Its patent 2107/1870 covered a system of locking and more particularly a system of ejection adapted to the revolver tip-up (Tip-up, revolver whose foldable gun can be reversed with the back.) where the pin of the axis under the gun finished in a large protuberance; after the opening of the weapon, a blow printed on this protuberance forced the plate of extraction which covered barrel to eject the empty cases.

Here is a very interesting and certainly rare revolver of Albert Spirlet, armourer in Liège, Quai de la Boverie 31 in Liège. He filed sixteen patents between 1860 and 1876. It has already been extensively mentioned on the site.

This revolver is with smooth cylinder with six shots (Calibre not communicated). The barrel is with eight sides, with bead out of U and front sight in half-moon. The system of opening of the weapon consists of a push-button placed in front of the trigger guard. Once actuated it releases the cylinder-barrel unit to the top (tip-up) while swivelling on the notch of aiming.

The barrels are made of Damascus Bernard. I am not able to read the inscription in Cyrillic characters on the dealer's carrying case.

16. 8 and 16. 4: choked barrels cal in mm at 22 cm from the breech and at the mouth: in effect between 1898 and 1910. This means that the nominal size could be 16.

2° I don’t know if it’s the same copy, or rather what number it has. The one presented to us bears, as far as I can see, the number 644.

On this subject, there is a problem since we do not see - on the photos which were transmitted to us in any case - any mention of calibre. However, this mention was introduced in 1892 on the shape - for example - 70 by 20. 6, i. e. 70 mm for the length of the chamber and 20. 6 for the diameter after the optional test.

AS Crowned could be Albert SPIRLET. (Evoked on the site). He made use of several marks AS in a rhombus lying and crowned - AS in a rhombus laid down without crown - S in a rhombus lying and crowned.

More interesting is the fact that Henri Vuillemin reports that he did not find a Spirlet patent corresponding to this ABCD revolver. Now, in my humble opinion at least, the patent 041364 that Albert Spirlet filed on January 27, 1877 seems to correspond to the revolver presented.

AS patented crowned: it could be Albert Spirlet, with the emphasis on the conditional since even if we find at the bottom of the link below the same brand AS crowned in Albert Spirlet's production, the latter was - to our knowledge in any case - specialized in revolvers, and not in shotguns.

With the proof marks, this gun were produce after 11 july 1893 et before 30 january 1894 By Charles Spirlet "arquebusier", Liège and son of Albert Spirlet "inventor" of the model in 1870 (patent date) himself son of Edouard Spirlet .

In its issue 334 of July-August 2002, the "Gazette des Armes" published a lengthy article by Henri Vuillemin on the ABCD revolver, its genesis and its competitors. In particular, he mentions a copy in the hands of Jean-Pierre Bastié, which, like the revolver shown here, also bears the same inscription “THE A.B.C.D. REVOLVER INV. AL. SPIRLET. PAT SEP. 2:72 MARCH. 13:75 JAN.27:77 APRIL 27.77”.Unfortunately, I don’t have this article by Jean-Pierre Bastié, so

Spirlet is known in Europe as being the inventor of the revolver to the screwed gun rocking upwards and behind (standard tip-up); in fact, this type of revolver was already disseminated before the project of Spirlet which remainder did not advance any claim.

Apart from the inscription on the top barrel of the gun, only the acceptance mark ELG on star in oval, used between 1846 and 1893, and a sub-star T, countermark of a controller, used between January 27, 1877 and 1968.

Certainly, on the patent design, the four main parts are not marked ABCD, but as Henri Vuillemin writes, it is probably a “replica” of Albert Spirlet to the “Galand War revolver also nicknamed ABC”. However, Albert Spirlet’s ABCD revolver is disassembled. and easily goes up by following the letters.

Some of the most beautiful work of this craftsman, and many others, are in this book “Liège Gunmakers through their Work. 1800 - 1950”.

The state oxidized of this weapon does not facilitate the identification; I think nevertheless that it could be a question of a revolver model 1869 of Albert Spirlet, quay of Boverie, 31 to Liège which was the author of 16 patents of 1860 to 1876.

If one refers at the date of filing of the patent which follows we can locate the manufacture of the apparatus after 1922.

Henri Vuillemin also explains the ejection system, “ingenious but complicated at will. In order to save time in the maneuvers of extracting empty cases, the inventor carried out a veritable armoury pinning by equipping the barrel with an additional rack on its inner side, replacing the saucer. The movement of the rod, thanks to a device arranged on the right side of the carcass and inside the frame, allows the cylinder to be rotated by one sixth of a turn each time, the hammer having been previously placed on the notch of the half-armed."

Prix du gouvernenent (Price of the government): It is probably about the Belgian government? Many contests of shootings often encouraged by the State were organized in Belgium in second half of the 19th century. It is here most probably about one 1st price of shooting.

It is about a revolver vélodog hammerless with folding trigger, loading by side door, unloading using the rod being used as axis of barrel, grips with palmettos way ebony squared.