Iver Johnson 2nd Model Safety Automatic

calebib · January 2015

At the same auction where I got the Carcano, I picked up a really nice Iver Johnson 2nd Model Safety Automatic .32 cal hammer revolver for about $25. It's actually one of the nicest ones of these I've seen. Most are completely shot out with very loose actions, crusty bores and hardly and nickel left. This one is as tight as the day it was made and the bore is pretty good. The nickel is thin in a few areas but it's not flaking. The only thing it needs is a new trigger spring and some .32 black powder loads. I don't plan on shooting it a lot but I will take it out to plink now and then.

Teach · January 2015

Nice one, and it's a shooter! The top two guns in this pic appear to be "new and unfired".

One is a S&W .32 Safety Hammerless, and the other is a H&R .32 "Secret Service Special". The H&R has a safety button which locks the trigger and hammer when it's engaged. The bottom gun is a Colt "New Model" .38 rimfire- - - -can't find any ammo for that one!
Jerry

calebib · January 2015

I'd really like to have a blued model instead of the nickel, they are much less common. I've thought about stripping the nickel and blueing it, just for the heck of it.

NN · January 2015

.32 S&W long

horrible trigger

calebib · January 2015

The trigger in mine is not too bad. The 3rd model went to all coil springs, I wonder what else changed with the trigger.

Big Chief · January 2015

NN wrote: »

.32 S&W long
horrible trigger

Ned, you look like a cold hearted assassin..................

Neat find and nice .32s

zorba · January 2015

I have the "U.S. Revolver" version of this in a hammerless .38 S&W (also made by Iver Johnson). Worst firearm I ever shot - bore rusted and shot out, cylinder locked up every 3 or 4 shots, got powder burns on my cheeks, rounds keyholed at 7 yards when they bothered to hit the paper at all, etc, etc. Its now on the wall, a good place for it.

sakodude · February 2015

How tough is it to find parts for those? I have 3 in various states of dis-repair but never really looked into fixing them.

Sako

Gene L · February 2015

Old timers in my area of NE GA, used to refer to them as "Owl Heads." For example, "When he drew his pocket knife, I pulled my Owl Head." A gunsmith should be able to make you a spring.

As for BP loads, I think the S&W (short) rounds are loaded to BP pressures, if you can find them. Should be safe, but you might do a little research on them.

Bigslug · February 2015

"But Westley, what about the I.J.W.T.A.s?"

"Iver Johnsons With Tight Actions? I don't think they exist":tooth:

I installed a new leaf spring in the trigger on one of them for a buddy a few years back. I believe that I got it from Numrich, and as I recall, I had to send them a photo of what was left of the original to compare against the plethora of options. Once you sort that part out, I suggest you order two.

calebib · February 2015

I will make the spring myself. I just have not gotten around to it.

LMLarsen · February 2015

I still have the old IJ Safety Hammerless that The Marshall used in his article years ago.

He used it to illustrate how some new things ain't perzactly new, like the safety lever on the front of the trigger of this now 117 year old revolver, copied later by some Austrian engineer with a silly name.

I've never shot it; acquired it from a neighbor who found it in his attic. It's an objet d'art on the wall of my den at home, along with my 1903 Colt and my 1937 S&W 1917.

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