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
Giovanni Zanardo
Giovanni Zanardo
The weapon
Revolver of pocket with central percussion and closed frame.
It is of type “bulldog hammerless”.
The cylinder with 5 rooms (gauges??) is grooved.
A safety of the Mauser type is placed on the left side of the carcass.
The barrel is round and striped with a front sight in half-moon.
The metal rod swivels on an axis and must be introduced in turn into each room for unloading.
The trigger without trigger guard is folding under the carcass.
The plates of sticks out of wood (walnut ?) squared, maintained by a screw and two rivet washers out of brass.
Punches
The weapon carries the lawful punches of the profhouse of Liege, namely:
ELG on star in a crowned oval: final acceptance post 1893.
H spangled: countermark of the controller post 1877.
R crowned: rifled bore, of use of 1894 to 19683.
Marks
On the console: could mark GGZ in an oval, it act of a mark of manufacturing but it is unknown in the documentation of the arms manufacturers of Liège?? In any assumption I advance the name of the manufacturer of Liège ZANARDO, Giovanni, street Hayeneux, 80 in Herstal. This one deposits 4 Belgian patents in 1910 and 1911.
On the face cylinder postpones: C crowned which could be a marking of foundry.
On the amounts of stick: these marks are not easily readable, it could acts of HB HE, HR or crowned HB, in the doubt I abstain from!
FM and AD are probably markings of subcontractors.
PS: the weapon is not to in no case a “VELO-DOG” the cylinder of these weapons is more long and is planned for cartridges 6 mm vélodog long!!
GG
Giovanni Zanardo deposited his 4 patents in Belgium of 1910 to 1911. The last two patents don’t give a report on its qualities: manufacturer of weapons, arms manufacturers, or simple inventor with the profit of other manufacturers?
No document in our possession specifies it.
As max announces it, it would be very interesting from this point of view “to exhume” the first two patents of Zanardo, and especially their documents additional.
After doesn't these dates there exist any trace of itself and its arms activities (or of invention?) in the directories of arms manufacture (1924, 1928, 1933, 1959). Nor moreover before in the directory of 1889.
My assumption: Giovanni Zanardo perhaps left Belgium before the war of 14 and regained Italy. Still currently, of Zanardo (its descendants?) are active in the field of the patents in this country.
Another element: for the deposit of 3 patents, Zanardo collaborated with Michel and Joseph SERWIR.
Joseph = Giuseppe.
Would this be 2nd “G” of GGZ?
Pure assumption, alas!
MdS
Giovanni Zanardo
The weapon
Revolver of pocket with central percussion hammerless or “uneven” according to the denomination of Liège.
The grooved cylinder is with 5 chambers (gauges unknown?).
The short barrel is round and striped with front sight in half-moon.
The loading is practiced by a right side door while the unloading of the possibly inflated casings is practiced using a rod swivelling on an axis and that one introduces in turn into the chambers.
The actual state of the weapon makes the identification difficult.
Punches
They are the punches of the proofhouse of Liege, namely:
ELG on star in an oval under crown: final acceptance post 1893.
H under star: countermark of the controller post 1877.
R under crown: rifled bore, of use of 1894 to 1968.
Marks
C under crown: does this mark always finding itself with the back of the barrels resist the identification; it is possible that it is about a mark of foundry?
GGZ in a vertical oval: mark still unknown! I put forth the assumption that it could perhaps be a question of ZANARDO Giovanni, arms manufacturer, street Hayeneux, 80 in Herstal which of 1910 to 1911 deposited four patents including one for a revolver from 5 to 50 shots.
GG
