These six-shot revolvers fired a self-contained, waterproof metallic .32 caliber rimfire cartridge that was an attractive alternative to the more fragile paper and skin cartridges that required separate percussion cap primers. Officers found their light weight convenient on the march. A few likely found their way into the hands of enlisted men before their officers found out about it.

The revolver is loaded by pressing a release button on the right frame and tipping the barrel and cylinder up like the Smith and Wesson, but improves on that design with a more positive catch and placing the hinge behind the cylinder, thus reducing the wobble of the barrel to which the Smith and Wesson was subject. The octagonal barrel is 5 1/8 inches long, The metal is smooth, silver gray on the frame, bluish-gray on the cylinder, and a mix of gray with darker gray areas having some shall pitting further along the barrel. The front sight is in place. The mechanics are good. The barrel address is legible with a little wear along the top: “L.W. POND WORCESTER MASS PAT’D JULY 10, 1850.” The grips are very good, with nice color and finish. The pistol still retains its small, brass-headed screwdriver fitted into the butt flat.

Pond’s engineering and machine skills were strong, but his ethics needed some work. He used the bored-through cylinder that Rollin White had somewhat accidentally patented, but Smith and Wesson had the foresight to license. In the resulting lawsuit Pond had to cease production, mark his remaining inventory as if it were made for Smith and Wesson, with their patent date, and sell it at wholesale.

This revolver does not have the additional Smith and Wesson marking, indicating it was sold by Pond before the resolution of the lawsuit. The serial number seems to be “22246” on the pin, which is unlikely since Flayderman estimated production at only “several thousand.” We know that guns remaining at the plant when the lawsuit was resolved numbered 4,486, so it more likely the workman was careless and the gun is actually #2246, though we cannot discount a possible sales tactic on Pond’s part to make the gun seem more popular.

These are interesting pistols in the history of American firearms and mechanical design and merit a place in a Civil War or early western collection as well. [sr] [ph:L]

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