Antique Hopkins & Allen XL Spur Trigger Derringer chambered in .41 Caliber Rimfire, made in Norwich, Connecticut circa 1875 with a production run between 1870 and 1879 with total production numbers being less than 2,000. The 2-1/2 inch barrel is marked on the top "XL Derringer” and “Pat. Apr 5. 1870”. This nifty little pistol utilizes a fixed blade front sight, spur trigger and nickel plating. To load, the hammer is brought back to half-cock, the barrel release button on the bottom of the frame is pressed and the barrel will then pivot exposing the breech for loading a single cartridge. Once loaded, the barrel is swung back into firing position, the hammer pulled to full-cock and the trigger pulled to fire.
Hopkins & Allen Manufacturing Company was a major manufacturer of rifles, shotguns, and inexpensive cartridge handguns between 1868 and 1915. After an initial investment of $2000, H & A began operations as a producer of firearms, machinery, tools, and hardware. After the expiration of the Rollin White Patent in 1869, they began converting percussion revolvers to accept cartridge ammunition. In addition, they started producing a line of spur-trigger cartridge revolvers in .22 and .32 calibers. From its humble beginnings, Hopkins and Allen had grown from a small shop with 30 employees to become a major producer of firearms and an employer of 600 workers. In a state known for firearm production, H & A ranked third only behind Colt and Winchester. Hopkins & Allen continued to manufacture a variety of revolvers and small arms until 1915.
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01/17
One of many firearms developed for Remington by Joseph Rider was the Remington Rider Magazine Pistol– a manually operated 5-shot repeater chambered for the .32 extra-short rimfire cartridge (the same round used by the Chicago Palm Protector). It used a tube magazine under the barrel and a simple but clever vertically shifting breechblock to give an impressive amount of firepower in small (and particularly flat and narrow) package. About 15,000 of these were made between 1871 and 1888, and they represent one of the few American uses of a tube magazine in a handgun.
The low powered cartridge and the overall design of the pistol were certainly intended for up close and personal work at contact distances, or across a card table at most. These were certainly not intended to be target pistols. The Magazine Pistol was loaded by twisting the brass magazine follower tube cap 45-degrees, which released the spring loaded catch from the detent under the muzzle. The spring-loaded follower tube could then be withdrawn from the magazine. The bullets were loaded into the magazine tube, and then the magazine follower tube was replaced, and twisted back into its locked position. The tube functioned in much the same way as the Spencer magazine follower tube, by providing an enclosed follower mechanism that applied pressure to the cartridges in the actual magazine tube.
There appear to be two hammers on this pistol, but the forward one is in fact the cocking lever. Thumbing this lever works the ejection and loading mechanism and cocks the true hammer. The cocking lever then returns under spring action, and serves as the breech block. It is interesting to speculate whether with a more powerful cartridge this mechanism might auto-load, cycling the cocking lever with the force of the recoil. I imagine it could work, but probably the cocking lever pivot would not hold up for long. Unusually, but fortunately, most of the model pistols were engraved at the factory.
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01/16
Thomas Fowler of Dublin was listed as Gunmaker on Capel Street in Dublin from 1796 to 1825.
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01/21
This is the most amazing pin fire revolver I have ever come across, the workmanship is without question just spectacular. Just look at the hearts and the stylized L's, the gold wash, the complete 100% engraving even on the barrel. This must have been for a lady or maybe a valentine's day gift. Even with the minor flaws in the trigger guard and hammer, it is still in outstanding condition. Gold wash is very easy to rub off. The makers name is completely worn off the barrel panel but thanks to the pin fire forum, we were able to identify the maker as “Ch. T. Colard”, his design and construction is very easily identifiable.
The Swiss gun maker Samuel Joannes Pauly patented the first breech loading cartridge in 1812. This was for use in a shotgun with fixed barrels which was loaded by lifting a breech block on the top. French gun maker Henri Roux attempted to improve this cartridge in the 1820s but a constantly primed cartridge was felt by many to be too dangerous and many breech loading guns reverted to using an unprimed cartridge. This was fired by a separate percussion cap which was used on the still dominant muzzle-loading guns.
Casimir Lefaucheux of Paris decided in 1832 to patent a breechloader where the barrel hinged downwards to reveal the breech ends. These still used a separate percussion cap. Though used before this, (as seen in surviving pinfire shotshells that lists the names of early gun makers he signed contracts with in 1833 and 1834,) in 1835 he was granted an addition to the 1832 patent for a new type of cartridge in which the cartridge's priming compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just above the base of the cartridge. These pins fitted into a small groove cut in the top of each barrel-end and made it easy to see if the gun was loaded. The cartridge used metal bases (often brass) with paper tubes which were usually loaded by the shooter or his staff but were not entirely gas-tight. This reduced the force of the charge and allowed powder residue and gas to escape.
