- 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.
- Forehand & Wadsworth. Shop for hard to find Revolvers from Forehand & Wadsworth. Founded in 1871, Forehand & Wadsworth has produced parts that Numrich Gun Parts finds and delivers to you at great values!
- FOREHAND & WADSWORTH 32 CALIBER REVOLVER.
American, late 19th century. Forehand & Wadsworth 32 caliber top break double action revolver with automatic shell ejector, 3.25' round ribbed barrel and hard rubber monogrammed ... [more like this] - FOREHAND & WADSWORTH REVOLVER. Terror model
.32 caliber 2-1/2' octagonal barrel walnut grips. S/n 6661. Very good condition marked TERROR on top of barrel patents on left side. Good grips strong trigger ... [more like this] - A lot of eight 19th century revolvers Including
a Smith & Wesson Old Model Army No. 2, no serial no., .32 cal., 3 9 1/6 inch barrel; unmarked American .32 caliber spur trigger revolver; Belgian .38 caliber 'bulldog' ... [more like this] - Hopkins & Allen and Taurus handguns Hopkins
& Allen forehand model 1901revolver serial number 4929; .38 S&W short caliber hammerless double action 5-shot hinged barrel and cylinder assembly stamped on top rib 'FOREHAND ... [more like this] - FOREHAND & WADSWORTH SIDE HAMMER REVOLVER:
Circa 1870's, .22 caliber 2 1/4' octagonal barrel, 7 shot rimfire revolver pistol. Walnut bird head grips, action currently works. Marked side of barrel. Overall 5 1/2' ... [more like this] - ALLEN SIDEHAMMER 22 PISTOL. American, mid
19th century. Unmarked Allen or Forehand & Wadsworth 22 caliber seven-shot side hammer revolver with 1.25' octagonal barrel and varnished walnut bird-head butt. Serial number ... [more like this] - HOPKINS AND ALLEN 'FOREHAND DA' MODEL DOUBLE
ACTION REVOLVER, 38 S&W caliber, 2 1/2' octagonal barrel, nickel finish, hard rubber F&W grips, external hammer, five shot fluted cylinder, serial #176589. Lot requires FFL ... [more like this] - Forehand and Wadsworth Center Hammer Swamp
Angel revolver, .38 caliber, rim fire with walnut bird's head grips, SN6848, 1 3/4' octagonal barrel. ... [more like this] - FOREHAND MODEL 1901 DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER,
.32 caliber, 3' rib barrel, five shot fluted cylinder, top break design, nickel finish, F&W hard rubber grips, serial #A8496, manufactured 1902-1914 by the Hopkins & Allyn ... [more like this] - FOREHAND AND WADSWORTH HAMMERLESS REVOLVER.
.32 caliber five-shot cylinder 3 1/4' round barrel nickel-plated finish checkered rubber grips. S/n 1508. Plating at over 90% marks clear grips exhibit little ... [more like this] - ANTIQUE FOREHAND AND WADSWORTH FALLING BLOCK
SINGLE SHOT RIFLE, 44 rimfire caliber, 26' round to octagonal barrel, straight grip walnut stock and forend, brown patina, trigger guard operates falling block, open sights, ... [more like this]
The design of the British Bull Dog revolver had been in existence since 1868, but Henry Webley registered the trademark in 1878. From that time to the present, the term has come to mean any short barrelled double-action revolver with a swing-out ejector rod and a short grip.
| Type | Firearms manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Industry | Firearms |
| Predecessor | Ethan Allen & Company |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Fate | Acquired by Hopkins & Allen in 1902 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Sullivan Forehand, Henry C. Wadsworth | |
| Products | Derringers, revolvers. rifles, shotguns |
Forehand & Wadsworth (later known as Forehand Arms) was an American firearms manufacturing company based in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was formed in 1871 by Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth after the death of their father-in-law, Ethan Allen of Ethan Allen & Company, and was acquired in 1902 by Hopkins & Allen, a firearms company based in Connecticut.
