Tell 3 or should I say 2.5?

[ccdjg]

A very nice find. Well done!

Any restorer worth his salt will be able to fix that crack so that it is invisible. Why not give it a go yourself? You will know from this forum that there is a lot of satisfaction to be gained from DIY restoration, and it can add a whole new dimension to your collecting hobby.
i
The missing medallion is more of a challenge, but silicone molding putty and low-melting casting metal, all available off the bay, is the way to go.

[45flint]

A very nice find. Well done!

Any restorer worth his salt will be able to fix that crack so that it is invisible. Why not give it a go yourself? You will know from this forum that there is a lot of satisfaction to be gained from DIY restoration, and it can add a whole new dimension to your collecting hobby.
i
The missing medallion is more of a challenge, but silicone molding putty and low-melting casting metal, all available off the bay, is the way to go.

My original thought when I saw the gun is it might be my only chance to own a Tell 3 and it did work so give it a go. I actually have made grips for other guns so that was a thought as well. The Tell grip is a tuff one because it's not like a Webley or a Haenel where you have a total frame and the grips just a slab. In the Tell the Bakelite grip is really, almost the total grip of gun with two struts coming halfway down the sides for attachment. It is much more structural than a typical gun. It actually I think is a real weakness in the design: relying on a "plastic" for structure? I actually thought that a wood grip would be superior and actually look better if it was fine wood and well executed. But the dilemma for the collector is you have changed the gun, how can you do that to a "Tell 3"? Having the gun, it is obvious that the grip has been reinforced and works, so right now I think I will just think of it as a collector piece that it is. Not sure I will mess with it, time will "Tell" lol.

The "Tell 3" to me is a great curiosity, the mechanism is fasinating, but I don't see it as a "shooter". The Haenel's serve that purpose. Though it is close, I think the Haenel is superior in milling and execution. I see no milling marks on a Haenel, just finely polished steel. The Tell though well executed has milling marks in some places, plastic vs. walnut grips and a sheet metal trigger vs. the Haenel's milled. Though the Haenel 28 is pretty common, I have seen no better made milled, blued, steel air pistol: though it takes a pristine example to really appreciate this.

[Garvin]

Welcome to the Tell 3 owners' club at last! I think the grip design must have been faulty because I've seen a few of these with cracked grips around the same place. My own example (with very little original blueing) has been repaired on the left side. It's not the best of repairs either.

Pic of the internal parts.