A RARELY OFFERED LIP FIRE ARMY .44 CALIBER REVOLVER FROM THE CIVIL WAR

A RARELY OFFERED LIP FIRE ARMY .44 CALIBER REVOLVER FROM THE CIVIL WAR

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$2,495.00

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 490-7523

Shipping: Determined by Method & Location of buyer

To Order:
Call 717-334-0347,
Fax 717-334-5016, or E-mail

This is a rare Allen & Wheelock Center Hammer "Lip Fire" Army Revolver. These were produced in both .44 Army caliber and .36 Navy caliber; these revolvers only had a production of about 250. Lip Fire revolvers saw a short production life, with the guns being introduced in late 1860 or early 1861 and being put out of production by the November 1863 court order. The gun is 100% complete, correct and original and unlike most lip fire revolvers encountered today, it remains in its original unaltered, lip fire configuration. It is a .44 caliber, six-shot, single action and has a 7-1/2-inch half-round and half-octagon barrel that utilized a unique ratcheting loading lever that formed the trigger guard of the revolver. The left side of the barrel is stamped " ALLEN & WHEELOCK, WORCESTER, MS. US" over "ALLEN'S PAT'S SEPT. 7, NOV 9, 1858". The bore is very good. The frame, cylinder and barrel of the revolver were blued while the hammer and the combination loading lever and trigger guard were originally casehardened; these components have now turned a smooth muted brown with glimpses of original finish beneath. The 2-piece grips are walnut and have 85% factory varnish remaining.

While it made sense from a business standpoint for Allen to monopolize the manufacture of the special Lip Fire ammunition required for the revolvers, it also meant that ammunition could easily become scarce, especially on the western frontier during the latter part of the 1860s and during 1870s. As a result, most Allen Lip Fire Army revolvers encountered today have had their cylinders modified to accept more readily available .44 Rimfire ammunition; this gun has not had the cylinder so altered. Despite the relatively small number produced, the revolvers were manufactured in three distinct variants. The gun is one of the later production Lip Fire “Army” revolvers from 1863, with a loading gate that is hinged on the bottom, rather than the top. This was an improvement over the weaker top-hinged gate that was initially used on the guns. The other improvement incorporated on these 2nd model revolvers was the addition of a pin cast into the right side of the frame upon which the hammer rotated. The number "13" which appears on the grips, the inside frame, the cylinder and the rod retaining the cylinder is a probably an assembly number or the serial numbering process began anew with 1 at the introduction of the 2nd model.

When these guns are encountered, they are typically found converted to rimfire and not in their original lip fire configuration. This lovely pistol is unaltered and in the original lip fire chambering and has not been messed with or molested in any way. These revolvers are only occasionally found offered for sale, and due to their relatively small production numbers even many advanced Civil War era pistol collections do not have one of these revolvers.  [pe] [ph:L]

DISCLAIMER: All firearms are sold as collector's items only - we do not accept responsibility as to the shooting safety or reliability of any antique firearm. All firearms are described as accurately as possible, given the restraints of a catalog listing length. We want satisfied customers & often "under" describe the weapons. Any city or state regulations regarding owning antique firearms are the responsibility of the purchaser. All firearms are "mechanically perfect" unless noted, but again, are NOT warranted as safe to fire!

 

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