Dieudonné Levo revolvers

Dieudonné Leveaux revolver, which was patented on February 15, 1876. The photo shows a sample with an octagonal barrel, a rectangular dovetail front sight, and a six-round drum. Caliber .320. Trigger without trigger guard. The handle has a finish of two walnut wood plates, connected by a central screw and rivet washers with lugs. All metal parts of the revolver are richly decorated with gilded (or gold?) caps of miniature studs arranged in a diamond shape. Photo littlegun.be

A revolver is an excellent argument for a gentleman,
who can knot a steel poker.
Arthur Conan Doyle, The Motley Ribbon, 1892

stories about weapons. In all that great variety of revolvers that were produced after the advent of the Colt-Peterson, two directions are quite clearly visible: the production of copies of popular models, both licensed and pirated, and the release of their own designs, at least slightly different from the popular ones.

It was all about the characteristics of the market. Some of the buyers present on it were greedy for everything new, and someone was a “last minute man” who buys after everyone else, but still buys. Someone is a “security guard”, and someone is a “status person”, acting on the principle “This one is more expensive? Give me two”… There are professionals who value reliability, there are “demonstrators” who are fond of handles made of mother-of-pearl and mammoth bone. Someone likes long barrels, someone likes short ones, someone is an athlete shooter, and someone is a killer shooter. And this list can go on and on.

Well, a very beautiful hammerless "Smith and Wesson" of 1887. The handle is trimmed with mother-of-pearl and not just trimmed - a bird of prey is carved on mother-of-pearl. Photo littlegun.be

That is why weapons manufacturers, as well as their designers, always have the opportunity to find their niche in the market, occupy it and earn a decent income for some time. And then you have to rebuild, look for something new, and so all your life, which, of course, is very difficult and not everyone can do it.

This is what it looked like when it opened up. The locking ledge with a notch is clearly visible. Photo littlegun.be

But on the other hand, thanks to the efforts to occupy this niche, we just have that truly huge number of samples of the most diverse revolvers, which was discussed at the very beginning. One or two improvements - and now you have a new revolver model in your hands, which you can advertise as better and ... sell!

And it was quite possible to improve the design of the revolver. Here, for example, is the Smith and Wesson revolver, which was very perfect in its time, which, as you know, was in service with the Russian Imperial Army for many years, and then the police. A typical revolver with a detachable frame, and with a swivel at the bottom, and a mount at the top of the trigger. The fastening was very simple: two grooved buttons. You click on them, and the frame opens. Seemed to be something that could be improved?

But in 1887, the same company released a five-shot 38-caliber revolver in a hammerless version, that is, completely “self-cocking”. So, it has a different locking system. On the top of the frame were two corrugated movable latches, they moved towards the trunk, and the frame opened. When you press it with the revolver open, you can remove the drum for cleaning.

It is difficult to say how this device was better than the previous one. Unless in the first case it was required to press, and in the second to move, however, in both cases, two fingers were required.

The system according to the Kuhne-Price patent, and it is also the “Francott system”. At the ends of the spring-loaded levers are pins that fit into the holes of the mounting plate. Photo littlegun.be

Around the same time, a locking system appeared in Europe, which was worked on by Kuhne, Price, and Francotte, and which was used in many revolvers, including Francotte and Price's revolvers. Here everything was arranged quite differently than in the Americans. The opener for the frame consisted of two vertical l-shaped spring-loaded levers located on the body immediately behind the drum. Their lower ends should be pressed and pressed against the body of the revolver. At the same time, their upper ones diverged to the sides and unlocked the lock of the frame.

Webley-Wilkinson revolver with Francott locking system. Caliber .455/476. Photo littlegun.be

This revolver is open. This photo clearly shows the device of the locking assembly of the frame. Photo littlegun.be

Revolvers with a similar frame locking system were produced in the 1890s and calibers from .320 to .577 (from 7,5 to 14,7 mm). But in this case, it was necessary to press simultaneously from both sides, otherwise the frame would not open! It was used on many European revolvers, including the famous "Montenegro". It was very strong, reliable, but ... complicated and, as we might say today, not ergonomic enough.

