Original Item: Only One Available. This is a really cute example of a small just post Civil War Moore's Patent revolver with a six shot cylinder in .32 Teat-fire caliber, produced by National Arms Co. of Brooklyn, NY. The frame is brass, though like most we see the original plating is completely worn away. It now displays a lovely "mustard patina", with no signs of major cleaning or restoration. It bears some lovely "bank note" style engraving on the brass frame, which is very well retained, with some accents on the barrel as well.

The underside of the barrel is marked with serial number 28685, which we estimate puts production around 1869. Additionally, the gun is marked on the rear of the cylinder, under the grip scales, and on the barrel wedge with assembly number A 85, which is even written on the interior of BOTH grip scales in pencil. The rear of the cylinder is only marked with A, but we are still fairly sure that this is a very desirable "ALL MATCHING" example, with no parts swapped out over the years!

The 3 1/4" barrel is marked on the top :-

The back of the cylinder on some of these would have patent markings as well, but we could not see any sign of them. The brass frame is truly lovely, showing no major damage or wear, just the loss of the original plating, now with only some very small areas present under the grip scales. The barrel shows more wear, having lost the original blued finish, and now displaying a peppery patina on the exterior. The grips are in very good shape, now showing any major damage such as cracks or chips, just the usual wear from use in service. These were usually originally finished with black enamel, however it looks to have mostly worn away from this example.

The action is tight and moves smoothly, without any of the finicky behavior we often see on revolvers of this age. The only thing to note is that the hammer must be pulled back somewhat hard to fully cock it. It properly breaks down when the barrel wedge is removed, and it even has an ingenious spent cartridge ejection lever on the right side. We checked the bore, and it is in excellent condition, with a bright finish and crisp lands and grooves. There is just a bit of past fouling and oxidation, now removed, and it shows little sign of being used. Really a fantastic bore for one of these!

A lovely example of a Moore's Patent "teat fire" revolver with a great patina of age. An interesting stepping stone in firearms development, ready to add to your collection!

Specifications:-

Years of Manufacture: 1864-1870
Caliber: .32 cal Teat-fire
Ammunition Type: Teat-Fire cartridge
Barrel Length: 3 1/4 inches
Overall Length: 7 inches
Action: Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

The Teat-fire cartridge was a .32 caliber pistol cartridge designed by Daniel Moore and manufactured by Moore and his partner David Williamson for their Pocket Revolver and was produced under both the Moore and National Arms marques by the National Arms Company of Brooklyn, New York in the mid-19th century.

The Moore Caliber .32 Teat-fire, which used a unique cartridge to get around the Rollin White patent owned by Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson, proved very popular during the Civil War, with both soldiers and civilians. The "Teat-fire" cartridges did not have a rim at the back like conventional cartridges, but were rounded at the rear, with a small "teat" that would protrude through a tiny opening in the rear of the cylinder. The priming mixture was contained in the "teat" and when the hammer struck it, the cartridge would fire. Thus, it was akin to a rimfire cartridge, but instead of having priming all the way around the edge of the rim, it is centrally located in the teat. This also meant that the revolver cylinder was loaded from the front, which is why there is a loading gate at the front of the frame, and not the rear.

Moore's Caliber .32 Teat-fire Pocket Revolver proved very popular during the American Civil War, with both soldiers and civilians. National Arms produced about 30,000 of the revolvers from 1864 to 1870, when it was acquired by Colt's Manufacturing Company.

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.