appreciate all your words

smellie said:
Before Bakelite there were GUTTA-PERCHA and CELLULOID grips.

Gutta-percha was a type of hard rubber and could be moulded fairly easily. Generally it was dark in colour.

Celluloid was pure nitrocellulose which was dissolved in ether/alcohol and moulded into shape. It is what a lot of your early "pearl" or "ivory" grips were made of.

Gutta-percha was a bit on the fragile side and got more delicate as time went on. Celluloid had a tendency to shrink slightly with age and also has been known to warp.

Neither has been used much at all in the past 90 years, being superceded by more modern compounds.
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Yes Smellie, that’s what I’ve heard as well.

The grips on my S&W 44 Russian made in the early 1870’s are a red mottled hard bakelite feeling type of material and I was concerned they were after market but Mr Jinks from the S&W history department assured me they were a type of red rubber that hardened up after curing and they were used in the first year of manufacture for that revolver.

Subsequent years used hard black rubber type substances.
 
To meet antique standards, caliber and date of manufacture must both qualify.
The OP's pistol is probably OK from the caliber standpoint.
Confirming pre-1898 manufacture might be challenging.
Proof marks might help; so might the manufacturer.
But if pre-1898 manufacture cannot be confirmed, default will be that the thing is a restricted firearm, assuming that the barrels exceed 105mm, which they appear to do.
 
bush1 said:
Yes Smellie, that’s what I’ve heard as well.

The grips on my S&W 44 Russian made in the early 1870’s are a red mottled hard bakelite feeling type of material and I was concerned they were after market but Mr Jinks from the S&W history department assured me they were a type of red rubber that hardened up after curing and they were used in the first year of manufacture for that revolver.

Subsequent years used hard black rubber type substances.
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Often called 'Vulcanite'.
 
tiriaq said:
To meet antique standards, caliber and date of manufacture must both qualify.
The OP's pistol is probably OK from the caliber standpoint.
Confirming pre-1898 manufacture might be challenging.
Proof marks might help; so might the manufacturer.
But if pre-1898 manufacture cannot be confirmed, default will be that the thing is a restricted firearm, assuming that the barrels exceed 105mm, which they appear to do.
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This would be my read. If the owner is unable to supply any proof that the gun is a qualified Prescribed Antique, the cheap easy solution is going to be to shrug shoulders, and get on with life without the pistol. And to avoid whatever contacts put him under the eyes of said police in the first place.
Seriously, unless you have a Lawyer that works for less than the esteemed Lionel Hutz, of the Simpsons show fame, the cost of getting them to think about your case is going to exceed the value of the gun by a fair few multiples. Accept the loss and move on., smarter, wiser, and sadder for the experience.
 
The pistol didn't catch my attention your story did. So sorry for the loss of your little girl, can only imagine the pain. The breakup of a marrige because of that loss is terrible. I hope things work out as far as the pistol goes but more importantly I hope that things get better for you. I really feel for you. Take care of yourself friend.
 
miscou kid said:
THEY SAY ITS NOT ANTIQUE,.380 CAL THATS ALL I KNOW,PLEASE ANY INFO



For the members who feel I just dropped and ran,im not doing to well right now,had 4 heart attacks since this all started.
we lost our little girl,my wife blamed me and dropped a since high school marriage,on her way out she pushed the hate as far as she could called the police and said he might be dangerous with all those guns.
2 days in my house a dozen cops,cleaned everything I owned ,firearms took my license. scary one phone call.I worked with police and military firarms training most of my life.so I may not be around to worry about getting anything back.
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When you think your at the end of the road, you will find a small trail that will bring you back in happy life.

Courage and resilience are my words to you.
Life will find you. JP.
 
snurge said:
380 is a good to go caliber.i have a couple of them with papers.
It's probably Belgian.
If it has an ELG proofmark with a crown on top (post1893) they going to assume it's not antique
unless you prove otherwise,by,for instance,showing the mfg. went out of business before 1898
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,,,,,, snurge is correct . The Belgian Proof mark with LEG in a circle with a crown on top of circle = Post 1893.
,,,,,,,,,,,, BUT if there is NO CROWN on top of circle then the proof mark is 1811 to 1892 .
I have gone through this with RCMP on other old Belgian guns.
 
Just read your updated first post..... Wow! It's easy to forget that one phone call from anyone can cause so much stress and loss.

Best of luck in 2020 Miscou!
 
I'm so sorry for your loss and all your troubles. I couldn't even imagine. I really hope things get better for you. Hang in there, and be strong.
 
Just re-read your edited post, what a #### sandwich you've been served
Hang in there, and as stated earlier - please get some help, this is beyond most peoples ability to cope with on their own
 
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