Help identify this please

[loewen43]

I have an old percussion revolver. That's basically all I know lol

 

[BlackPowderBurner]

You seem to have a Belgian made "Colt Brevette" revolver made by Clément who was one of 11 gunmakers licensed by Colt to produce his design in Belgium. It was probably made in the 1850s.

Edited to add that your example has been significantly cut down. Once cleaned up it could still make for a good shooter.

Read more here: https://littlegun.be/arme belge/artisans identifies c/a clement gb.htm

 

[loewen43]

Thank you for that fast reply! Unfortunately I think it would take more than just cleaning it up. The metal seems very soft. The "spur" on the trigger that drops the hammer is pretty deformed. Some screws have little to no thread left. One screw that's under tension of the trigger return spring is bent like a recurve bow haha. Also trigger return spring is so worn its split in 3 like a claw. Rifling looks good though.

 

[tiriaq]

Stay away from wire wheels, Dremels, etc. One way of dealing with rust is boiling. This converts red iron oxide to black. Disassemble, degrease, boil, gently scrub. I suspect that the revolver is better than it currently looks.

 

[Old Guns Canada]

This one may have been made by Antoine Masereel or Ronge of Liege, Belgium. All three makers used the crossed keys as a maker's mark. Believe it or not, this one is actually prohibited. The proof marks are bogus, as these makers did not bother to have their guns proofed. They were made almost exclusively for export to Belgian / French colonies until the 1920's and therefore impossible to date. IMO not worth restoring. The quality is generally crappy, and being prohibited, it may get you in more trouble than it's worth...