antedating "service revolver" (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Jonathan Lighter]

GB reveals a "Pistol, Sea service" as early as 1841. There may well be
something even earlier for "service pistol."

"Revolver," of course, was originally short for "revolving pistol."

JL

On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 11:30 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC <
Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:

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> Subject:      antedating "service revolver" (UNCLASSIFIED)
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> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
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> > Jonathan Lighter
> > Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2010 6:23 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: Re: service revolver == sidearm/service weapon
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: service revolver == sidearm/service weapon
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> > -
> >
> > For many years my worthless impression has been that "revolver" is
> often
> > used when "pistol" is correct.
> >
> > OED has "service revolver" from Hemingway in 1926. Presumably he meant
> an
> > actual revolver.
> >
> > JL
> >
>
>
> T. Longmore, _Gunshot Injuries_  London:  Longmans, Green, and Co., 1877
> [google books]
> p. 38 "The diameter of the barrel of the first, 'Adam's Service
> Revolver,' is 0.434 inch, and that of the bullet 0.455 inch."
>
> _The Times_ [London] 3/7/1879 p 8 col B [letter by John Adams,
> 2/28/1879]
> "As for accuracy, at 60 yards an ordinarily skilful shot could hit a man
> with a service revolver nine times out of ten; at thirty yards, targets
> of twenty-four consecutive shots have been made at Woolwich over and
> over again which could be covered by a man's hand; and the same number
> of shots can be fired with fair accuracy in one minute thirty seconds."
>
> (Most of the early cites I could find came from the British Empire)
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