth action. No PAL needed.
Can shoot 32rf long and short.
Comes with FRT RCMP paperwork.
Smith and Wesson No. 2 "Old Model Army", .32 RF Revolver This one is in very good condition. With original blue. The action is strong and accurate, and the cylinder indexes and locks properly without play. The bore of the 5-inch barrel is very good, with sharp rifling and mirror bright. The rosewood grips are very good and undamaged. They look like they may have been re-varnished once. SN 59474, very good overall.
History & Background Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson acquired Rollin White’s patent (1855) for the bored-through cylinder to manufacture what they originally called the No. 1 revolver in .22 rim fire. It proved to be a rather ineffective little pocket revolver but was nonetheless very popular with civilians as a personal protective weapon. In 1861, just as the civil war gained momentum, S&W decided that they needed a larger caliber revolver in order to be able to convince the buying public (many of them enlisted in the war) that their gun was a viable protective option and as a back-up gun in battle. The scaled-up design was duly named the No. 2 and was nicknamed the “Army”, as it was widely used by military personnel as a personal side arm. Smith & Wesson retained and defended the Rollin White patent aggressively throughout the civil war period, and until its expiry in 1870, and therefore the No. 2 “Army” would be the only American made cartridge revolver used during this conflict (although several “unlicensed” makers added their wares into the fray, such as Uhlinger, Pond and Moore). The model is called “Old Model” due to its frame shape – the square butt and octagonal barrel of the model 1 ½ First Issue, as compared to the bird’s head grip and round barrel of the Second Issue. There is no “New Model” Army. The "No. 2 Old Model" was a popular personal side arm of many officers in the Union forces during the American Civil War, and is also known as the "Army" model. It was first introduced in 1861, and made until about 1874. The "No. 2" refers to the frame size, "No. 1" having been the first, .22 caliber pocket revolver and the "No. 3"'s being the large-frame revolvers. The 1 1/2 was introduced after the number 2, and since it fits in between the no. 1 and no. 2, it was named the no. 1 1/2. The no. 2 was owned by such famous Americans as General George