GUNS Magazine Sheath Trigger Revolvers

They are also called “spur-triggers” and, unfortunately, “suicide specials.” All were single action and they had the trigger set into a projection below the frame, the “sheath” or “spur.” They egan, of course, with the S&W First Model around 1858, chambered for the then-new .22 Short rimfire cartridge. In the 1870s, many more makers got into the act. Most of them decided against the more costly S&W tip-up action and went to solid-frame construction.

While numerous lesser-known manufacturers were involved, there were several the reader would recognize: Harrington & Richardson, Iver Johnson, Forehand & Wadsworth and Hopkins & Allen, to name a few. In early catalogs, the little revolvers sold for as little as $1, or $2.75 with pearl grips. A later listing, around 1880, had them at $6.50 (postpaid!) or $9 fully engraved. When you adjust for pre-sent-day wages, the prices have not increased all that much. Collectors now pay about $100 for a seldom-seen pristine piece, and most are in the $25 to $50 range. With some notable exceptions, the little guns are not great examples of gunmaking art, and many will be found not working. Usually no parts are available, but Numrich Gun Parts can still supply a few. Springs can be made by any gunsmith.

The Defender in. 32RF.

The great majority of these revolvers will be found chambered for the .22 Short cartridge. At this point, I will insert a warning: Do not fire modern .22 short high-velocity rounds in these guns. In the current Dixie Gun Works catalog, on page 651, there is a photo of a nice little Colt sheath-trigger that did not survive firing a high-speed .22 cartridge. I don’t even use standard-velocity type in these guns — .22 CB rounds are just right.

When the .32 rimfire came along, many makers chambered sheath-triggers for it. Later, there were even ver-sions in .38 rimfire and .41 rimfire, the latter well known because of the Rem-ington Double Derringer. In the mythology of those early days, a card player had more than two shots up his sleeve with one of these neat little revolvers. All of the cartridges mentioned were black-powder rounds, and relatively weak in effect. It has been said that most opponents died from later infection, not instant trauma. Even so, no one wants to be shot, and they were a valid deterrent.

One of the attractions of collecting sheath-trigger revolvers has to be the often fanciful names the manufacturers gave them: Swamp Angel, Defender, Blue Jacket, Marquis of Lorne, Robin Hood, Bonanza … the list goes on and on. Various finishes were offered, but the largest percentage by far were done in nickel plate. This has been good for collectors, as its durability has pre-served them.

For those who want to delve further into the history of the sheath-trigger and the firms that made the guns, there are three books to look for. All are out of print, so you’ll have to watch for them at gun shows and old-book sources. The best is Suicide Specials by Donald B. Webster Jr. (Stackpole, 1958); next is the Collector’s Hand-book of U.S. Cartridge Revolvers by W. Barlow Fors (Adams Press, 1973); finally, a booklet — just 39 pages — titled The American Nickel-Plated Revolver by Martin Rywell (Pioneer Press, 1960). By the time I found the Webster book last year, it had gotten quite pricey.

With the coming of the double-action revolver in the 1880s, the little sheath-trigger began to fade away. By the end of the first decade of the new century, it was pretty well gone. Then, about 60 years later, Richard Casull had an interesting idea: Why not make this neat little gun again for a modern cartridge? And, let’s make it out of stainless steel. With today’s superior metallurgy and Casull’s skillful redesign of the mechanism, they were fine little guns.

A collection of little Sheath Triggers.

The .22 Short Excelsior.

They were made by Rocky Mountain Arms in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1971 and 1972. Then, Dick became more interested in other projects and the torch was passed to North American Arms. They were first located in Newbury Park, Calif., from 1976 to 1978. They slightly redesigned the little revolver, the most notable change being a different cylinder base-pin latch. Another major difference was a fixed firing pin integral with the hammer. Otherwise, they were much like the original version and still made with watch-like precision.

North American Arms moved from Calif. to Utah in 1978 and they are presently in Provo, Utah. They currently offer the basic “Mini Revolver” in .22 Short, .22 LR and .22 Magnum. Barrel lengths are 11⁄8″ and 15⁄8″. In 1990, the Mini-Master Target version was introduced with a 4″ barrel and a large, comfortable rubber grip along with adjustable sights.

In the next year, they offered a slightly smaller gun with a 2″ barrel and similar features, called the Mini-Master Black Widow. In both of these, and in the small .22 Magnum gun, conversion cylinders are avail-able for use with the other .22 car-tridges. In 2003, in all except the .22 Short version, they added chambering in .17 HMR and .17 Mach 2. They also have the conversion option.

The NAA Mini in .22 Short is so tiny it can disappear into a watch pocket. The Black Widow is a perfect gun for camping or plinking. On all of the NAA revolvers, the quality and workmanship are out-standing. While the sheath-trigger did have that 60-year hiatus, the basic design has lasted almost 150 years. Thanks to North American Arms, it’s still going strong and better than ever.

The Czar revolver was advertised by Homer Fisher in 1880, yet he doesn’t bother to identify the maker.

The heritage of spur trigger revolvers began anew with the North American American Arms Mini-Revolvers in .22 Magnum (top) and .22 LR. The Magnum version can be ordered with an accessory .22LR cylinder. Photo: John Taffin

There are a few odd people, like this writer, who like to occasionally shoot these antiques. As noted in the article, when the chambering is for .22 Short, you should only use .22 CB car-tridges. Even a standard-velocity .22 Short might put a strain on those ancient cylinder walls.

When the chambering is for .32 or .41 rim-fire, you may have a problem. A few years ago Navy Arms had both of these made by CBC in Brazil. The .32 ammunition ran out some time ago. When Navy Arms moved their firm to West Virginia, they sold the remaining stock of .41 rimfire ammo to SARCO, Inc.

The .32 Short and Long rimfire? As the old James Bond title goes, “Never say never again.” The Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos is still in business down in Brazil.

Forehand & Wadsworth made thousands of little spur trigger revolvers with names such as “Terror,” “Bull Dog” and “Swamp Angel.”

The Governor in .22 Short.

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