Some of the most beautiful work of this craftsman, and many others, are in this book “Liège Gunmakers through their Work. 1800 - 1950”.
For more detail see: LIEGE GUNMAKERS
Guillaume Fagnus
Description by the owner
Revolver pinfire 7 mm with American trigger.
Curious and very interesting revolver 7 mm of shares its form and its design.
Compact revolver and carcass with closed frame, which is relatively rare for this calibre and giving solidity to the unit.
Trigger known as “American”, round and very significant. Very current on the American weapons but much rarer for the weapons of the old continent.
Cylinder with 5 blows, there too curious because the majority of the cylinders are with 6 blows.
Rod of ejection screwed in the stick.
Door of loading downwards opening.
Stick in the shape of nozzle of Corbin.
Markings and punches:
This revolver is of Liege manufacture, a remainder of the famous ELG is still partially visible on the right thunder with X crowned just at side. X which we find too on the cylinder.
On the front of the cylinder a curious marking of which I did not find the significance yet.
On the left console letters GF there too I do not know.
Under the right plate of letters AA
Current weight: 304 grams
Length: 149 mm
Length of the barrel: 64 mm
Calibre: 7 mm
Cylinder: 5 blows with pin
Simple action only
A similar revolver is described in the book of Dimitri Singer “Pistol and Revolvers of pocket at the XIX century” Editions du Portail Page 79
Identification
Your weapon, in addition described very well, gave me many difficulties and ultimately I am hardly more advanced than Dimitri Singer.
The punches are those of the proofhouse of Liege, it doesn’t have any doubt.
It is about:
ELG on star in an oval: acceptance of use of 1846 to 1893.
X crowned: countermark of the controller of use of 1853 to 1877.
That thus gives us a fork of dates going from 1846 to 1877.
Knowing that, and while admitting as that is very often the case, than letters GF indicate a first name and a name in this order, we can advance with prudence the name of a manufacturer of time is FAGNUS Guillaume of Liege, which deposited in 1865 a patent for improvements in the pistols revolvers.
It is of course only about one assumption!!
In appendix, you will find the drawing technical of the patent FAGNUS G. which is of course not identical to your weapon but which has an air of family. I don’t have unfortunately the text of the patent which could perhaps have raised the doubt?
The tangle of letters or the drawing struck the back face of the cylinder is difficult to read with certainty and it’s currently impossible for me to identify it. Perhaps is it about a mark of the malleable ironworks having produced the barrel?
GG
