4 Attachment(s)
'Mystery' Spanish revolver
If its weird, I'll buy it. Such was the 'mystery' Spanish revolver I found in a pawn shop in the mountains of North Georgia today.
The seller, simply because it has S&W grips on it, really thought it was a Smith. I had to literally point out the 'Made in Spain' marking on it, along with the Spanish proofs. His response? 'There's a Spanish word on S&W revolvers' (referencing the 'Marcas Registradas' I'm guessing)
Anyway, I guess I finally convinced him, as I ended up getting this for a song. It actually has more of a Colt look/feel to it. So why did I even bother with this one?
Long story short, I just liked it. It appears to have been reblued quite some time ago. It is, compared to other Spanish revolvers I've seen/handled, tight as a drum. Timing is perfect, cocks and locks perfectly. The barrel is marked 'cal 32-20'. Lots of crude Spanish 'proofs'. Bore is great. However, the one thing that caught my eye was the proof on the bottom of the butt next to the four digit serial...a crown over double 'A's. It didn't seem to be consistent with the other 'proofs'.
Is this a proof of another country? From the small amount of info I've found on these, some went to France in 8mm Lebel, and were later 'reworked' for the American market as 32-20. There is no name of a manufacturer on this at all, only the aforementioned 'Made in Spain'
I know these revolvers are hit-and-miss as far as quality goes. I doubt I'll even try to fire this one. I'm mainly curious about the crown over double 'A's. Can't find a definite reference, wondering if anyone has seen it before?
