Forehand & Wadsworth Forehand & Wadsworth Name Street Town State From To Forehand & Wadsworth Worcester Massachusetts 1871 1890 Patent Date Remarks 116,422 June 27, 1871 Improved in Revolving Fire-Arms, patent of Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth 143,566 October 14, 1873 Improved in Revolving Fire-Arms, patent of Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth 162,162 April 20, 1875 Improved in Revolving Fire-Arms, patent of Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth 453,421 June 2, 1891 H.M. Caldwell's patent assigned to Sullivan Forehand. For details see Caldwell, Homer M.
Contract for Product Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth Successors to Ethan Allen. 1890 renamed in Forehand Arms Company and purchased by Hopkins & Allen in 1902.22 short r.f. Caliber, 7 shot single action pocket pistol, side hammer, solid flat frame with sideplate, 2 3/8' octagonal barrel, birdhead grips, marked FOREHAND & WADSWORTH, WORCESTER, MASS. 22, 1861, production about 1.000 in the 1870s.22 r.f.
Forehand Arms 38 Cal Revolver
Claiber, 7 shot single action revolver, hammer centered in the flat frame, birdhead grips, nickled marked FOREHAND & WADWORTH, WORCESTER, MASS. 22, 1861.22 short r.f. Caliber, single shot derringer, spur trigger.32 short r.f. Caliber, 5 shot single action revolver 'Terror', spur trigger, solid frame.32 r.f. Caliber, 5 shot single action Russian Model 32 revolver, spur trigger, solid frame, octagonal barrel marked: FOREHAND & WADSWORTH WORCESTER MASS.38 r.f.
Caliber, 5 shot single action revolver, spur trigger, birdhead grips manufactured about 1880.38 r.f. Caliber, 5 shot double action revolver, 2 3/8' round barrel, nickel plated, spur trigger, birdhead grips, the top strap is marked Forehand & Wadsworth Double Action No. 38 Worchester, Mass. The left side of the barrel is marked PATD June 27'71-Oct 28'73 In generally the serial number is marked at the rear face of the cylinder, at the bottom of the grip frame and can also be figured at the bottom of the barrel. Inside of both grips only the last thre digits of the serial number is stamped. Manufactured from 1973 - 1890.41 short r.f.
Caliber, single shot deringer, spur trigger.44 Russian caliber,6 shot single action revolver (Old Model) Army (or 1st Model), round barrel, less than 1.000 made, manufactured about 1875.44 Russian caliber, 6 shot single action revolver (2nd Model), 6 1/2' round barrel, less than 1.000 made, redesignment of the 1st model in 1877.44 British Bulldog Double Barrel Shotguns Trademark: Electric Swamp Angel Terror.
I'm in the process of cosmetically restoring a Forehand revolver that has seen three generations in my wife's family, including her. I'd like to be able to find out more history on this model, more so the production date. The revolver is going to go into a display case after I'm done with it. What I've been able to find out so far is that it was produced by the Forehand Arms Company of Worchester, Mass. The company was producing small arms from 1890 until 1902. Previously from 1871 until 1890, it was the Forehand & Wadsworth Company.
This particular.38 S&W pistol has a patent dated Dec. 7 1886 & Jan. 11, 1887 stamped on the frame along with Forehand Arms Company. The serial number is 287202 which is stamped on the butt. You may note that the grips have F&W embossed on them which I imagine were grips produced before the breakup of the partnership but still used on then current production models. Just a guess, here. Any insight anyone knows here or a direction to find out more would be appreciated.
Want to spend a few books for a reference? Going back a ways, there is a lot of gun history behind your revolver. Ethan Allen (no relation to Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys) had been in the gun business, under his name, Allen & Thurber, and Allen & Wheelock (think pre-revolver pepperbox pistol days) Ehan had no sons- two daughters.
