Interarms Virginian Dragoon...

[nmckenzie]

I apologize for posting on a non-GI item, but I'm trying to track down info on a revolver which to judge from various articles never existed...which is kinda interesting since I have one sitting right in front of me at the moment. The revolver's an Interarms Virginian Dragoon...nothing unusual there, but this one's in .41 Magnum...a caliber which doesn't show up in any of the Interarms literature. This one's blued, with 7 1/2" barrel, adjustable sights, and the "Don't Tread on Me..." stamping on the butt. My partner bought it in Juneau back in '81, intending on having at as a "just in case..." sidearm when hunting or berry-picking here in Sitka. She normally carries a Browning .308, but sometimes a sidearm's handier. In any event, I've pored over quite a few sites, forums and whatnot, and though there's quite a bit of info available on Virginian Dragoons in .357 and .44 Magnum, blue and stainless, various barrel lengths etc., there's nothing to be found on the .41 Magnum...as if it had never gone into production. Can you guys offer me any data regarding the number of .41s produced, current value etc. Many thanks for any info you might be able to help us with. In case you were wondering, my "just in case..." sidearm's a Ruger Old Model Vaquero in .45 Colt, blued, 7 1/2" & Buffalo Bores.

[H.S. Mantooth Jr.]

Originally Posted by nmckenzie

I apologize for posting on a non-GI item, but I'm trying to track down info on a revolver which to judge from various articles never existed...which is kinda interesting since I have one sitting right in front of me at the moment. The revolver's an Interarms Virginian Dragoon...nothing unusual there, but this one's in .41 Magnum...a caliber which doesn't show up in any of the Interarms literature. This one's blued, with 7 1/2" barrel, adjustable sights, and the "Don't Tread on Me..." stamping on the butt. My partner bought it in Juneau back in '81, intending on having at as a "just in case..." sidearm when hunting or berry-picking here in Sitka. She normally carries a Browning .308, but sometimes a sidearm's handier. In any event, I've pored over quite a few sites, forums and whatnot, and though there's quite a bit of info available on Virginian Dragoons in .357 and .44 Magnum, blue and stainless, various barrel lengths etc., there's nothing to be found on the .41 Magnum...as if it had never gone into production. Can you guys offer me any data regarding the number of .41s produced, current value etc. Many thanks for any info you might be able to help us with. In case you were wondering, my "just in case..." sidearm's a Ruger Old Model Vaquero in .45 Colt, blued, 7 1/2" & Buffalo Bores.

nmckenzie;

Now you've got me scratching my head. Like you, I've seen the .44 mag but.......

I tell you what, shoot Brian Pearce at HANDLOADER magazine an E-mail. He is a pretty savvy pistolero [sp?]

Here it is, www.handloadermagazine.com

Luck to you Sir.

[HughUno]

.41 mags are very uncommon, but were offered for a year or two.

Over about 10 years, these revolvers were made by three different business entities in Germany and the USA.

The Blue Book has (had) a short summary of the manufacturing history. Overall, quality is very good and they were often used in Silhouette shooting back then.

I don't have a current Blue Book, but you could check that (or somebody here may have one and help out). The Blue Book may even give a value for .41s.

You could also maybe do a google.com search for someone selling a .44 Mag version (they also made some .357s) and then add 50-100 bucks.

In 99% condition, I would GUESS value is around 450.00.

PS, I was just in Anchorage back in December. Had never been to AK before. Well worth the trip!

[MajWatz]

Read pages 4 through 6 here.....
http://www.singleactions.com/VADragoons.pdf

[buttebob]

I've got a 29th edition of blue book of gun values and it shows a value of $255 for a Dragoon in 100 % condition. They show no premium for a 41 mag, which seems strange to me as the link that MajWatz posted said 41's were rare. It may be a lack of knowledge on the part of the editors.
Or it could be that there's no demand for the gun, which would keep the price low.
At a minimum I would agree with Hugo and add $50-$100 dollars to that value. Check out the new edition of Blue Book and see what the current price is and add about 25-30%.
The Blue Book is now on its 32nd edition.

[H.S. Mantooth Jr.]

HughUno & MajWatz;

My thanks to both of you for some very informative reading. So it appears that the .41 mag chambering was limited to a small production run in 1981. I would think that would boost the value.

JMHO though.

nmckenzie;

Looks like you may have a special piece there. Hang on to it, it can only go up in value.

[Rondog]

Interesting! I saw a .44 Dragoon back in 1980 brand new in some store, and had the purple lust for it but never got one. I just recently picked one up from a local feller for $400. Helluva chunk of firearm. I thought they were only .44 magnum, but now I've heard of them in .357, .41 and .45 Colt too.

[nmckenzie]

Thanks very much for the info guys. My dear one will be pleased knowing she owns what is presumably a rare bird, or at least an uncommon one. For those of you who are single action fans, you might be interested to know that this Virginian Dragoon has two cylinder bolt/trigger springs, one laid directly over the other, both retained by the same screw. On first stripping this revolver for its semi-annual checkup (we live in a VERY damp climate) I was surprised to find this double spring arrangement...figured it was a factory flub. Removed one of the springs, reassembled the revolver, and nothing worked quite right. Reinstalled the extra spring, and everything was back to normal. Not wanting to argue with success I left it there. Once again guys, many thanks for your comments.

[jimthompson502002]

I did a whole series on Cowboy Guns, commencing in the 80's and finishing with WAFFEN DIGEST in 2002. The Virginian Dragoons were a premium product imported by Interarms, although probably picked up by others. They were made by Uberti and/or out of Uberti parts (the story changed a couple of times) and inspected and QC'd by the Swiss Hammerli firm, at least in the earlier days. The .41 Mag is indeed a rare bird. The big article in German in WAFFEN DIGEST (Zurich) 2002 dealt with both the American version and those sold in Europe by area wholesalers.

There may have been traffic under the same name by another importer, but Cummings was very touchy about any trademark, and would have SOLD rights.

These are very sturdy, product-improved, slightly enlarged Colt MODEL P (1873 Single Action) frames/chasis types, and the ones I owned all had coil springs.

They slowly evolved and changed, but seem to have disappeared some time before Sam Cummings died.

They were quite similar to the products sold under the Mitchell brand name, but Interarms had a better reputation in terms of warranties and details, and offered more options.

I'd suggest checking to see if yours carries the Interarms name.

[nmckenzie]

Stamped along upper surface of barrel INTERARMS ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, USA. Immediately aft of the patent date on the left side of the frame is a marking, roughly 1/4" in diameter, which appears to be Interarms' Compass Rose logo.