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Double Action No. 6 Hopkins & Allen Arms Co. Norwich, Conn, USA safe to shoot?
Henry0Reilly
Member Posts: 10,878 ✭✭✭
5 shot 38 S&W (not marked as such), no markings other than what's in the title above and the 4 digit serial number. The grips bear the Forehand and Wadsworth logo.
I've found conflicting information about when this was produced but apparently it's at least 100 years old as 1917 was the last year for the company.
I used to recruit for the NRA until they sold us down the river (again!) in Heller v. DC. See my auctions (if any) under username henryreilly
Comments
Not easy to pin down hard info on dates for Hopkins & Allen/ Forehand & Wadsworth. H&A made guns for F&W until purchasing F&W in 1902. Wadsworth name dropped sometime (?) after his retirement in 1890 & apparently the Forehand name around 1902/3. H&A discontinued production in 1914 and Marlin later (1917?) purchased the assets. Your gun bearing both names may have been made around 1902, best guess, with parts cleanup grips (if original). Fair amount of speculation on my part.
Originally this thread asked about the DOM. I've had the gun almost a year and still haven't shot it. It came with partial box of 145 g RNL ammo made in Serbia. One assumes a previous owner had fire some of this in it.
Safe to shoot? Maybe. This caliber has been around since the 1870s and one can only assume that modern manufacture takes this into account, it was used by a number of gunmakers. I am guessing that your ammo is Prvi Partizan, it's still in their catalog and you can find their specs online. Best to get the opinion of a gunsmith just to be safe.