When he died in 1871, his sons-in-law, Sullivan Forehand and H.C. Wadsworth ran the company under their names until 1890 when Wadsworth died, name changed to Forehand. Forehand died in 1898, and Hopkins & Allen bought the firm, ran it under the Forehand name until they went belly up in 1902. Odds are your gun was made 1890 and 1902, likely shortly after the name change. STRONG likelihood it is meant for BLACK POWDER.38s.
FOREHAND ARMS COMPANY. Last name in a long line of names starting with E. (Ethan) Allen in 1836, next Allen & Thurber from 1837 to 1854, Allen & Thurber & Co 1854 to 1856, Allen & Wheelock from 1856 to 1865, E. Allen & Co 1865 to 1871, Forehand & Wadsworth Arms Co 1871 to 1890 and finally Forehand Arms Co 1890 to 1902. It is difficult to give you any accurate information on your gun for a couple of reasons. You don't say if the gun is a outside hammer type or a hammerless, Forehand made both. And there is a problem with the serial number.
Kenny g full album. Forehand serial numbers for their NEW MODEL HAMMER DOUBLE run from serial number 001 in 1892 to 11,001+ in 1902. The serial numbers for their NEW MODEL HAMMERLESS DOUBLE run from serial number 001in 1890 to 3,301+ in 1902. Much too low to include your gun. So your gun must be a hammer type made during the end of production in 1902. As such and given the time frame when it was made, the gun was designed and made for the ammunition is use then which was 2 1/2 inch shot shells loaded with black powder and lead shot. The gun may well have damascus barrels.
The gun was not designed for more modern and longer shells, 2 9/16 or 2 3/4 shells and certainly not 3 inch or magnum shells loaded with high pressure smokeless powder and steel shot. I must recommend that you do not attempt to shoot the gun. Value will depend on the guns condition, the amount of original finish remaining on the metal and wood as well as the mechanical condition. A prime condition example (rare) that appears to have come out of the factory yesterday afternoon might bring as much as $150 at auction while a rusty metal, rotten or broken wood and missing parts piece of junk fit only for parts salvage or as a tent post might bring $15.
Welcome to the forum. The F&W on grips is the logo of Forehand & Wadswoth, but the company name was changed to Forehand Arms Co. When Wadsworth died in 1890, so your gun was made between then and 1902 when the company was sold to Hopkins & Allen. I believe the first patent date you list should be Dec 7, '86 and your gun is probably same as this one: (I note the late Bill Goforth cited 1899 as date company was sold but other sources lists 1902) In 1901, they were listed @ $3.40 in the Sears catalog. It should not be fired with current smokeless powder ammo, and value in fair condition would be less than $100.
Forehand Arms 32 Cal Revolver
Ethan Allen (no relation to the Revolutionary War hero) founded an arms company in 1831 with Charles Thurber, producing a variety of arms, but best known for percussion pepperboxes. When Thurber retired, Allen partnered with Thomas Wheelock. When Allen died in 1871, the company, by then Allen & Co., was taken over by Allen's sons-in-law, Sullivan Forehand and Henry Wadsworth, and named Forehand and Wadsworth.
When Wadsworth died in 1890. The company became Forehand Arms Co.; it was acquired in and operated under that name until 1902, when it was acquired by Hopkins & Allen (a different Allen). H&A continued production of some of the Forehand revolvers under that name, but usually with the barrel marking 'Manufactured by Hopkins & Allen'. So any gun marked Forehand Arms Co. Was made between 1890 and 1907.
H&A made Forehand breaktops in both.32 and.38 caliber. They are of some collector interest, but usually only if in very good condition. Otherwise, they fall into the general class of breaktop revolvers of the period and command only a nominal price, $100 or so, less if in poor condition or non-functional. AFAIK, there is no Forehand or H&A serial number list or manufacturing date information. Good pictures of the gun and closeups of the markings may help provide a closer date or more information. The Firearms Forum is on online community for all gun enthusiasts.
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