There was only one way to improve it: of the two levers, leave only one, on the left.

Here is this huge revolver of the Belgian manufacturer Pierre Bishop in .476 caliber of the 1877 model of the year (below), next to which the large Smith and Wesson 1st model double-action revolver in Russian .44 caliber (above) does not seem too big, just has a "single-pedal" locking system! Photo littlegun.be

The barrel of this revolver has a length of 152 mm with a total length of 274 mm. It uses Price's locking system, which was first adapted by Francotte. For its operation, this revolver used a long and heavy spring attached to the upper bridge of the frame.

"Webley and Scott" Mark III. Caliber .38. Commercial model with characteristic locking bracket. Photo littlegun.be

The same revolver close-up. The frame fastener lever is clearly visible. Photo littlegun.be

I wanted something more convenient and simple, and this design appeared on the Webley revolvers. It was a U-shaped frame, which was elongated on the left and provided with a key for the thumb of the right hand. The frame on the frame was fixed on the axis and spring-loaded with a flat spring on the right. When the frame lever was pressed “away from you”, the frame moved back and freed the upper part of the frame, which could now freely fold down along with the barrel and drum. This mount has found its application on many revolvers, as it turned out to be both simple and convenient.

Meanwhile, another Belgian gunsmith, Dieudonné Levo, came up with his own system for locking the upper end of the split frame and received a number of patents for his development in 1870, 1871, 1876 and 1877. Interestingly, based on his design, many Liege gunsmiths produced revolvers: G. Mercenier, L. Antzion-Marx, Jean Baptiste Ronge, while others produced his revolvers, adding something from themselves to them, or assembled from finished parts. In particular, this was done by Brandlin and Hughes in England, Bodeo E. Carral in Italy, Ferran and Turdera in Argentina, A. D. Jansen in Brussels, etc. So it would not be an exaggeration to say that weapons created on the basis of these four patents, was an undoubted international success, lasting almost 30 years. So what did he come up with?

Judging by the author's diagram given here, he replaced the lever mount with a trigger, that is, he put one trigger on his revolver above the other. Only now the upper trigger was responsible for opening the frame. Photo littlegun.be

Levo's revolver looked simple and neat. No unnecessary and protruding parts, except for the disconnect trigger located at the back. Photo littlegun.be

The same revolver in open form. Photo littlegun.be

The locking lever, made in the form of a trigger, was pulled back, and the frame of the revolver opened. Photo littlegun.be

An engraved model of this revolver with an ivory handle was also produced. Photo littlegun.be

Scheme of a Levo revolver in .450 caliber with a side-folding drum. Photo littlegun.be

Levo revolver in .450 caliber with a side-folding drum in metal. Photo littlegun.be

Revolver Levo with the drum tilted to the right. Please note that it was not discharged with the help of an extractor in the drum itself, like the same Smith and Wesson, but with the help of a U-shaped pusher. Photo littlegun.be

Revolver Levo double action caliber 11 mm. Very elegant and beautiful revolver model. Photo littlegun.be

Well, then the life cycle of this product ended, and it was replaced by new samples that new people began to buy ...

Comments

[Catfish]

Good morning friends!

Many thanks to Vyacheslav Olegych for a very nice article, so to speak, about an article about weapons with beautiful illustrations.
For the first time I see such extensive material about, in general, the not very well-known Levo system.

But there is no weapon without flaws, the latch spring was fragile and brittle, which, of course, was by no means a plus of reliability.

[icelord]

Good day.
Well, the Belgians then did not have such a reputation as gunsmiths as they do now. Rather, like the Spaniards, they were famous for the production of cheap copies, so I think they did not expect outstanding reliability from their products

[tlauicol]

Terrible revolvers, in my opinion. Interestingly, a trigger without a brace will not cling?

[Catfish]

Interestingly, a trigger without a brace will not cling?

So he's foldable.

[tlauicol]

And how to shove it into a holster? Shoot in the leg?

