IMP back in ****
 

While shooting today, a friend of mine attempted to test fire an IMP revolver he had retimed. The revolver, a little 22 short, failed to fire numerous times while cycling double action, but when round number 5 finally discharged, the thing disintegrated, breaking the solid frame off at the upper rear and lower front, almost as if it was a break open design. Well, I guess it is now - it's both open and broken. The forward section and barrel flew about 3 feet forward, dropping the cylinder off on its way.
My buddy looked at the wreck and said, "Better here than later," meaning with the owner. No damage to him, his hand, any surrounding items, nothing but the complete and total destruction of the "firearm".
I asked him the heck an IMP was, and he said "It's a copy of the RG". I never knew anyone so desperate as to copy an RG...
I've never seen anything quite like that.

Re: IMP back in ****
 

Any photos? I'm glad tour friend still has his eyesight and all of his digits!

Re: IMP back in ****
 

The IMP was made by "Imperial Metal Products"* in Kingston, NC. It is a copy of the RG-10, made in the U.S. after GCA '68 banned import of the German gun. AFAIK, the frame was U.S. made, the other parts were imported from Germany.

Unbelievable as it sounds, they were even worse than the German guns, being made of poorer quallity materials and not being subjected to German proof.

Believe, me the owner of the gun lost nothing valuable; they sold for $10 in 1969 and have not increased in value since.

*I doubt there is any connection with any other company of a similar name.

Jim