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I picked this up a little while ago cheap as a project gun to have fun fixing up. It is a second model American Bulldog made by Iver Johnson sometime after 1884 and before 1898. Iver Johnson used block serial numbers so there is no way to date these other than by the model production dates. It is nickel plated with flaking and oxidation. The frame is cast molded. The caliber is 44 Webley but will also take the shorter and lighter load of 44 Bulldog. The American Bulldog is a copy made here in the states of the Webley made British Bulldog from the UK.
The 44 Webley cartridge was first designed and used for the Royal Irish Constabulary in 1868. In England the cartridge was called the 442 Revolver Center Fire.
This gun was sold as a parts gun as it has several things wrong with it. The cylinder is removed by opening the cartridge gate , depressing the lever under the barrel and then removing the cylinder rod. The cylinder can then be removed from the frame. The cylinder rod was rust fused to the cylinder so it could not be removed. I stripped the gun of all the parts and then soaked the frame in Break Free for a few days. Then I put the end of the cylinder rod tightly into a vice, braced a solid piece of wood against the muzzle and then slammed the wood with a mallet. A few wacks and the rod broke free.
A previous owner had also done a poor cleaning job and polished the patina off of the cylinder and then used an abrasive material to clean the frame leaving little scratches in the finish. That left me no choice but to polish the whole gun which also removed the scratches. The patina was already ruined so I saw little harm. I also gave the gun a thorough cleaning and oiling.
The third problem with gun was the half cock and full cock slots on the hammer were worn and damaged and the gun would only work in double action. I corrected that by filing and stoning the slots deeper. It works in single action now but the half cock slot needs to be deeper. I will have to take it apart again and rework that to get it right.
It has two serials numbers on the gun. One on the grip frame under the grip and the other is on top of the trigger guard. They both match but neither can be seen with out removing the grips or the trigger guard.
Information on Iver Johnson guns is sketchy and not easy to find. I have a book on the way to help out with that. So, if anyone would like to add or correct what I have for info, I would appreciate it.
This gun could have been a secondary milsurp weapon owned by an officer. I know this gun can be used in Cowboy Action as the gun was used in the West. I guess it is possible an officer could have carried it as a back up gun during the Indian Wars, but there is no way to know for sure.
Thanks for looking.
View attachment 40225View attachment 40226View attachment 40227View attachment 40228View attachment 40229View attachment 40230View attachment 40231
The 44 Webley cartridge was first designed and used for the Royal Irish Constabulary in 1868. In England the cartridge was called the 442 Revolver Center Fire.
This gun was sold as a parts gun as it has several things wrong with it. The cylinder is removed by opening the cartridge gate , depressing the lever under the barrel and then removing the cylinder rod. The cylinder can then be removed from the frame. The cylinder rod was rust fused to the cylinder so it could not be removed. I stripped the gun of all the parts and then soaked the frame in Break Free for a few days. Then I put the end of the cylinder rod tightly into a vice, braced a solid piece of wood against the muzzle and then slammed the wood with a mallet. A few wacks and the rod broke free.
A previous owner had also done a poor cleaning job and polished the patina off of the cylinder and then used an abrasive material to clean the frame leaving little scratches in the finish. That left me no choice but to polish the whole gun which also removed the scratches. The patina was already ruined so I saw little harm. I also gave the gun a thorough cleaning and oiling.
The third problem with gun was the half cock and full cock slots on the hammer were worn and damaged and the gun would only work in double action. I corrected that by filing and stoning the slots deeper. It works in single action now but the half cock slot needs to be deeper. I will have to take it apart again and rework that to get it right.
It has two serials numbers on the gun. One on the grip frame under the grip and the other is on top of the trigger guard. They both match but neither can be seen with out removing the grips or the trigger guard.
Information on Iver Johnson guns is sketchy and not easy to find. I have a book on the way to help out with that. So, if anyone would like to add or correct what I have for info, I would appreciate it.
This gun could have been a secondary milsurp weapon owned by an officer. I know this gun can be used in Cowboy Action as the gun was used in the West. I guess it is possible an officer could have carried it as a back up gun during the Indian Wars, but there is no way to know for sure.
Thanks for looking.
View attachment 40225View attachment 40226View attachment 40227View attachment 40228View attachment 40229View attachment 40230View attachment 40231
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