[Catfish]

So this is not a military weapon, respectively, and they were worn as they like. Ladies in a purse, men in a vest pocket.

But when John Browning threw out his flat pistol for sale, then a back pocket appeared on men's trousers specifically for this weapon, at first it was called that - "pistol pocket".

[tlauicol]

Cool didn't even hear about it. Although not safer

[Catfish]

As Abdullah used to say:

The dagger is good for the one who has it, and bad for the one who does not have it at the right time.

The same goes for the pistol.

[Maxim G]

How to wash your pants...

[Catfish]

Well, it's a matter of which way the gun is pointed.

[Maxim G]

I'm talking about the owner of the gun and pants.
The gun must be kept lubricated.

[Catfish]

Yes I understand. I didn’t understand only from the outside, why lubricate the gun? They lubricate the rubbing parts, and the lubricant is not poured there in "buckets". Some people still carry short barrels in their pockets and belts, and are somehow not concerned about washing their clothes.
And in the lubricant, the weapon is kept in storage, and the lubricant is different, depending on the period and place of storage.

[Maxim G]

A person sweats, rain, just moist air.
Corrosion develops, even through bluing or gun paint.

[Catfish]

And you don’t need to shove the barrel where the body sweats profusely. But seriously, no one will carry a gun right up to their bare skin. As for "moist air", you just need to clean the weapon regularly.

[Maxim G]

It is enough to wear a weapon in hot weather (or sweat profusely), and sweat can even soak even a thin leather holster.
I'm not talking about eating to carry weapons in the belt.

Clean or lubricate? Or cleaning and lubricating?

[Catfish]

It is enough to vilify the weapon in hot weather (or sweat profusely),

Did not notice. Much more likely to get corrosion after grabbing the barrel with sweaty hands, by the way, female sweat is the most "poisonous", especially physiology.

Clean or lubricate? wink Or both clean and lubricate?)

Well, on this occasion, refer to any manual on shooting, I'm not interested.

[Maxim G]

Quote: Sea Cat

Did not notice. Much more likely to get corrosion after grabbing the barrel with sweaty hands, by the way, female sweat is the most "poisonous", especially physiology.

It happens that unoiled barrels simply rust even in safes.

Quote: Sea Cat

Well, on this occasion, refer to any manual on shooting, I'm not interested.

If cleaned with alkaline oil and not lubricated with neutral oil, corrosion will occur.

[Catfish]

It happens that unoiled barrels simply rust even in safes.

The stupid thing is not smart.

With weapons, you need to regularly carry out preventive maintenance and keep in order, then there will be no trace of corrosion. And it is best to use it more often, for training purposes, at least.

[Maxim G]

You need to shoot more often, but the prices for cartridges and shooting ranges, lubricants, etc. this is not promoted))).

[Catfish]

What to do, what life, such are the problems. Everyone gets out as best they can.

[Maxim G]

We are happy with what we have. It's a pity we can't have pistols and revolvers.
Their cartridges are cheaper and easier to maintain, except for a rifled barrel (when compared with a smooth one).

[Korsar4]

Everyone has their own shortcomings

[Catfish]

Ah .... I remember - "Only girls in jazz"

Good evening, Sergey!

[Korsar4]

Good evening, Constantine!

An example of a memorable ending.

[Catfish]

I remember the film "The Fate of a Soldier in America" ​​(1939), but this is not a comedy at all.

[Korsar4]

But this did not come across. Solid problems in foreign films. On tips from the forum, I sometimes fill it out. However, it is the same with our films.

Just recently I got attached to a song from The Last Inch.

[Catfish]

I remember both the movie and the song. In my opinion, a rare picture when ours about "them" were able to make a very good film.

[Korsar4]

Yes. Aldridge was actively published in our country. And the movie was a success. Although in the story and in the film, perhaps, the shades are different.

[Catfish]

shades are different.

So we wouldn’t have been allowed to film it differently, it was necessary to show that “there” is worse than “here”.

[Altmann]

I always look forward to your article. It is very nicely processed and supplemented with examples. Revolvers are my constant love. Thank you.