While most people think of Robert Adams when the name “Adams” is used when discussing English revolvers, his cousin John Adams was nearly as important in the world of British handguns, particularly in the nascent days of breechloading cartridge revolvers. While Robert Adams Model 1851 double action revolver had been the first British designed revolver to be acquired by the British military and his subsequent Model 1854 Beaumont-Adams revolver would set the standard for percussion revolvers in British service, it was John Adams’ Model 1867 that became the first standard issue cartridge revolver for the British Army. 

John had been intimately involved with gun making and inventing most of his life and had spent a good part of that time in the shadow of his cousin Robert, even working alongside Robert at the London Armoury Company. It was in the post-Civil War period that John really came into his own, as he devised methods of altering percussion revolvers to cartridge revolvers and eventually developing what became known as the Model 1867 breechloading cartridge revolver, a conversion of the M1854 Beaumont-Adams percussion revolver and which was adopted into British service as the Mk I revolver in the .450 Adams chambering. The official Board of Ordnance entry 1738 in the “List of Changes” dated November 26, 1868, described the Mk I revolver as “Deane & Adams’ Revolver Pistol Converted to a Breech-Loader by Mr. J. Adams.” The modifications to the solid frame Adams percussion revolvers were to modify the frame by adding a loading gate, add a fixed extractor rod to the right side of the frame and barrel and to install a newly produced five-chambered bored-through cartridge cylinder. The Mk I was quickly followed up with the Mk II model of 1872. These guns were purpose built as cartridge revolvers by John’s Adams Patent Small Arms Company. They utilized a two-piece frame with a six-chambered cylinder, loading gate and fixed ejector rod of the Mk I. The Mk II was quickly followed up by Adams’ Model 1872, designated as the Mk III which incorporated a new pivoting ejector rod that was carried concealed within the center of the cylinder arbor pin. This system would see extensive use throughout the latter part of the 19^th century in such well-known designs as the Webley RIC and Bulldog revolvers. The Mk III was adopted and ordered in some numbers by the British War Department with deliveries beginning circa 1874, with deliveries being made not only to regular British military forces but to colonial forces as well, including the Northwest Mounted Police in Canada and forces in Australia. The M1872 Mk III (sometimes referred to as the M1878) was the standard issue British military revolver from the time it was adopted until 1880 when the Enfield Mk I began to replace it. This made the Mk III the primary handgun for the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880), the Anglo-Zulu War (1879), and the 1^st Boer War (1880-1881). Despite the popular culture image of the British officers at Rouke’s Drift using break top revolvers, perpetuated by movies like Zulu, it was the Adams Mk III that was issue side arm of that era.

The Mk III revolver was a traditional double-action handgun with a two-piece frame, a six-inch octagonal barrel, an unfluted six-chambered cylinder, and a loading gate in the right side of the frame. An exposed sear lever, similar to that found on 4^th Model Tranter revolvers and Starr M1858 Double Action revolvers, extended from the frame into the rear of the triggerguard where it could be tripped by the full-length pull of the trigger. The ejector rod was of the pivoting type that was stored concealed in the center of the cylinder arbor pin. Drawing it out from its storage location, allowed it to pivot to the right side of the frame and be used to punch the empty cartridge cases out of the cylinder’s chambers. Sights were a rudimentary notch in the upper rear of the frame and dovetailed blade on the top of the barrel, near the muzzle. A lanyard ring was provided in the butt of the grip. Finish was blued with the casehardened hammer polished bright. The grip was checkered one-piece walnut. The overall silhouette of the revolver was little changed from the Beaumont-Adams Model 1854 from some two decades earlier. Like so many handguns of the period, the civilian Model 1872 and the military Mk III revolvers were produced alongside each other at Adams’ London location at 391 Strand and only markings that indicate military inspection and service differentiate between the military and non-military guns. This is somewhat further complicated by the fact that officers purchased their own sidearms, so an unmarked “civilian” gun of the period could as easily be a British officer’s personal side arm.

The Adams Model 1872 Mk III Revolver offered here remains in FINE overall condition and is a great example of these Zulu and Boer War era handguns. The gun is a “civilian” one, without any British military markings, but as noted could well have belonged to a British officer. The revolver is serial number 8137 which places it within the range of the guns delivered to the Northwest Mounted Police in 1875. Those 296 guns (4 of the 300 ordered were stolen enroute) are found in the serial number range of 5,600-83,00. The matching serial number 8137 is found on the frame, cylinder and trigger of the gun. It was not disassembled to look for additional numbers. The top flat of the 6” octagonal barrel is clearly marked in a single line:

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

The lower right rear of the frame is marked with a winged AJ (John Adams) trademark and with an oval ADAMS’S/PATENT cartouche.

As previously noted, the revolver remains in FINE condition and retains about 50%+ of the original blue overall, with most of the loss apparently due to flaking. The cylinder retains the largest amount of original bright blue, the barrel somewhat less and the frame the least. The areas where the finish has flaked or worn have a muted brownish-gray patina that is attractive and on the barrel in particular blends with the blue to give the illusion of more finish than is really there. All of the markings remain clear and crisp, and the metal remains smooth throughout with no pitting to speak of. There are some freckles of surface oxidation and some flecks of minor surface roughness here and there, but they are quite minor. The revolver remains in FINE mechanical condition and functions as it should, with a crisp action that times, indexes and locks up appropriately. The bore of the revolver is in FINE condition and bright with some frosting and scattered light oxidation and retains crisp rifling. The grip shows some light wear and marks from handling but retains crisp checkering and its overall condition matches the balance of the gun very well.

Overall, this is a really nice example of a desirable Adams Model 1872 Mk III Revolver in a lovely state of preservation. This was the last of the closed frame revolvers to see general service with the British military prior to the adoption of the Enfield and later Webley model handguns that would be the primary revolver designs until the advent of autoloading designs. These guns saw service around the British Empire with many seeing use into the World War I era in secondary roles in the British Colonies. These guns fought the actively in Africa, most notably against the Zulus and the Boers and are an important part of any 19^th century British revolver collection.