Hopkins and Allen No. 6

[Deadguy]

My brother in law found an old Hopkins and Allen No. 6 in the floorboards of his grandmother's attic.  He swears that it is a .38 caliber model, though everything that I have found online only lists the No. 6 as a .32 caliber.  I know it's bouble action, but it's made for black powder cartridges and is the right vintage for this board, so I though that I'd ask you guys about it and see if anyone knows anything about these.

[St. George]

There are a number of posts on these early pocket revolvers - both here, and in the 'Historical Society' forum.

They touch on some of the history, as well as their maintenance and loads.

A thorough review of the 'back pages' of both forums should tell you what you want to know.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[French Jack]

My collector's guide, lists them as both made in 32S&W and 38S&W.

[St. George]

There's a product called 'Frontier Metal Cleaner' that looks like a big 'Char-Boy' and can usually be found at a gun show.

It cleans dirt and rust - and does a helluva job, without affecting eithe the blue or nickel finish.

What it'll do is remove the rust and leave the nickel intact, but with the rust spots appearing 'dark' and/or pitted - depending on the actual damage.

Carefully remove the grips (hard rubber cracks easily) and clean them with a soft toothbrush to get into the design's crevices.

Remove the cylinder (it's self-explanatory) and run brushes through it and the barrel - and then 'hose' out the interior with a spray lubricant/cleaner.

That'll blow out the old dried oils and small nests that are often found, and will allow you to clean the piece without disassembling further.

Probably a good thing, since it's all pinned in place...

Pay attention to any place you can scrape detritus from - then put a lube on the cylinder pin and reassemble.

These 'are' shootable revolvers.

They're not all that accurate, and parts breakage is a very real problem - but they can be safely shot with the proper load.

Parts are located in other folks' guns...

Vaya,

Scouts Out!