The Pony Express Revolver

Thought to be the first firearm by Erl Svendsen while in his Chicago location, the "Pony Express" is a six shot, single action revolver.

An early "A" model. Note the short front sight and plumb/reddish receiver.

The majority of those produced were chambered in .22LR, however there were some made in .38 special was well. Most had a brass frame with steel cylinder and barrel.

Named the "Pony Express" after Mr. Svendsen's appreciation of the Pony Express riders. Mr. Svendsen was Pony Express rider reenactor during the Chicago World's Fair of 1933. The name is roll-marked on the right side of the frame.

Directly behind this mark is the logo of the pony express rider that also appears on the upper portion of the black grip panels.

A close up of the beautiful grip panels.

There were three models of the "Pony Express" known to exist.

First, we have what's known as the "A model."

These are the earliest models to be produced in the 1950's. They have no letter prefix for the serial number as seen here:

The A models were in caliber .22LR and have a very distinctive 'reddish' or plumb color to the frame, most likely a result of chemical mixture in the bluing process. Examples of this are seen in the photos above. The A models also had a very low front sight due to the receiver strap being very thin.

Original sales records indicate that 219 of these revolvers were produced. That being said, there are a number of examples that have been observed outside the 219 documented on sales receipts.

Second is the "B model."

The second models will all have a letter B in front of the serial number and were in caliber .22 LR. The B models all have a larger front sight and a thicker receiver strap. The B models are also easily distinguishable by their frame color which is more of a traditional 'blue' than the first A models.

Original sales records indicate that there were 198 documented "B" model revolvers produced, although again many have been observed outside of those officially documented.

Third and final is the "C model."

The 3rd variation had a C prefix before the serial number and were manufactured in caliber .38 special. The rest of the revolver is similar to the B model with the larger front sight and blued frame.

Original sales records indicate that 27 of the "C" models were produced and sold officially, but as with the other models, there have been examples outside of these official numbers observed in the hands of collectors.

It's important to note that the serial numbers were NOT consecutive. Information sourced from a former employee states that customers could order a serial number of their choosing.

There were also different grip options, such as stag, wood, etc., as well as barrel lengths, and other finishes such as nickel, aluminum and case hardening available as well.

Variations

Although most of the them had traditional bluing, brass backstrap and trigger guard and the signature black plastic grips, they were offered in a variety of barrel lengths, some with bone grips and other finishes. Lets take a look at a few examples here.

This chrome "A model" was purchased Mr. Greenwald from Erl's shop somewhere in the 1950's or early 60's. It is not known for certain if this finish was done in Svendsen's shop or after purchasing as Mr. Greenwald was also a gunsmith and later owner of the Foothills Shooting Center in Lakewood, CO.

Mr. Greenwald, seen here at far right, was was also an active member of the Bell's Frontier Club, a local quick draw shooting club in the 1950s-1960s.

Mr. Greenwald's son Peter was kind enough to share this information with us and allow the use of these photos. Thank you Peter!

*Here is an original print ad in GUNS magazine from the September edition of 1956.