Baby Hammerless Pistol

Hey Guys,

I have this pistol (if you can even call it that) that I found in my Grandfathers basement a few years ago. I took it home and spent 5 minutes researching it and pretty much forgot about it until now. I figured that if there is anywhere to find info about this gun, this is the place, so any info you could give me would be great.

The story behind it is that my great grandfather got it from a friend sometime around the turn of the century, I'm gonna say 1910 or so. From what I've gathered on the pistol, it was given out at banks (yes, I said banks) when you opened an account. This is what it says on the top of the action,

PAT.FEB.2.92-FEB.4.96
BABY HAMMERLESS
PATENT PENDING

I can find no serial number on the gun itself. I believe that it shoots either a .22 short or .22 medium, definately not a .22 long as it would be too long to fit in the cylinder. The gun is too old to fire and is missing several parts so I have never used it, neither has my grandfather.

The reason why I am bringing this up is because the gun itself looks pretty simple so I figure it could possibly be fixed up, hopefully into working order. It would be a neat little project for me too since I've never done anything like that before. If anyone knows where I may be able to find some parts for it that'd be great too.

Here's a picture of it. I lined up a .22 short compared to a quarter to show just how small this round is incase you guys have never heard of it before, but I'm guessing you have, haha. Maybe it'll help to identify it further. I've got the pistol sitting here, so lemme know if you want me to take some angled pictures of the gun.

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/3...merlesscy3.jpg

I read about something that looked just like that a few months ago. The are supposed to have a trigger that flip downs I think? It was developed by Henry M. Kolb & Charles Foehl in Philadelphia, PA during the years you where referencing. I think the article said in good condition they are worth like 500 bucks. I have no idea on where to get parts, but I know these shoot .22 short. I believe the article with in guns and ammo, I threw it away though after I read it. Maybe this helps..

Although "disappearing"-trigger, pearl-handled revolvers frequently come from France, this one doesn't look European to me.
Parts are going to be difficult to find, though. The pistol may date from as long ago as the 1880s.
It's also possible that the pistol you have fires CB caps, or BB caps, instead of .22 shorts, although I consider that unlikely.
Good luck with it.

At one time this pistol may have had a trigger that slide down, but that trigger is gone now (one of those things that breaks I guess).

It's not a cap gun, both the .22 short and medium fit in perfectly.

nelskc, I think we read the same article. Even $100 for this thing would be great if I can't fix it, but I'm not strapped for cash so I'd rather get this baby working if I can.

Anyhow, like I said I've never done anything like this as far as guns go, this would be a cool step for me, definately something to show off at the range.

I would put it back in the basement and forget about it, but that's just me. I have no interest in tinkering with Grandpa's old junk unless I was really bored, making good on a promise, or I knew there was the possibility of substantial financial gain due to an item of rare antiquity.

Also, if you're not strapped for cash then how about spending a little more on ammo so you can shoot more than 50 rounds per range visit.

Good luck.

Marcus;
I didn't say it was a "cap gun," I said that it might fire BB Caps or CB Caps. These cartridges are 22-caliber, but shorter than .22 Short. The BB Cap cartridge doesn't contain any propellant, but rather relies on the force of its primer to move a 22-caliber round ball. The CB Cap cartridge uses a conical bullet and, I believe, a little bit of propellant powder.
Anyway, since you've tried them and they fit, it was probably made for the .22 Short round. The gun probably isn't strong enough to be used with modern cartridges, so don't try to fire it.
This pistol's "disappearing" trigger pivoted down from a joint in the trigger itself, and worked double-action from the pivot pin you can still see just below the cylinder. The trigger didn't really disappear, but rather folded up forward against the bottom of the pistol's frame, laying parallel to it, just below the cylinder.
The folding, lower part of the trigger seems to be missing, but maybe the upper, hidden part remains inside the frame. In that case, a new folding part might be easily made and attached.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by unpecador

Also, if you're not strapped for cash then how about spending a little more on ammo so you can shoot more than 50 rounds per range visit.

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I'd be looking at $50 if I did the shooting that I wanted. I can afford it, but I have other expenses so I've got to budget. Also, I'm not the one buying the ammo, it's usually my father, and he's not big on shooting so regardless of the fact we can buy more boxs, he usually only buys one of each caliber. Shitty situation :(

I follow what ya saying Steve, at it's current state it isn't safe to fire. I figure with some steel wool and cleaning solvents I could get it up and running maybe. I also noticed the barrel isn't rifled nor does it have a rear sight, haha, I guess you don't need those things for a gun like this though.

What I really could use is a diagram of all the parts in this gun, so then I could figure out what's missing and maybe put together something I could make on my own. I doubt something like that exists anymore though. I just think it would be a neat little project to do in my spare time, ya know. I'm going off to school in a week so it's not like I'm really set on doing this, just something to think about.

I hear ya, I can imagine having to budget for ammo due to owning different caliber guns. That's pretty much why I'm sticking with my 9mm's, I have to budget for ammo as well but at least it's only for one caliber. The way things are going in CA, I may have no choice but to be able to buy only 50 rounds per month... now that's a shitty situation.

I have a pearl handle Baby Hammerless in perfect condition with the original box. Here’s what I researched:

Henry M. Kolb First Model Baby Hammerless Revolver

Small Frame First Model: .22 caliber short, 6-shot. Birdshead grips in hard rubber: the Columbian with a vine pattern in the top circle, the Kolb with a K in the top circle. Approximately 25% had pearl grips, which were indistinguishable between makes. Nickel was the standard finish, but 10-20% were blued. There was a headspace adjustment screw on the front of frame just beneath the cylinder pin. The Cylinder pin catch was mounted in the frame. Mainspring adjustment screw on front of grip strap. Length was 4 inches overall, with a 1-5/16 inch barrel. Marked: PAT. FEB.2.92-FEB.4.96 / BABY HAMMERLESS / PATENTS PENDING. Three different hammers were installed, which can only be distinguished by disassembling the guns. Probably over 50,000 of these were produced. Duplicate serial numbers are common. Some of the late production first model small frame guns were marked NEW MODEL on the top strap and on the box--according to Frank Sellers this indicates that it had “the last type of hammer, with Kolb’s patented pivoting firing pin.” The same marking was used on the early 1910 small frame revolvers.