Thanks. I had it checked out by two gun shops today and determined it was a .380. I then took it to the range and shot about 25 rounds of cheap american eagle range ammo through it. It worked flawlessly. I was thoroughly impressed with its stability, recoil, and accuracy.
Then I tried shooting some home defense hollow points through it and it would not even chamber the first round. There is no chamber ramp and the flat head of the hollow points simply caught the rim of the breech and would not chamber properly. I then tried firing a different box of range ammo with a winchester logo on it and it too had trouble chambering because the head was flatter than the other rounds.
So, I figured it is a great range gun, but unable to shoot modern home defense rounds. So it may just become an heirloom that I shoot occasionally, or I may end up selling it and upgrading to something more modern. But even with its hang ups, I like having this piece of history.
At the end of the day I completely broke it down to bare frame and parts and thoroughly cleaned each part, spring, screw and lubricated each. The thing now cycles like new. This really is a fun gun.
If anyone has any thoughts on its history, manufacture, or value, please let me know. I am interested in finding out as much about it as possible.
Thanks,
-Sean.