This fllofthand view of th Wver Johnson! Meacham Arms American Bulldog shows its design held several improvements over the Webley British Bull dog, The barrel on the Amer jean Bulldog could be removed {rom the frame as a separate piece, ‘here the Brltish models had the barrel permanently attached to ‘the frame by sweating, brazing or some other method, and then ground smooth at several points, Though soldin tree calibers (32, 38, and 44), the last must have been the most popular as {ow examples of the American Bulldog in the smaller calibers are encountered, ‘This Forehand & Wadsworth British Bulldog is owned by Peter Sherayko of Caravan West Productions and is perhaps the best- known British Bulldog to be seen on the ‘movie screen. This particular revolver was used by actress Joanna Pacula’s character “Big Nose Kato” in the epic 1983 Western Tombstone. Though used only in the card table dispute in one ‘scene in the beginning, it shows that informed attention to detail ensures. that historically correct firearms, such as the British Bulldog, get their due. actions are not allowed in Single Action Shooting Society competition, but ‘ay make for an interesting novelty = or “side” -match. It would be nice to see the “sel-cockers” allowed to have their own category in the future. Ibis Important to mention here that the Bull- dog revolver made a comeback in the 1970s when Charter Arms Company in Connecticut added a "Bulldog" revolver to its line. Keeping with tradition, they chambered it for a 44-caliber cartridge, namely the powerful 4d Special, The five-shot wheelgun had a 3-1/2" barrel, rounded butt, and was an improvement fon an old design. The Charter Arms Bulldog, however, got bad press when it was used in several murders by David Berkowitz, later convicted in the Son of Sam eases in New York City 64 4 ‘The British Bulldog is quickly becoming the new generation of classical ordnance ‘of the Old West to find acceptance in collector circles. One of the niceties of Bulldog collecting is that GUN DIGEST® Click Here to Order the Gun Digest Book they are, for the most, all of pre-1898 manufacture, which classifies them as true antiques. There are, however, some that may have been built after 1898, but these would probably be made as double-actions in the "suicide special category that are easy to spot as many have dated patent markings, Production of the classical British Bulldogs began, ‘to wane in the mid-1890s, but by that lime there were plenty in circulation, Itis the Webley-made British Bulldog most collectors see as the genuine forerunner of all Bulldogs. Costwise, Webley variations have lately risen as high as $400, depending on condition and grade, At gun shows or auctions, Bulldogs of all different varieties, makes, and calibers still seem abundant, but the Bulldog collector should be reminded that next to the Webley, the American- made Bulldogs will normally command a higher price than a Belgian-made prod- uct. The varieties of the Belgian-made Bulldogs are, however, endless and the guns vary radically in overall quality. For a comparison of value, a Forehand & Wadsworth Bulldog is noticeably more expensive (asice froma Webley) than any foreign copy, since fewer than an estimated 90,000 were produced, ‘Though the author's specimen is in the £85,000 range, serial numbers of the F&W revolver serial numbers overlapped so radically that one cannot reliably ate them. The F&W British Bulldog is “The dot engraving flanking the logo on this Belgian copy is of a very plain pattern Note the marking on the upper example has the words “Bulldog” together. The lower Belgian copy has “Bull Dog” as separate words stamped to be read from the right whereas the upper specimen ‘must be read from the left. t seems foreign manufacturers have marked the trademar logo in varying methods and styles.Side by side, the rear frames of the American Bulldog (eft) and the British Bulldog ight) clearly show tho smooth, fui fines of the former contrasted to ‘the squarish look of the latter. yet not listed in Flayderman's Guide fo Antique American Firearms and their Values since so few exist. It should be mentioned that Forehand & Wadsworth also produced another double action with bird's-head arips that was marked on the frame “American Bulldog” Its production ‘mumbers are unknown and the author has seen no early advertisements for it. Some of the Belgian copies have ‘medium to lower-grade engraving, Click Here to Order the Gun Digest Book ‘A.comparison of the Wer Johnson/Meacham Arms Co, ‘44-caliber American Bulldog vs. ‘44-callber Belgian British Bulldog. Note the size ofthe former-buit with larger frame than the Belgian copy, comfortable in large hands. which can enhance value, and there are other lower- quality specimens being found with oblong bores! Until the last 10 years, st appears that Bulldogs in all ‘categories were often lumped into the “scrap iron’ category of antique firearms, Times have indeed changed! In general, an upsurge in value is starting to occur to the Bulldog, much like that which transpired in the 1950s land '60s when Smith & Wessons and Merwin & Hulberts were inexpensive fon the gun show circuit-but have now become premium antique firearms Currently, the Bulldog is still quite affordable, and there should be enough for everybody, at least for the present. Prices have been on the rise over the last decade, indicating growing interest in the once-neglected area of Bulldog Note the petite, wellcontoured, lines of the Forehand & Wadsworth British Bulldog (top), contrasted to a typical Belgian Bulldog. ‘The F&W is fr less “boxy” than its European counterpart collecting. Having been a student of these ite istfuls of power for well over 30 years, I've found that out of the 300-plus Bulldogs Ihave owned ‘oF examined, there are more than 30 variations from my own examinations alone. With the huge numbers of manufacturers, designs, calibers, special features, ete, one ean create his own collecting theme on a single specimen, within this family of firearms. Even the various styles of the legendary logo, “British Bulldog” on these ultra-compact belly guns, is an area of study itsell As a final tribute, it should be remem. Dered that the basic design of the Web+ ley British Bulldog influenced the future of the large-frame, break-top Webley military revolver that served admirably in three major wars. The nostalgia of the Bulldog is not far from my mind each time travel to Worcester, Massachi- setts and pass by the city’s old mills and factories. It's bittersweet to recall that this area of New England was once the ‘capital of domestic Bulldog revolver rmansfacture in the United States. 64™ EDITION, 2010 65What were the mest popular law enforce. ‘ment handguns of the twentieth century? ‘The answer might surprise you THE COLT OFFICIAL POLICE = Sew Military &Police by PAUL SCARLATA puotos BY JAMES WALTER vant all ofyou readers under he JR ttc etree Sy farther want you seated be. cause dont want anyone geting dnty Sha alin dwn when ell you that There was ate when Aneican 1044, Canadian infantry officers in the Netherlands. They are wearing holstered No.2 Saw revolvers. (Courtesy of Clive Lav) 80 > GUN DIGEST® Two Boston PD officers wearing eatly bulletproof vests. They are armed with Colt O.P. revolvers. (Courtesy Boston PD Records Center & Archives) police officers DID NOT carry semi-auto Pistols! Yes, children, it's true. From the 1870s until the last decade and a half of the ‘twentieth century, the weapon in the holster of the vast majority of American ‘cops was a revolver. [know some of you are having trouble visualizing this con- cept, but that’s not the end of the story. Not only did the guardians of law and order carry revolvers, but the weapon in ‘question was usually a "plain Jane” blue steel revolver with a barrel of four to six inches, fitted with wooden grips and fixed sights ican hear the gasps of disbelief ‘emanating from the readership, stainless steel? No adjustable sights? No recoil absorbing, synthetic grips? How ‘could they possibly function with such primitive equipment?” Well, the answer to that question consists of two words: Damn well! ‘Those of us who are “experienced” shooters remember when the choice ‘of centerfire handguns available to the public was limited. In fact, until 1954 (Click Here to Order the Gun Digest Book