Borchardt captured in Iraq

[Ron Wood]

Unfortunately, we still do not know the serial number of the Borchardt. The number on the top is the patent number. The serial number is on the bottom of the grip. I can see the numbers "317" on the side of the rear toggle link, so I suspect the serial number is 1317 or 2317. I have not previously recorded either of those numbers, so it would be nice add a new number to the list. I certainly hope the gun is not destroyed.

The â??unknownâ?� revolver is almost certainly a Montenegrin gun in the style of the Model 1870 Gasser revolver made by the firm of Leopold Gasser K.u.K Hof-und Armee-Waffenfabrik of Vienna. King Nicholas of Montenegro (1910-1918) decreed that all male subjects (note: ALL male, not just military!) would be armed with this style revolver. A bazillion of these huge guns were made, many by Gasser but also from a plethora of Belgian gun makers mostly unknown today. They were made in solid and hinged frame designs. Most hinged frame guns were top-break hinged at the bottom. This piece is unusual in that it is top-hinged and has a rather bizarre external cam to eject the spent cartridges. The barrel is almost certainly a later replacement as it is not engraved and has an over large, and probably ineffective, front sight. I would guess that this masterpiece is of Belgian origin.