Rifleman Q&A: Belgian Revolver Mystery

Q. I have a revolver with no indication of make, model or chambering. It is a top-break-style gun, and the cylinder freewheels in a clockwise direction. It is equipped with ejectors and has a hexagonal barrel measuring 5 5⁄8" from muzzle to breech. The cylinder measures 1.48" and its bores are 0.47" for cartridges.

The best I could find was that it could be a J Warnant, though it lacks a side release, is double-action-only and has the trigger guard spur. Am I correct in thinking this is possibly a Warnant gun?

A. Thank you for the detailed photographs, as they usually help uncover a gun’s identification, but, in this case, there’s not much to go on. It is common to find Belgian handguns with no indication of who, where or when the gun was made. These unmarked guns would be sold by catalog houses, hardware stores, sporting goods stores, etc. The most important marking present in your photos is the “E L G” inside the oval, which means “Epreuve Liege” and is the mark of the government proofhouse in Liege, Belgium.

From 1893 onward, it had a crown over the top. Unfortunately, the top part of the mark did not impress when stamped on the cylinder. So, if no crown is present, guns were made prior to 1893; if it had a crown, it would have been made after 1893. The nearby mark of a star over “G” is just the private mark of the inspector. From the style of your revolver, I would guess it was made post-1893. Also, it appears the stocks are not original. Yours is not a “Montenegrin” but is of the general type.

—Michael F. Carrick, Contributing Editor