Description
Original Item: Only One Available. This is exactly what the Mississippi gamblers carried on the River Boats after the Civil…
Original Item: Only One Available. This is exactly what the Mississippi gamblers carried on the River Boats after the Civil War for self protection. Featuring FOUR barrels, each in .30 Rim Fire that fired individually by way of a single action hammer with a rotating firing pin. Easy to conceal, these were very popular.
The barrel is slid forward for reloading by pushing down the button on the bottom of the frame and sliding the barrel forwards. The underside of the barrel is marked with serial number 22461 on the dovetail, which is also marked on the bottom of the pistol grip frame. There were several variations on this pistol, including some in .22RF with a shorter barrel. This is the model 2A, with the longer 3 inch barrel assembly in .30RF, for a bit more “punch”.
The pistol is also marked on both sides of the brass frame in circles around the hammer axis screw. The right side marking is partly gone to to hammer marks, but still reads:
[C. SH]ARPS [& Co.][PH]ILADA. PA.
While the left side marking is still intact:
C. SHARPSPATENT 1859
Overall metal finish is a nice faded blued patina on the barrels, with no rust peppering that we can see. Some of the original blued finish is present in the flutes between the barrels. The frame also still has areas where the original nickel plating is still present, a rare thing to see. We usually see this with the plating almost completely gone. The flat bottom grip is very nice, with two lovely checkered “gutta percha” grip scales that look great, with no major chips or cracks. The advance lever for the rotating firing pin works on this example, though it fails to advance sometimes, and must be moved by hand. The bores on the barrels are all clear, and still have clear lands and grooves, with areas of fouling and oxidation.
An interesting stepping stone in 19th Century American firearms. In really great condition and ready to display!
Specifications:
Year of Manufacture: circa 1865Caliber: .30 RimfireAmmunition Type: Rimfire CartridgeBarrel Length: 3 inchesOverall Length:5 1/2 inchesAction: SingleFeed System:4 Barrel Pepperbox. Rotating Firing Pin.
NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these.
