Identification of Antique Firearms

Identify Firearms from Selected Countries

Selected Antique Firearms (pre-1898)
from Selected Countries
updated February 25, 2008

Help us keep this Identification Service alive.
Visit our Shopping Site pages and buy from us direct or visit our Books for Sale pages and buy research materials from one of our affiliates. Proceeds and commissions from these sales - in part - go towards the purchase of additional reference materials and acquisition expenses. You can also order this service online from our Identification Request Page or send a check or money order with your identification request or as a token of gratitude if this site has proven to be helpful to you. If you send a check or money order, please note on the document that it is intended for the "Research Fund".
Additionally, if there is anything that you would like to see on the following pages - in a weaponry identification sense - please feel free to request such and I will try to add additional information as soon as possible.
Please note - buying an item or sending funds does not guarantee a response. Due to overwhelming response to this website, I may not answer directly; I may simply post new material on the website in hope that a published response will answer your question(s).

  • If you E-mail or snail-mail any images to me for use in identification of an item, I reserve the right to use - without further contact - those images on my website, without compensation to you (other than my efforts to assist you, however minimal the result may actually be).
  • Please do not send single e-mail image files larger than 250kb, or no larger than 500kb total for multiple images; I will not open them.
  • Do not send images in compressed file format(s) such as ZIP extension files; once again, I will not open them.
  • Send image(s) in JPG/JPEG format only.

Research materials I have available are quite substantial; however, on some items, information within those materials might be quite sparse. If you choose to snail-mail images, please make sure you have copies or your originals retained for yourself. We do not return images in any format and they become the property of Arms to Armor - The History Store without compensation to you for any use - past, present, or future.


If sending a check or money order, please mail, payable to:

The History Store
P.O. Box 160
Llano, Texas 78643

If you have a specific identification question, please see our Identification Request Page.

If you are wanting to buy antique or collectible firearms, please visit our Online Store and view our
Antique Handguns for Sale page or our Antique Long Guns for Sale page.

You can also buy research materials from one of our affiliates at our Books for Sale pages.

Austria Belgium Confederate States of America Czechoslovakia
Denmark France Germany Italy
Japan Mexico Russia/USSR Spain
Sweden Turkey United Kingdom United States of America
Venezuela Yugoslavia Miscellaneous

Below are the images of selected firearms used by selected countries. I will add to this from time to time - mainly upon request - when identification of a certain firearm is requested.
My intent is to help the novice collector, not to help line the pockets of pseudo antique dealers.
The best advice I can offer to the novice collector is, "READ BOOKS."
There are a number of wonderful books available and below I have listed some of my holdings.
AGAIN, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

Follow this link to purchase posters of Firearms
List of General Reference Books:


"The Peacemakers" - by R.L. Wilson - Random House
"COLT: An American Legend" - by R.L. Wilson - Abbeville
"The Book of Colt Firearms" - by R.L. Wilson - Blue Book Publications
"History of Smith & Wesson" - by Roy G. Jinks - Beinfeld Publishing, Inc.
"Frontier Pistols and Revolvers" - by Dominique Venner - Chartwell Books, Inc.
"Complete Book of Firearms" - by Masini and Rotasso - Portland House
"Encyclopedia of Pistols and Revolvers" - A.E. Hartink - Knickerbocker Press
"Encyclopedia of Rifles and Handguns" - Sean Connolly - Chartwell Books
"Antique Firearms" by Frederick Wilkinson - Doubleday and Company, Inc.
"The Great Guns" by - Harold L. Peterson and Robert Elman - Ridge Press
"The Treasury of the Gun" - by Harold L. Peterson - Ridge Press
"American Firearms Makers" - by A. Merwyn Carey - Thomas Y. Crowell Company
"Early American Gunsmiths 1650-1850" - by Henry J. Kaufmann - Bramhall House
"The Encyclopedia of Sporting Firearms" David E. Petzal - Facts On File
"Pageant of the Gun" by Harold L. Peterson - Doubleday & Company, Inc.
"The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Firearms" - by Ian V. Hogg - Chartwell Books
"Confederate Revolvers" by William A. Gary - Taylor Publishing Company
"Trapdoor Springfield" - by M.D. "Bud" Waite and & B.D. Ernst - The Gun Room Press
"The Military Remington Rolling Block Rifle" by George Layman - Wolfe Publishing Company
"Remington Tips" by E. Dixon Larson - Curley Printing Company
"A Handbook on the Primary Identification of Revolvers and Semi-Automatic Pistols"
by John T. Millard - Charles C. Thomas, Publisher
"Civil War Guns" by William B. Edwards - The Stackpole Company
"Carbines of the Civil War 1861-1865" by John D. McAulay - Pioneer Press
"The NRA Book of Smallarms - Pistols and Revolvers" by H.B. Smith -
Military Service Publishing Company
"The NRA Book of Smallarms - Rifles" by H.B. Smith - Military Service Publishing Company
"SECOND TO NONE: Great Sporting Firearms" by John Culler and Chuck Wechsler -
Live-Oak Press, Inc.
"The Illustrated Book of Guns and Rifles" by Frederick Wilkinson - Hamlyn Publishing Group
"A Treatise on the British Military Martini - The Martini-Henry 1869-C1900" -
by B.A. Temple and I.D. Skennerton - B.A. Temple, Publisher
"Firearms Curiosa" by Lewis Winant - Bonanza Books
"Small Arms of the World - An Encyclopedia of Global Weapons" - by Edward Clinton Ezell - Stackpole Books
"Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms...and their values" by Norm Flayderman -
DBI Books, Inc.
"The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 19th Century Firearms" by Major F. Myatt MC - Crescent Books
"Military Handguns of France 1858-1958" by Eugene Medlin and Jean Huon - Excalibur Publications
"Guns of the Empire - Firearms of the British Soldier 1837-1987" by George Markham -
Arms and Armour Press
"An Illustrated Guide to Rifles and Sub-Machine Guns" by Major Frederick Myatt M.C. Hamlyn -
Salamander Books
"The Collecting of Guns" edited by James E. Serven - Bonanza Books
"Handbook of Military Rifle Marks 1870-1950" by Richard A. Hoffman and Noel P. Schott -
Mapleleaf Militaria Publications
"Guns and the Gunfighters" by the Editors of Guns and Ammo - Bonanza Books
"Standard Catalog of Firearms" by Ned Schwing and Herbert Houze - Krause Publications
"Official Guide to Gunmarks" by Robert H. Balderson - House of Collectibles
"Antique Guns - The Collector's Guide" by John E. Traister - Stoeger Publishing Company
"Cartridges of the World" by Frank C. Barnes - DBI Books, Inc.
If you need further information, please request such on the Weapons Identification Service page.

Austria

Austrian M95 Carbine with Bayonet

Austrian Steyr-Hahn 1911/M1912 Semi-Auto Pistol, Scarce Bavarian Contract

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Belgium

Belgian Sea Service Flintlock Holster Pistol

Belgian Pin-Fire "Army" Model 11mm Cartridge Revolver

Belgian FN49 Semi-Auto Military Rifle, Venezuelan Contract

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Czech

Czech 98 Mauser Short Rifle with Bayonet

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Confederate States of America

Confederate "L. Pomeroy" US Flintlock to Percussion Conversion Musket

Confederate "CS Richmond" Rifled Infantry Musket

LeMat Second Model Percussion Revolver/Shotgun

CSA Enfield Pattern 1853 "3-Band" Rifled Infantry Musket

Potts & Hunt Enfield Pattern 1856 "2-Band" Short-Rifle (cut-down)

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Denmark

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France

French Model 1842 Pumpkin-Slinger Smoothbore Musket

French Model 1853 Lefaucheux "Pinfire" Cartridge Revolvers

French Model 1853/1867 Snider "Hunting" Conversions (aka "ZULU" shotguns).

