Help me solve a mystery....What kind of revolver is this????

[indiucky]

I asked Papaw when he was alive and he said it was just something his buddy picked up while in Italy...As best as I can ascertain the picture was taken in Naples after Monte Cassino (1944)....My granddad and his buddies got a pass for a little break after the nightmare that was Cassino and went to Naples for rest....My granddad is the guy on the end with a Beretta 1934 in the holster hanging off of his trouser belt...He traded his M1 carbine to another GI for it as he was a combat engineer and said the carbine kept getting in the way and the only Germans shooting at him when he was doing his job were shooting German 88's from 2 miles away...

My grandfather has his arm around his buddy who has what appears to be a revolver with a white ivory grip tucked in his trousers....I am posting the pic and I am assuming one can zoom in on the butt of the gun....The butt is shaped like an 1895 Nagant revolver but is way bigger and that's all I know....

What's funny is that I am usually the guy people come to with a question like this but I am stumped...Thanks for any help you can be guys...



For the record this Bill Maudlin cartoon always brought a chuckle from my Grandfather.....

 

[SSGSAD]

Just a guess, S&W, or Colt ?????

By the "shape" of the grip .....

 

[indiucky]

Just a guess, S&W, or Colt ?????

By the "shape" of the grip .....

No sir...It's foreign for certain...If you can zoom in you can see the funky grip angle kind of like a Nagant on steroids....

 

[Alpo]

Webley is my guess

 

[indiucky]

Webley is my guess

I kind of thought that as well but there is no "flare" at the butt like on a Webley...I thought it my be a older Webley with the birdshead grip but the frame didn't seem to match the Webley...They were in North Africa, Sicily, and then Italy...I have seen some Italian guns with ivory grips the soldiers had made up for their guns while occupying North Africa...A very nice Beretta 1934 I have seen has ivory grips with "Africa" (in Italian) and "1939" on it.....

 

[Alpo]

Yeah. It's difficult to tell. Could be a Tula with a squared off butt.

But, looking at just the grip, I wouldn't rule out a Nagant.

But where would they hook up with a Russian gun prior to meeting up with the Russians?

North Africa would say French/Nagant.

 

[ScouT6a]

Removed

 

[agentcolt]

How about The Italian Service Revolver of the era? M1889 Bodeo.

 

[indiucky]

How about The Italian Service Revolver of the era? M1889 Bodeo.

You may be on to something......I can see them being put back in to service and the ivory grip could have got put on during their colonial period...

It looks right...I just never thought to go back that far....

 

[Leadeye]

The holster looks big and more revolver like from this angle than for a Beretta 34. Reminds me of the rig for an old Colt DA army revolver.

 

[indiucky]

The holster looks big and more revolver like from this angle than for a Beretta 34. Reminds me of the rig for an old Colt DA army revolver.

He said it was a Beretta 1934 in .380 and the holster has a little clip like this one....

 

[agentcolt]

During the war the Bodeo was re-issued to police & rear guard, so your grand dad sure could have traded or relieved an ItLian of it.

 

[indiucky]

During the war the Bodeo was re-issued to police & rear guard, so your grand dad sure could have traded or relieved an ItLian of it.

It was his buddy that has it tucked in his belt but I think you are right...

I asked Papaw one time how did the Italians surrender and I'll never forget his response...He raised his hands in the air and said, "New Yawk...New Yawk...I got cuzzin in New Yawk..." He said, (in his best rural Kentucky accent) "I tale ya whut boy...I think every *** **** I-Talian I ran into over their had a *** **** cuzzin in New Yawk...."

 

[Bigtanker]

I wonder if the previous owner of the revolver in question was named Andy.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

But, looking at just the grip, I wouldn't rule out a Nagant.

But where would they hook up with a Russian gun prior to meeting up with the Russians?

Maybe. Germans captured enormous amounts of Soviet small arms and handed them out to rear echelon forces.

 

[Alpo]

The French also issued the Nagant if my understanding of what I've read is correct.