History[edit]
In 1871, Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth founded Forehand & Wadsworth from the remnants of Ethan Allen & Company after the death of their father-in-law, Ethan Allen.[1] Wadsworth sold his share of the company to Forehand in 1890 in order to retire, and the company was rebranded as Forehand Arms.[2]
From 1871-1890, the firm was known as Forehand and Wadsworth. In 1890, Henry Wadsworth retired, and the company name was changed to Forehand Arms Company. It operated under the name Forehand Arms Company until the death of Sullivan Forehand in 1898. In 1902, the company was acquired by Hopkins and Allen. [3]:479
The company manufactured a variety of black powder and cartridge revolvers, including several versions of the British Bull Dog revolver.[4][5] Other offerings included derringers,[3]:381rifles,[3]:560 and shotguns.[3]:604
Forehand's sons ran the business for several years following the death of their father, then sold it in 1902 to Hopkins & Allen, who had been making Forehand Arms' revolvers under contract.[6]
Legal matters[edit]
The company was involved with a patent infringement lawsuit on behalf of one of their employees, John C. Howe, against the United States government. Howe had patented an ammunition cartridge in 1864, and the US government infringed upon this design in 1868 with the 'Cup Anvil Cartridge' until the expiration of Howe's patent in 1881.[7] Howe asked Forehand to bring a lawsuit against the government, and eight years later the company won the suit on behalf of Howe with a judgement of $66,000. The lawsuit was not paid until after Howe's death and a few weeks before the death of Forehand in 1898.[1]
In popular culture[edit]
A Forehand & Wadsworth British Bull Dog revolver was used in the 1993 movie, Tombstone, by Joanna Pacula while portraying Big Nose Kate.[8]
Gallery[edit]
Forehand & Wadsworth British Bull Dog revolver chambered for .44 Bull Dog
Forehand & Wadsworth advertisement from March 1872 as it appeared in the Quad-City Times of Davenport, Iowa
Forehand Arms 5-shot revolver chambered for .32 S&W
Forehand Arms advertisement from February 1899 as it appeared in The Belle Plaine News of Belle Plaine, Kansas
References[edit]
- ^ ab'Sullivan Forehand'. Collections of the Worcester Society of Antiquity. The Society. 1899. pp. 322–328.
- ^Hogg, Ian V.; Walter, John (2004). Pistols of the World. David & Charles. p. 128. ISBN0-87349-460-1.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ abcdFlayderman, Norm (1983). Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values. ISBN0910676585. Retrieved September 9, 2019.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^Shideler, Dan (14 July 2010). Gun Digest 2011. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. pp. 82–83. ISBN1-4402-1561-8.
- ^Flayderman, Norm (2007). 'Forehand and Wadsworth Revolvers'. Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values. Iola, Wisconsin: F+W Media. p. 479. ISBN978-1-4402-2422-5.
- ^Brophy, William S. (1989). Marlin Firearms: a history of the guns and the company that made them. Stackpole Books. p. 51. ISBN9780811708777.
- ^Congress, United States. (1895). 'Legal Representatives of John C. Howe'. Congressional edition 1895. U.S. G.P.O. pp. 3–16.
- ^Shideler, Dan (2011). Gun Digest Book of Revolvers. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 68. ISBN1-4402-3157-5.
Forehand And Wadsworth Serial Numbers
External links[edit]
- US Patent 43,851: Improvement in metallic cartridges issued to John C. Howe (August 16, 1864)
- US Patent 116,422: Improvement in revolving fire-arms issued to Forehand & Wadsworth (June 27, 1871)
- Forehand & Wadsworth Catalogs in Current Publication from Cornell Publications LLC
- Forehand & Wadsworth single Damascus Barrel Shotgun via YouTube
- Western Guns - Black Powder #10 - Forehand Derringer 1875 via YouTube
- Forehand And Wadsworth British Bulldog 38 Pocket Concealed Carry Revolver Review via YouTube