French Model 1873 Military Revolver

French Model 1936 MAS Military Rifle with Bayonet

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Germany

Prussian M1809/31 Infantry Musket (aka Potsdam Musket)

Mauser M1871 Bolt-action Infantry Rifle

German Model 1879 Revolver (Dreyse Reichsrevolver 1879)

Mauser Model 1896 "Broomhandle" Box-Magazine Auto-Pistol

Mauser Gewehr 98 Bolt-action Infantry Rifle

Luger P08 "Mauser" Semi-Auto Pistol

Deutsche Werke Ortgies Patent Semi-Auto Pistol

Deutsche Werke - Werk Erfurt, Model I, .22 LR Rifle

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Italy

Italian Mannlicher-Carcano Model 1891/38 Cavalry Carbine, 6.5mm

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Japan

Japanese Type 30 "Arisaka" Bolt-action Carbine

Japanese Type 38 Bolt-action Rifle, with Bayonet

Japanese Type 99 Bolt-action Short Rifle

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Mexico

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Russia/USSR

Russian Model 1891/10 Mosin-Nagant Infantry Rifle

Russian Model 1891/30 Mosin-Nagant Infantry Rifle

Russian Tokarev M1940 (aka SVT40), Semi-Auto Rifle

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Spain

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Sweden

Swedish Mauser Model 1896 Bolt-action Rifle, with Knife Bayonet

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Turkey

Turkish Mauser Model 1893 Bolt-action Rifle

Turkish Mauser Model 1903 Bolt-action Rifle

Turkish Mauser Model 1903/38 Bolt-action Rifle

Turkish Mauser Model "ATF" Bolt-action Rifle

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United Kingdom

Enfield Pattern 1853 "3-Band" Rifled Infantry Musket

Webley Mark II Revolver

Webley Mark VI Revolver

Enfield No. 2, Mark 1** RAF Revolver

British No.5 MkII/F, .303 Jungle Carbine

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United States

Colt -

Colt Model 1847 Walker Dragoon Percussion Revolver

Colt Model 1848 Dragoon Percussion Revolver

Colt Model 1849 Pocket Percussion Revolver

Colt Model 1851 Navy Percussion Revolver

Colt Model 1855 "Root" Sidehammer Percussion Revolver

Colt Model 1860 Army Percussion Revolver

Colt Model 1861 Navy Percussion Revolver

Colt Model 1861 Navy "Richards-Mason" Conversion Revolver

Colt Model 1862 Pocket "Navy" Percussion Revolver

Colt Model 1862 Pocket "Police" Percussion Revolver

Colt Model 1873 Single-Action Army Revolver

Colt Single-Action Bisley Revolver

Colt Model 1877 Lightning and Thunderer Double-Action Revolvers

Colt Model 1878 Frontier Double-Action Revolver

Remington -

Remington-Beals Model 1858 Army Percussion Revolver

Remington "New Model" 1858 Army Percussion Revolver

Remington "Over/Under" Type II "Derringer"

Sharps -

Sharps "New Model" 1863 Carbine

Winchester -

Winchester Model 1866 "Yellowboy" Lever-Action Repeater Series

Winchester Model 1873 Lever-Action Repeater Series

US Military Arms (Primary) -

US Model 1816 Percussion Conversion Infantry Musket ("Belgian" Alteration")

US Military Model 1836 Flintlock Pistol

US Military Model 1842 Percussion Pistol

US Model 1841 Rifled Infantry Musket (aka "Mississippi Rifle")

US Model 1855 Rifled Infantry Musket

US Model 1861 Rifled Infantry Musket

US Model 1863 Rifled Infantry Musket

US Model 1868 Springfield 50-70 "Trapdoor" Rifle

US Springfield 45-70 "Trapdoor" Carbine and Rifle

US Military Arms (Secondary) -

Burnside Percussion "Breechloading" Carbine

Spencer Model 1865 Carbine

Starr Model 1858 Double-Action and Single-Action Percussion Revolvers

Miscellaneous -

Moore's Patent Firearms Company, Front-loading "Teat-Fire" Revolver

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Venezuela

Belgian FN49 Semi-Auto Military Rifle, Venezuelan Contract

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Yugoslavia

Montenegro Revolver

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Miscellaneous



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