Well, folks, this is a new one on me. I used to visit October Country daily in December 2019/January 2020 when the Davis Collection was being sold for
very good prices. These days I go there about every two weeks.
I found this oddity/curiosity there today, which was once part of Davis' collection (the man had a penchant for any non-mainstream revolvers). It is a Hawes 1863 Gettysburg Commemorative cased set, datecode XX7/1971. The photos provided do not show a manufacturer, nor does OC give a description of it. It is an 1851 Navy .36 which has a brass: frame, trigger guard, backstrap, CYLINDER, and BARREL! It has 2 proofmarks on the right side of the frame, one of which is poorly struck. I cannot imagine what manufacturer would provide a brass cylinder/barrel for proofing. Given the datecode I am thinking it maybe a C.O.M., DGG, Mainardi, ASP, or ?. I cannot imagine ASM, Uberti, or Pietta doing this. The SN is B595: even if the "B" denotes "brass" I cannot see 595 of these revolvers being produced.
I will enquire OC as to any other info/markings on the revolver after I post this.
It is for sale @ $400 plus $30 shipping. If I had $450 cash just sitting around I might purchase it because of its rarity but mad money here these days is slim. I would bet it will languish on OC for some time.
https://www.octobercountry.com/1863-navy-36-cal-gettysburg-special-edition-hawes-firearms/If anyone has any info about this, I would be the first to want to know before I post a thread about it on the sister The Black Powder Revolver Collector Forum.
Thanks in advance!
Please look at photo #5. The Hawes barrel stamp is in a completely different font than the "BLACK POWDER ONLY" factory stamp font just below it. Does anyone recognize the BPO font as it pertains to which Italian manufacturer? I think I have seen it before but it's going to take a bit of research to find a similar one.
Regards,
Jim