Forehand & Wadsworth was a firearms manufacturer located in Worcestor Mass. It was founded,circa 1871 and operated under the name o.
A while back, I got interested in old Webley Bulldogs, Forehand & Wadsworth Bulldogs, and the various Belgian clones. After narrowly missing out on a Belgian Bulldog in .455 Webley in pretty good shape, I've been on the prowl for another one of these cool looking revolvers (well, IMHO they are cool looking).
Well at the 1500, I found this little guy hiding in a case amongst some other old odds and ends guns. It's a Forehand & Wadsworth British Bulldog in .38 S&W. If what I've read is correct, the gun probably predates 1890 (since supposedly after that, the Wadsworth was dropped from the name and it just went by Forehand, until the company was sold in the early 1900's).
Now, the finish is pretty much completely shot, but it was otherwise apparently functional and working in double action only (which I believe is correct for this gun, though it is a bit strange to have a DAO with a nice big hammer that doesn't catch on anything when you pull it back).
Anyway, after playing with it a bit and putting some low power rounds through it at the range, it has sadly now broken. Pulling the trigger now doesn't cock the hammer and rotate the cylinder all the time (usually it will do it once and then you have to manually pull the hammer back to reset the trigger). When it was working, it wouldn't reliably fire the rounds in DA, but would do it consistently if you manually pulled the hammer back and let go.
So, here is where I'm at. I know these guns don't really have much value at all. But I think it is pretty neat. What I was thinking of doing is seeing if I could find a gunsmith that could A) fix it and B) refinish it (probably just blue it, since I think nickel plating is typically pretty pricey). I think I'm willing to maybe put another $160 into it (that takes me to $300 total into the gun if I spend that much).
Here's where the advice comes in
1) Am I crazy to even think of doing this?
2) Assuming I'm not, are there any gunsmiths (professional or hobbyist) in the Indianapolis area that would be willing to take on a project like this (and will at least be able to tell me if that budget is reasonable)?
Like I said, I know the gun isn't really worth much. But I just like the idea of having a 120+ year old revolver that I can shoot (without having to drop several thousands dollars, at which point I wouldn't want to risk shooting it anyway).
Firearms manufacturer | |
Industry | Firearms |
---|---|
Fate | Acquired by Hopkins & Allen in 1902 |
Predecessor | Ethan Allen & Company |
Founded | 1871 |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Sullivan Forehand, Henry C. Wadsworth |
Products | Derringers, revolvers. rifles, shotguns |
Forehand & Wadsworth (also known as Forehand Arms) was an American firearms manufacturing company based in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was formed in 1871 by Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth after the death of their father-in-law, Ethan Allen of Ethan Allen & Company, and was acquired in 1902 by Hopkins & Allen, a firearms company based in Connecticut.
- 1History
History[edit]
In 1871, Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth founded Forehand & Wadsworth from the remnants of Ethan Allen & Company after the death of their father-in-law, Ethan Allen.[1] Wadsworth sold his share of the company to Forehand in 1890 in order to retire, and the company was rebranded as Forehand Arms.[2]
The company manufactured a variety of black powder and cartridge revolvers, including several versions of the British Bull Dog revolver.[3][4] Other offerings included derringers,[5]:381rifles,[5]:560 and shotguns.[5]:604
Forehand's sons ran the business for several years following the death of their father, then sold it in 1902 to Hopkins & Allen, who had been making Forehand Arms' revolvers under contract.[6]
Legal matters[edit]
The company was involved with a patent infringement lawsuit on behalf of one of their employees, John C. Howe, against the United States government. Howe had patented an ammunition cartridge in 1864, and the US government infringed upon this design in 1868 with the 'Cup Anvil Cartridge' until the expiration of Howe's patent in 1881.[7] Howe asked Forehand to bring a lawsuit against the government, and eight years later the company won the suit on behalf of Howe with a judgement of $66,000. The lawsuit was not paid until after Howe's death and a few weeks before the death of Forehand in 1898.[1]
In popular culture[edit]
A Forehand & Wadsworth British Bull Dog revolver was used in the 1993 movie, Tombstone, by Joanna Pacula while portraying Big Nose Kate.[8]
Gallery[edit]
- Forehand & Wadsworth British Bull Dog revolver chambered for .44 Bull Dog
- Forehand & Wadsworth advertisement from March 1872 as it appeared in the Quad-City Times of Davenport, Iowa
- Forehand Arms 5-shot revolver chambered for .32 S&W
- Forehand Arms advertisement from February 1899 as it appeared in The Belle Plaine News of Belle Plaine, Kansas
References[edit]
- ^ ab'Sullivan Forehand'. Collections of the Worcester Society of Antiquity. The Society. 1899. pp. 322–328.
- ^Hogg, Ian V.; Walter, John (2004). Pistols of the World. David & Charles. p. 128. ISBN0-87349-460-1.
- ^Shideler, Dan (14 July 2010). Gun Digest 2011. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. pp. 82–83. ISBN1-4402-1561-8.
- ^Flayderman, Norm (2007). 'Forehand and Wadsworth Revolvers'. Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values. Iola, Wisconsin: F+W Media. p. 479. ISBN978-1-4402-2422-5.
- ^ abcFlayderman, Norm (1983). Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values. ISBN0910676585. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- ^Brophy, William S. (1989). Marlin Firearms: a history of the guns and the company that made them. Stackpole Books. p. 51. ISBN9780811708777.
- ^Congress, United States. (1895). 'Legal Representatives of John C. Howe'. Congressional edition 1895. U.S. G.P.O. pp. 3–16.
- ^Shideler, Dan (2011). Gun Digest Book of Revolvers. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 68. ISBN1-4402-3157-5.
External links[edit]
- US Patent 43,851: Improvement in metallic cartridges issued to John C. Howe (August 16, 1864)
- US Patent 116,422: Improvement in revolving fire-arms issued to Forehand & Wadsworth (June 27, 1871)
- Forehand & Wadsworth Catalogs in Current Publication from Cornell Publications LLC
- Forehand & Wadsworth single Damascus Barrel Shotgun via YouTube
- Western Guns - Black Powder #10 - Forehand Derringer 1875 via YouTube
- Forehand And Wadsworth British Bulldog 38 Pocket Concealed Carry Revolver Review via YouTube
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