The pinfire cartridge was greatly improved by the 1846 patent (number 1963) by Benjamin Houllier of Paris which introduced a base wad and effectively made the cartridge gas-tight which greatly improved the performance. They were cheap and clean shooting. These improved pinfire guns grew in popularity in France and some were imported by British gun makers to overwhelming indifference on the part of the gun users there. They were prejudiced technically against a gun that 'broke' in the middle, despite the much vaunted benefits of breechloading. They owned muzzle-loaders of exquisite perfection, considered themselves the best engineers in the world (inventing the Industrial Revolution), and had a poor view of the French - the old enemy and an unreliable ally.
It was not until the Great Exhibition of 1851 was held in London that breech loading guns were taken more seriously by British and American gun makers in particular. The display of a Lefaucheux breech loading gun inspired English apprentice gunmaker Edwin Charles Hodges (1831-1925) to make an improved copy and persuade leading London gun maker Joseph Lang that this was the gun of the future. Lang was universally credited to be the first established British gunmaker to produce pinfires in any numbers. His first weapon of this new type was produced in 1853. Other British gun makers including Lancaster, Blanch and Reilly were similarly inspired by French originals and improved pinfire breechloaders became the new type of gun which by 1857/8 every fashionable British prince and titled gentleman wanted to have. EC Hodges continued to make a good living as a specialist independent maker of breechloading actions commissioned by leading gunmakers such as Boss, Lancaster, Egg, Grant, Atkin, Rigby, Dickson, Purdey, Woodward, Army and Navy, and many others.
After Casimir's death in 1852, his son Eugene continued to market the pinfire design with great success. It became increasingly popular in Europe and large numbers of shotguns and revolvers (often called Lefaucheux guns after their inventor whoever the maker was), were manufactured from the mid-1850s until the 1890s. They were quicker and easier to load than percussion weapons with loose black powder, percussion caps and a bullet; and they were also much more likely to fire reliably when wet. Pinfire cartridges were available in a large number of sizes for various types of weapon.
While pinfire shotguns declined from the early 1860s after the introduction of mass-produced centerfire shotgun cartridges, pinfire revolvers in particular became very successful and widespread, being adopted by the armies of France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and others. They were also used during the American Civil War, although sometimes despised because of their low power compared to Colt and other percussion revolvers. Some navies also adopted them, "sea service" examples often being made out of brass which is largely unaffected by the corrosion caused by salt.
Pinfire became obsolete once reliable rimfire and centerfire cartridges became available because without a pin which needed aligning in the slot in the chamber wall they were quicker to load. They were also safer because they had no protruding pin which could cause the ammunition to accidentally detonate during rough handling, particularly of loose ammunition.
As there is not enough information available on such a piece estimated value is too difficult to determine.
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01/13
This pistol features a 9″ tapering round smooth bore barrel of .69 caliber, stamped with numerous marks on the breech and barrel tang, approximate date for manufacture, 1815. Lock plate with deeply stamped oval mark and featuring rounded swan neck cock. Walnut full stock with brass trigger guard, fore end cap, and flat butt cap, with steel lanyard ring. There is no provision for a ramrod, as the user
carried one secured to his belt. This model was in service from 1815 well into the 1830’s and would have been one of the last large, smooth bore flintlock pistols to be made for official service before switching to the percussion firing system. Pistol is in very good condition, the
metal smooth and bright; the stock with typical handing marks and a crack on the top of grip. Overall length 15 1/2″. The country we know as Belgium, with the city of Liege, famous for its centuries of arms
manufacture, was not yet independent at the time this pistol was made. It was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands until 1839. That period in history was dominated by Napoleon’s wars of conquest and the Kingdom of the Netherlands was a part of the French Empire from 1795 to 1813. Under Napoleon’s rule it was renamed the Batavian Republic,
and then the Kingdom of Holland. During this time, the Dutch fought alongside the French. After Napoleon was defeated in 1813, William I was restored to head the government and declared himself king in 1815 when Napoleon returned from Elba. His son, the future King
William II, known as “Slender Billy” to the English, fought with Wellington at Waterloo against Napoleon.
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01/16
A fine French Target/Duelling pistol with sighted, rifled barrel, sporting breech panels containing symmetrical designs of stylized foliage profusely engraved, the spur trigger functions perfectly with a crisp defined hammer to trigger relationship, there is a set trigger screw. The trigger guard is elegantly shaped as is the pommel, both are intricately engraved with beautiful foliage style engraving. The half stock wood appears to be ebony with fluted butt and carved fore end tip. The St. Etienne proof mark is visible on the left side of the barrel, circa 1850.
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