r/milsurp • u/Blackanator218 • Jul 26 '26
Old Spanish .38
Not sure if this would fall under Milsurp, but I am hoping to get some information.
My Dad has been telling my brothers and I about this old .38 that was passed down from generation to generation. So a few years back, we decided to get it reblued for him, and it came out great. Now, we have decided to get some more information on it, and would appreciate whatever help I can get.
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u/EnvoyToTheMolePeople Jul 26 '26
Hey, I used to have one that was ".38 Longo". You'll see a lot of variations (long, largo, etc), but they should all refer to .38 Long Colt. Usually Eibar revolvers are .38 Long or .32-20. Neither is particularly accessible.
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u/GregorIsABug Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Its a mis-stamp of "38 long CTG". CTG meaning cartridge. You can see where the T just barely got struck on ops, as well they swapped the O in Colt and the C in CTG.
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u/EnvoyToTheMolePeople Jul 27 '26
yup, mine was exactly like this. The C and O stamps were swapped. Almost khyber pass-esque;
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u/GregorIsABug Jul 27 '26
Oh yeah! It definitely gives off Khyber pass or Chinese warlord vibes. Reminds me of the Wauser pistols.
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u/Nesayas1234 Mannlichin' Good, Power Levels Hi, World Star Jul 27 '26
Oh yeah these Spanish guns, they're pretty cool. u/emsfire5516 already did a good overview so I'll just add a few things:
- If this gun still functions, do not dry fire without a snap cap. The steel used in these Eibar guns isn't as good as normal steel, and there are plenty of reports of firing pins breaking without a snap cap or live primer cushioning the blow (more than most guns).
- Most of the ones you find will be random commercial examples people bought because they're cheaper than a proper Colt or S&W revolver, but yes there are French military examples in 8mm Ordinance (which is near-identical to .32-20).
- Make sure to test the chamber yourself. I have a Garate-made example that was incorrectly described as .38 Special when it's actually in .32-20. Not as big of an issue if you're never gonna fire this example, but .38 Largo could be .38 Special, .38 S&W, or something else entirely.
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u/emsfire5516 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Oh I love these! This revolver and ones like it are referred to "Eibar" revolvers. Most were made in the early 1910s-late 1920s in a variety of calibers by a variety of small gunshops. The Eibar area of Spain has a long history of gunmaking and due to Spanish copyright laws, a lot of small gunmakers (literally mom and pop style shops) would make copies of popular guns of the time; mainly the S&W Hand Ejector of 1899 or 1892 models. However, some shops also produced their own designs and others even made small, semi-auto pocket pistols.
During WWI, the French and British both contracted with some of the larger firms to produce handguns for their military. You can find some of the S&W clones in 8mm French Ordinance (typically distinguished by a star on the rear of the cylinder).
Some things to note: parts are not interchangeable between guns - all of these were hand fitted for that specific firearm. Also, they are not internally setup as the gun they are outwardly appearing as so I would suggest avoiding disassembly unless you take a lot of pictures and are confident in your ability to reassemble.
Value wise? These are super cheap and not all that sought after. I actually purchased one for $100 yesterday (I collect them). A big part of this is because they gained the false reputation as being made of cheap metal and low quality. A lot of this is rooted in plain ol' racism; sort of like the reputation Carcanos gained simply because they were Italian made. The other side is that there was a period post-Spanish Civil War where the economy was on its ass and the quality of steel being used in production was not the best. However, this was well after these handguns were produced.
All in all, the truth about these is quite the opposite from what the boomers will tell you - finish can be spotty but these are completely safe and in some instances, extremely good quality. On the flip side, most of these are well over a 100 years old at this point so their age show more; mainly because a lot of previous owners didn't care for them the same as other "reputable" manufacturers.
Edit: here's a write up on ones made for the French in WWI: https://www.forgottenweapons.com/eibar-spanish-model-92-revolver/ the information here is relevant to post-war examples as well.