Re: Ye olde Forehand & Wadsworth Bulldog
there are two schools of thought on these forehand & wadsworth marked british bulldogs, 1. manufactured in its entirely by F&W, 2. imported by f&W from belgium fully assembled. in either case parts are hard to find and in most cases will have to be made. does your revolver have any proof marks on the front or rear of the cylinder.
F&W carried these revolver in thier catalogs between 1880 and 1890. none so far have been seen marked forehand arms co., which is what F&W became in 1890 after the retirement (or death) of henry wadsworth.
needless to say these F&W british bulldog revolvers are suitable only for blackpowder cartridge pressures and should not be fired with modern smokeless ammo. F&W was not alone in offering a british bulldog marked revolver, iver johnson also marked a revolver marked "british bulldog" that was a variation of their "american bulldog" series of revolvers. plus a host of belgium manufacturers manufactured revolver marked "british bulldog". the belgium manufactured one will often be found engraved and with fancy grips.
bill
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