Working the Forehand & Wadsworth Old Model Army
by David R. Chicoine

This unusual single action revolver was manufactured in Worcester, Massachusetts from about the mid-1870’s up to as late as the early 1880’s by the firm of Forehand & Wadsworth. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit to learn that you’ve never seen anything this big with the F&W name on it before, especially since that company is more commonly known for its small caliber revolvers. The fact is Forehand & Wadsworth made very few of these large-framed or Army-size revolvers which were similar in size to the .44 Smith & Wesson Model 3 top-break revolvers, with totals numbering perhaps under 2000 guns in all.