Iver Johnson Tycoon
Iver Johnson Arms · Revolver · Discontinued · 1873
Also known as: Johnson Bye Tycoon, Tycoon Spur Trigger Revolver
Overview
The Iver Johnson Tycoon is a five-shot, single-action spur-trigger pocket revolver chambered in .38 rimfire. It was produced in Worcester, Massachusetts between roughly 1873 and 1887 by Johnson, Bye & Company, the partnership that would later be reorganized as Iver Johnson Arms & Cycle Works. A representative example of the inexpensive solid-frame 'suicide special' revolvers that flooded the post-Civil War American market, the Tycoon featured a short nickel-plated barrel, a rebated five-shot cylinder, smooth walnut bird's-head grips, and a folding spur trigger with no trigger guard. Sold under an aspirational trade name to civilians seeking affordable personal protection, it was typical of the cheap break-from-percussion metallic-cartridge handguns of its era.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 340 g (12.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 178 mm (7.01") |
| Barrel Length | 64 mm (2.52") |
| Action Type | Single Action Revolver |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 230 m/s (755 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 257 J (190 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 15 m (16 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 90 m (98 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Nickel |
Calibers
- .38 Rimfire · primary — also known as .38 RF, .38 Long Rimfire
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: 5 Round Cylinder
- Safety mechanisms: Quarter Cock Hammer Notch
- Features: Spur Trigger, Solid Frame, Bird Head Grip, Single Action Only
Production
Production years: 1873-1887
Produced by Johnson, Bye & Co. of Worcester, Massachusetts before the firm became Iver Johnson Arms & Cycle Works.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Iver Johnson
Discontinued: 1887
Notes
Marketed under the 'Tycoon' trade name alongside Johnson, Bye & Co. stablemates such as the Defender, Favorite and Eagle. Dimensions are approximate, based on the common 2.5-inch (64 mm) barrel large-frame .38 rimfire configuration.
Background
The Tycoon belonged to the flood of cheap mass-produced spur-trigger pocket revolvers that American makers turned out under grand-sounding trade names in the decades after the Civil War, when self-contained metallic cartridges made affordable personal defense arms a mass commodity.