Original British Victorian Zulu War Era Model 1872 Mk.III Adams .450 Revolver – Serial 5687 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. These are VERY rare, especially in this condition, with an 1878 dated! This is the Model 1872 MkIII. ADAMS .450 Revolver, officially termed the “Pistol, Adams’ Central Fire, B.L. (Mark III)”. This is exactly like those issued to British Officers at the time of the ZULU WARS in 1879. Company director Christian Cranmer was given two of these by his father when he was 14, however at the time only percussion revolvers caught his fancy, and they were traded away. Now, decades later, he finally has found more.

This revolver design, the model of 1872, started out as a conversion from the Adams Revolver of 1858 in Percussion, known as the Beaumont Adams. This modification took the Double-Action only Adams 1854, and gave it the ability to shoot in the more accurate single action. Further modifications resulted in the Adams model of 1866, the last percussion Model produced.

In 1867, Robert Adams’ brother John Adams patented a breech-loading revolver which was adopted by the British government in place of the Beaumont–Adams. It was a solid frame pistol with six chambers, in .450 caliber. After official acceptance of his pistol, Adams left the London Armory Company and established his own factory, the Adams Patent Small Arms Company. His pistol was manufactured in three distinct variations (differences related mainly to methods of spent cartridge ejection) between 1867 and about 1880. The models were tested and adopted by the British Army and Navy, with the last, the M1872 Mark III, seeing the widest use.

The .450 Adams was the first official centerfire cartridge service revolver adopted by the British War Department . However, the “Mark I” Adams was actually a breech loading conversion of the primary percussion service revolver, as indicated by its official designation in the W.D. “List of Changes” entry 1738 of 26 Nov 1868 – “Deane & Adams’ Revolver Pistol Converted to a Breech-Loader by Mr. J. Adams” . This indicated that The Adams Patent Small Arms company was converting the 1866 models to breech loading cartridges. This was accomplished  by adding a loading gate and bored-through replacement cylinder, with a fixed case-extraction rod.

In February of 1872, the Mk.II was introduced, and it was not a conversion from previous designs, but one purpose made as a breech loader, with a two piece frame. It still had the same fixed side-mounted ejector, which was replaced with a patented swivel ejector on the Mk.III version, adopted shortly afterwards in August 1872. The very brief List of Changes entry for this pattern simply states: “It differs from the previous pattern, Mark II (L.o.C. 2227) in having a more efficient extractor.” This model became the “British Army Mark III, Model of 1872”, and was the most widely produced, however to find them in this nice condition is extremely rare.

By 1880 however, more modern designs were put forward, and the Enfield Mk.I revolver was introduced, replacing the Adams in service. However it was itself then replaced shortly afterwards by the Webley Mk.I., a design which served for decades, well into the 20th century.

We all know and love the Movie ZULU and most everyone knows that Michael Caine in the final redoubt scene is seen to be carrying a MARK VI WEBLEY Revolver circa 1916. No authentic Adams Revolvers could be found at that time from the prop house suppliers in London. This is only the fourth example of a Mk.III that IMA has had, and is definitely one of the better examples, in very good condition with a clear Zulu War Era Date.

This Revolver is marked ADAMS’S PATENT on the frame along with the Adams’s trademark symbol. There are not any military proof markings on this revolver, which would suggest it was a private purchase gun most likely for an officer. It does have the usual London proof markings on the cylinder and barrel. It is clearly marked on the top facet of the barrel:

ADAMS’S PATENT SMALL ARMS Co. 391, STRAND, LONDON.

The revolver is also marked with serial number 5687 on the frame and on the barrel frame underneath the hammer. This number is also stamped onto the rear of the frame and on the grip securing tab, but the grip must be removed to see these. The grip however is marked 6160, and cylinder is marked with serial number 6170, so they were most likely swapped out at arsenal. The cylinder pin is unmarked.

This revolver is complete, with no missing parts that we can find, including the often missing swivel ejector. The wood grips, still fully and fairly crisply checkered, are in fine condition. The revolver metalwork is still shows a lot of the original finish, and there is even still case hardening visible in areas. The bore shows clear rifling, and has a nice mostly bright finish, so this revolver most likely did not see much use in service.

Ready to Display. Very rare in this fine condition.

Specifications: 

Year of Manufacture: 1878
Caliber: .450
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 6 inches
Overall Length: 11 1/2 inches
Action: External Hammer Double/Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver