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$2,950.00
Quantity Available: 1
Item Code: 490-7524
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Manufactured from 1861 through 1862 inclusively, these six-shot, .44 caliber revolvers were intended to be improvements on the Allen and Wheelock side-hammer revolvers. They use a 7-1/2-inch octagon-to-round barrel and an ingenious combination trigger guard and rachet loading lever. This is an early version with the hammer secured by a screw entering the side plate and the cylinder using nipples screwed in from the inside of the chambers. The grips and frame are numbered “324”. Only 536 Allen and Wheelock revolvers are known to have been purchased by the US Army of these only 198, purchased at the end of December 1861, were .44 caliber center-hammer Army pistols and the remainder were .36 cal. side-hammer versions; some of those .44 caliber revolvers going to the 2nd and 3rd Michigan Cavalry and the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry.
This revolver has smooth plum-brown-blue metal surface overall. Here and there some bright factory blue is showing particularly on the flats of the octagonal portion of the barrel, with rubbing to lighter color along the edges. The back strap and grip strap show a brown patination, but there are also some strong hints of blue mixed in. The blue is stronger still on the hammer. The cylinder is a blue mixed with brown, showing just a very light drag line over the stops. The trigger guard and loading mechanism once case hardened now show mostly brown. The butt strap shows a silver- gray-blue hue. The nipples are not battered but dirty. The mechanics are good. The stamped markings on the left side flat of the barrel are good to fair and read: “ALLEN & WHEELOCK. WORCESTER, MASS. U.S." over "ALLEN’S PT’S. JAN. 13. 1857. DEC. 15, 1857, SEPT. 7, 1858”. The bore is very good but dirty. The 2-piece grips have 80% original varnish with some small bumps on the sides and a couple of small chips missing at the bottoms. The bottom of the grips shows that moderate battering typically seen on "field worn" revolvers. This revolver has a lot of original finish under a shallow bloom of surface age rust brown; it would benefit tremendously from an oiling which would reveal much more of its original factory surface luster; never-the-less as it sits it has a great untouched look, showing honest use and no abuse. [pe] [ph:L]
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