Circa 1894 "Polizei Revolver"

[SARGE]

Gents,

Here is a 9mm Single Action / Double Action German Police revolver that I have been after for awhile. These are described in the new Horst Friedrich book, "Dienstwaffen der deutschen Polizei und Gendarmerie, Historie, Technik, Kennzeichnung" in Chapter 9. My recently acquired example is similar to the Bavarian Gendarmerie and Berlin Type examples shown in his book.

This six shot "Polizei Revolver" has a case hardened frame with the octagon shaped barrel, fluted cylinder, trigger group assembly and hammer nicely fire blued. The black ebony grips are finely checkered and the butt plate has a lanyard ring as is normal for these revolvers. There is a safety lever on the left side of the frame and the top strap is engraved with "Polizei Revolver". This revolver has Belgian proof marks and was made by Jean-Baptiste Ronge in Liege for the German market around 1894. Ronge also made special order police pistols for the "English Constabulary" and the French Gendarmerie" with the appropriate markings. The unmarked generic German made revolver holster can fit a S&W M&P with a 4" barrel or this pistol.

 

 

[RRA227]

Nice pistol. Rich A. in Pa.

[Tony v]

SARGE

 

Great looking Polizei Revolver! Thank you for sharing, super information.

 

Tony

[Spaff]

Nice. Another one I want.

[tthen]

Sarge, cool wheel gun, does it use some sort of a rimmed 9mm round? I don't believe I've ever seen a safety on a revolver, very European. Was it thrown in the fray of WW1?

Thanks for showing

 

Tom

[SARGE]

Many thanks for the kudos guys. I looked hard and long for this revolver.

 

This revolver does utilize a black powder rimmed 9mm cartridge. The Friedrich book does not indicate the exact 9mm cartridge size but it appears to be around a .38 S&W or short 380 size round from the size of the cylinder. Actually, the cylinder is pretty beefy and you can see a nicely worked re-enforcement rib around the front of the fluted cylinder. I suspect cartridges (if I can find them) are going to be as expensive as the revolver.

 

These lever safeties on revolvers were popular on European revolvers around this time as you mention. Interestingly, it only operates while the hammer is down and not while it is cocked. I like firearms from this turn of the century time period as they are very often over-engineered and very nicely finished. The case hardened frame and very detailed machine work is a case in point. These handguns have a little ramrod built into the front of the cylinder pin that can be pulled out and swiveled to the right side in order to push into the cylinder to remove the empty shell casing. Not a very good idea if you are in a fire fight with a criminal but the designers were thinking none the less. Just not one of their better ideas to add value to their revolvers IMHO.