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BELGIAN VELO DOG REVOLVER

17K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  RJay 
#1 ·
Hi, I HAVE A BELGIAN .32 CAL 5 SHOT FOLDING TRIGGER POCKET REVOLVER.IT DOES HAVE POST 1894 BELGIAN PROOF MARKS BUT NOT MARKED WITH A SMOKELESS PROOF MARK.WHAT TYPE OF 32 WAS USED IN THIS GUN, IT IS CENTERFIRE AND IS I THINK A .320 DIAMETER CHAMBER.THIS IS SMALLER THAN A 32 S&W DIAMATER.WOULD A 32 SHORT COLT CASE WORK FOR THIS REVOLVER?I SEE THE CYLINDER REAR FACE IS SLIGHTLY COUNTRBORED IN EACH CHAMBER FOR THE CASE RIMS.ARE ANY TYPE CASES AVAILABLE TO LOAD FOR THIS GUN, AND I KNOW IF ONE DID LOAD FOR IT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE BLACK POWDER. THANKS RICK
 
#2 · (Edited)
Most likely it is chambered for .320 Revolver. A 32 Short Colt should work. The following is from he W.H.B. Smith Book of Pistols and Revolvers", 1968 edition.

"This is a popular European model originally loaded only with black powder, but in recent years also manufactured with a smokeless loading.

It is interchangeable with the .32 Short Colt. As manufactured for Continental use by AKT. Lignose in Berlin it used a 72 grain lead bullet with outside lubrication which had a diameter of .295 inch and a length of .498 inch. The case has a head diameter of .317, neck diameter of .313 inch and a length of .603. Overall length of the loaded cartridge was .938. The load was 6.3 grains of black powder. Muzzle velocity was given at 575 feet per second. Striking energy at muzzle 59 pounds.

This cartridge as manufactured by ICI in England uses an 80 grain lead bullet and a load of either 6 grains of black powder or 2 grains of Revolver Neonite. Muzzle velocity is given as 550 feet per second, muzzle striking energy as 53.777 pounds."
 
#5 · (Edited)
i reload 32 short (and long) colt. they are heeled bullets and you lube them after they have been seated and [sorta] crimped. if you can send me the exact demisions of the chambers i can tell you if the 32 short colt will fit.
nice piece of history.
 
#9 · (Edited)
If it is a .38 caliber, then it is not a Velo Dog. Velo Dogs were small caliber revolvers ( 5.5 MM) used to chase away dogs while riding your bicycle. Some rounds were even loaded with cayenne pepper and shot dust.The name Velo Dog comes form velocipede { bicycle } and dog. Had the power of a pellet Gun, maybe slightly more. The purpose was not to kill or injure the dog, just to make him want to be somewhere else. Even the small .22 short Belgium revolvers can not really be classified as Velo Dogs. Too powerful, the small revolvers that chambered .22 rim fire and .25 ACP were actually small self defence guns . Remember, even in Belgium farmers owned shotguns, if you killed their farm dog while riding your fancy bicycle, then you might find a load of buckshot coming your way. The local police also took a dim view of dog killing. It sounds as if you have a Belgium made revolver iwth a folding trigger. these were turned out by the boat load and unless in like new condition of little value other than a wall hanger. They are not safe to shoot. Sorry about that.
 
#10 ·
The Velo Dog was a revolver made to shoot the Velo Dog cartridge. Not every Velo Dog had a folding trigger, and not every small European pocket revolver was a Velo Dog.

The 5.5 Velo Dog round looks like a long thin center fire rifle cartridge. 5.5 Velo Dog will easily kill a dog and it will also kill a man. It's not all that powerful but like the .25acp and .22rf it's not a toy either.

Belgian, German and Spanish gunmakers made pistols and revolvers for gas cartridges, such as the Shientodt. The Germans also made special guns to shoot corks at high velocity to frighten dogs away. These should not be confused with the Velo Dog which was intended as an actual weapon.
 
#11 ·
45Auto is correct on the power of the 5.5MM Velo dog, I was in error. The 5.5 MM Velo Dog at 45 Gr's. at 750 FPS, because of the higher bullet weight is more dangerous that the CB short at only 29 Gr's and 750 FPS. In comparison the standard velocity of a .22 short is 29 Gr's. at 1164 FPS, the .22 LR is 40 GRS at 1070. However, seeing that the 5.5 Velo Dog has just a little more power than a CB short, I really don't thing it was designed as a defensive weapon but rather a dog chaser as described. But yes it can be dangerous and if shot in the head kill a man or dog and it is not a toy.:eek:
 
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